Organic, but at what cost.

I've been reading Green Living, the E Magazine Handbook for Living Lightly on the Earth. Picked it up at Powell's for over half off. It's been my bathtime read. (Don't worry, I reuse the mad amounts of water a bath takes to water the lawn and non-food plants).

Back to the book...

There's a lot of information packed into it. While the writers don't delve down deep into the politics and meanings of things, they do let you know that major corporations are responsible for bringing "organics" to your table. Do you want to eat Boca Burgers anymore knowing they come from Kraft? I don't, but I should tell you that I gave up on Bocas years ago because they're a bit subdelicious. Kellogg's also is in the non-meat burger bizness, whipping up Natural Touch organic soy burgers. ConAgra! ConAgra, the maker of Chef Boyardee, offers organic bread flour.

One of the big disappointments on the list is Seeds of Change. Those are the folks I bought several seeds from, including those cool lookin' Dragon Carrots. They are owned by Mars. Yeah, makers of Skittles and users of artificial fruit flavors. I don't think I can convince myself that this is a glowing, wonderful thing that's beneficial to both business and to the rest of the world, which an article here suggests.

I have looked into buying seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange. This year, though, I wanted to have one catalog order and buy the rest local. I think next year, I'll have to give these guys a try.

From their site: "Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization that saves and shares the heirloom seeds or our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations. When people grow and save seeds, they join an ancient tradition as stewards, nurturing our diverse, fragile, genetic and cultural heritage.

Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy, to honor this tradition. Their collection started when Diane’s terminally-ill grandfather gave them the seeds of two garden plants, Grandpa Ott's Morning Glory and German Pink Tomato, that his parents brought from Bavaria when they immigrated to St. Lucas, Iowa in the 1870s."

Next year:

I'll grow houses for my fine feathered friends.