Re: sources for middle TN -Katja

[Guest guest]

Katja....you need a trip to the deep south LOL.

Think organics 1980, now you've got the picture. I do all my vegetable

shopping at our one certified organic market on Sat. in Atlanta. We

have an average of 10-12 vendors. Now we're talking Atlanta, short of

Miami we're it here in the south!

We do have other excellent farms but they don't want to be bothered

with the organic cert. process. It's expensive and time consuming. I

buy from some of these farmers and am confident that the food is

excellent.

Oh well....maybe 1980 is dating us a bit much. We're moving forward

just slowly.

BTW...I'm headed to a conference in the mtns of Tenn. next week called

Food for Life. The author of Wild Fermentation is presenting lots of

fementation workshops. Can't wait.....and he lives here in the deep

south right in the heart of Tenn. We have our pockets of advancement!

Bye

Lynn

> >West Wind Farms is the ONLY certified organic farm in Tennessee.

They are

> >located in Deer Lodge, Tennessee.

[Guest guest]

oh honey, i lived in texas for 15 years. the one thing i truly and

genuinely do NOT need in my life is one single minute more on the other

side of the mason dixon! in fact, truly, anything south of boston, really...

and most especially if they don't have organic food!!

-katja

At 07:03 AM 6/29/2004, you wrote:

>Katja....you need a trip to the deep south LOL.

>Think organics 1980, now you've got the picture. I do all my vegetable

>shopping at our one certified organic market on Sat. in Atlanta. We

>have an average of 10-12 vendors. Now we're talking Atlanta, short of

>Miami we're it here in the south!

>

>We do have other excellent farms but they don't want to be bothered

>with the organic cert. process. It's expensive and time consuming. I

>buy from some of these farmers and am confident that the food is

>excellent.

>

>Oh well....maybe 1980 is dating us a bit much. We're moving forward

>just slowly.

>

>BTW...I'm headed to a conference in the mtns of Tenn. next week called

>Food for Life. The author of Wild Fermentation is presenting lots of

>fementation workshops. Can't wait.....and he lives here in the deep

>south right in the heart of Tenn. We have our pockets of advancement!

>

>Bye

>Lynn

>

>

>

>

>

> > >West Wind Farms is the ONLY certified organic farm in Tennessee.

>They are

> > >located in Deer Lodge, Tennessee.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 11:03:41 -0000

" Lynn Razaitis " <lyn122@...> wrote:

> Katja....you need a trip to the deep south LOL.

> Think organics 1980, now you've got the picture. I do all my vegetable

> shopping at our one certified organic market on Sat. in Atlanta. We

> have an average of 10-12 vendors. Now we're talking Atlanta, short of

> Miami we're it here in the south!

Lynn,

When I was in Atlanta the first time, I was appalled at the paucity of

good food that was available, at least at retail.

Then several years later when I came to visit my sister took me to Whole

Foods Market. It wasn't as nice as the one out here in Washington but it

was definitely a huge upgrade.

> We do have other excellent farms but they don't want to be bothered

> with the organic cert. process. It's expensive and time consuming.

Good for them! You can produce excellent food without adding the cost of

regulation to the price (or the producer eating the cost, depending on

what the market can bear).

IMO, organic certification is OVERRATED, and unnecessarily raises the

cost of food.

> I

> buy from some of these farmers and am confident that the food is

> excellent.

You don't have to be confident, there are tools you can actually use to

KNOW what you are getting in terms of produce. Check out

http://www.brixpage.com. Hit cancel twice if a dialogue box comes up.

> Oh well....maybe 1980 is dating us a bit much. We're moving forward

> just slowly.

IMO, " Holy Organic " is not a sign of progress, but rather a designation

which confers a false sense of security as to the quality of our produce.

The *New* Ten Commandments

http://tinyurl.com/245sr

" They told just the same,

That just because a tyrant has the might

By force of arms to murder men downright

And burn down house and home and leave all flat

They call the man a captain, just for that.

But since an outlaw with his little band

Cannot bring half such mischief on the land

Or be the cause of so much harm and grief,

He only earns the title of a thief. "

--Geoffrey Chaucer, The Manciple's Tale

[Guest guest]

as a farmer (and an organic farmer at that) i may be biased, but i'm going

to have to disagree heartily with this.

first off, certified or not, organic food costs more. getting the

certification allows you to recoup your costs better.

also, getting the certification counts for more than just the label: it

funds education and legislation, among other things. even farmer technical

support! and while i am not a big fan of legislation, it's the system we

have, so ya know. we do what we can.

certainly not all organic food is equally swank, and i've even heard of

farmers cheating, but you can't dis the whole movement for that.

just for emphasis, i'm going to repeat this part: first off, certified or

not, organic food costs more. getting the certification allows you to

recoup your costs better.

food costs money. you don't need another t-shirt.

(i should put that on a bumper sticker.)

-katja

At 12:37 PM 6/29/2004, you wrote:

>IMO, organic certification is OVERRATED, and unnecessarily raises the

>cost of food.

[Guest guest]

I agree Katja, besides, vegetables may be one thing. But anyone can SAY

their meat is organic, but unless you are getting it from a certified

organic farm.........who really knows? For instance, I know of a store that

claims all their meat is certified organic (although no certification is

posted anywhere, and he doesn't have stickers that say such). When asked

the source of the meat, the store owner told us. A consumer called, and

it's nothing other than feed-lot beef!! The farm that was contacted said,

" No way we aren't organic. Costs too much. "

Best advice I have isn't anything that hasn't already been said here - GO

VISIT THE FARM - MEET THE FARMERS - ASK QUESTIONS - TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!

On a side note, what approach should be taken with the above-referenced

store-owner? Nobody wants to drive him out of business, but he needs to be

upfront with his customers and stop misrepresenting his product!

Nanette

[Guest guest]

well, probably the best way to do it is just be really upfront and

objective. go to the guy and say: hey: we called the producer of the beef

and they state that the beef is not organic.

then let him respond. if you just put forth the facts, and not offer any

kind of judgement, then he can say whatever he has to say...

good luck!

At 11:13 AM 6/30/2004, you wrote:

>I agree Katja, besides, vegetables may be one thing. But anyone can SAY

>their meat is organic, but unless you are getting it from a certified

>organic farm.........who really knows? For instance, I know of a store that

>claims all their meat is certified organic (although no certification is

>posted anywhere, and he doesn't have stickers that say such). When asked

>the source of the meat, the store owner told us. A consumer called, and

>it's nothing other than feed-lot beef!! The farm that was contacted said,

> " No way we aren't organic. Costs too much. "

>

>Best advice I have isn't anything that hasn't already been said here - GO

>VISIT THE FARM - MEET THE FARMERS - ASK QUESTIONS - TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!

>

>On a side note, what approach should be taken with the above-referenced

>store-owner? Nobody wants to drive him out of business, but he needs to be

>upfront with his customers and stop misrepresenting his product!

>

>Nanette

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>

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