Scratching the Itch

The Vernal Equinox has come and gone so it is officially spring - and not too early to begin thinking about planting and the garden.  Planting season is only a few months away.  Seed and supplies have already arrived and with retirement I’m itching to get my gardening gloves on and scratch my organic vegetable itch.  Yes, that’s right – organic.  

The technical definition of organic includes: yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.   Translation:  crop rotation, use of animal and plant manures, focus on hand weeding and biological pest control.  That is not to imply that my veggies are endowed with more nutrients than non-organic ones.  There are many benefits - including good soil health, clean water and delicious food.   

Growing organic contributes to a healthy environment and restricts the flow of pesticides into our water supply.  More directly, organically-grown vegetables can reduce the amount of pesticides that end up inside you.  There’s no telling what the long term consequences might be from a build-up of pesticides in the human body – be it cancer and other disease, cognitive impairment or something else - it can’t be good. 

There is also the notion that organic produce simply tastes better.  Yeah, I know I cannot prove a subjective claim but that’s the heart of the matter.   The likely cause of the ‘tastes better’ theory is that it is fresher.  Picked and served or picked and processed for the canner or freezer in a matter of hours.  Unlike supermarket produce which may have been picked more than a week ago and has traveled on a truck for thousands of miles – from garden directly to table has to be better.  And if you eat more vegetables as a consequence it’s all good. 

Vive le jardin magnifique!