Community Supported Agriculture

Hello Everyone,

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), ever heard of it? I hadn't until just today when my Internship Coordinator pulled out a fresh piece of corn from her lunch bag, and explained how much great produce she was receiving this summer! Let me explain briefly. CSA has become a convenient and popular way for consumers to purchase local, organic produce from a farmer directly over the last 20 years. Basically, a farmer will offer a box of fruits and vegetables that are in season for which a consumer will pay a weekly charge for a nutritious and environmentally-friendly goody bag.

If you check out this site here, you can learn more about the advantages to both consumers and farmers, the shared risk, variations, and more!

My Internship Coordinator explained how she purchases from "River Dog Farms" which is located in Capay Valley; however, they deliver their produce to farmer's markets all over the Bay Area for you to pick up from and enjoy. They pride themselves on growing organic food as their site explains what is organic food, why choose organic, and how to sign up for their veggie box deliveries. Click Here if you're interested to learn more and check out their beautiful photo gallery for a better idea of the concept! :)


In addition to "River Dog Farms," there's the "Full Belly Farms" which is the one I'm signing up for because they have farmer's markets near my apartment and a cheaper, more flexible rate for the veggie box deliveries than "River Dog Farms." However, "River Dog Farms" does have its own qualities that "Full Belly Farms" does not, but my vote still goes to "Full Belly Farms." Anyways, "Full Belly Farms" is also located in Capay Valley, and they sell to both restaurants and farmer's markets. "Full Belly is also home to many outreach activities, including educational tours, school group visits, and the much-acclaimed annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival." Interested in signing up for this veggie box delivery? Click Here.

Hope this blog was educational for many of you because buying from local, organic farms decreases carbon emissions from the trip of delivering produce and prevents the risk of obtaining a disease from pesticides sprayed on your fruit and vegetables. Maybe now I'll see some of you guys at a local farmer's market purchasing veggie boxes! In any case, have a wonderful summer, everyone! :D

Peace&Love,
Dr. Green T

Ask Dr. Green T: Living Life the Organic Way

Dear Dr. Green T,
How can we know if something is "organic" or not?
-Jennie Kim, Green News Editorial Board

So you want to eat green, huh? Finally coming to terms with the potential harm that arises from purchasing foods with pesticides and growth hormones? I've learned from my Environmental Science class in high school that there are many risks that come from purchasing "non-organic" items. An example is milk which contains RBST growth hormones, a drug injected into cows to increase their milk output. Unfortunately, these growth hormones affect the growth rate of consumers as young children end up growing at a faster and unatural rate. Not a good thing at all...

Now what? Well, Organic products are plainly noted as coming from a more natural state, and thus no added chemicals in their process. Simple, right? Well, it may not be for those who are in the market shopping for an organic grocery item or dish at a restaurant.

Fortunately, organic dishes at restaurants can be "Whole restaurant certified" where every dish produced is organic or they can have a couple of items that are organic like lasagna with organic beef. You also have every right to ask to see how they can prove that their beef is organic by viewing if they've paid an organic farm. The food is going in YOUR mouth and into YOUR body, so stand up for your health.

As far as grocery shopping goes, you may distinguish an organic product from that not of by locating a specific sticker, mainly the "Certified Organic" sticker. This specific logo means that:

"The product has been grown according to strict standards that are verified by independent state or private organizations. In the U.S. these third party agents are accredited under the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP). Certification includes annual inspections of farm fields and processing facilities, periodic testing of soil and water to ensure that growers and handlers are meeting the standards which have been set. For a product to receive the USDA Organic seal, a minimum of 95% of ingredients are certified organic. The remaining ingredients must appear on the National List of Approved Materials" (Seo).

You may learn more about why organic food is better by Click Here!!

Peace&Love,
Dr. Green T

Works Cited:
Seo, Danny. "Eco Friendly Goodness." wholearth beaty+beath. 2009. 4 Nov 2009. http://www.wholearthbeauty.com/usda_eco_info.php.

Guide to Avoid Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)

Ever heard of GE or GM foods? Wonder why all foods can't just be organic instead of the specially labeled ones that cost extra? For those who don't know, Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of foods consists of the unnatural insertion of genes into the DNA of animals and crops. Unfortunately, GMOs are created with either genes from insects, bacteria, viruses, animals, or even humans. These additives in our foods have a possibility of causing environmental, health, and economic concerns.

As far as the why, farmers find that using chemical pesticides wards off the insects that fester on the crops. Also, because third world countries contain individuals with a low intake of the necessary vitamins and nutrients, genetically engineering certain edibles to have these minerals prevents malnutrition as well as avoids nutrient deficiencies.

(For a more detailed explanation on GM foods, Click Here.)
Now, let's get to business: how to avoid genetically modified organisms as stated by "Center for Food Safety".

Tip #1: Buy Organic
Any product you purchase that has a label certifying its organic make, this is a basic green flag that there were ZERO GMOs used in the production of that item. Just remember, the food must be labeled "100% organic", "organic", or "made with organic ingredients" to be distinguished as truly non-GMO.

Tip #2: Look for "NON-GMO" Labels
Some brands have the decency to put out "non-GMO" type foods which require a little more effort to locate. Only thing is some of these products may include soy lecithin in their ingredients wich is an "At-Risk" ingredient, so beware.


Tip #3: Avoid At-Risk Ingredients
Try to avoid products composed of any crops such as corn, soy, canola, or cotton (also known as the "Big Four") made with GMOs. I know that sounds difficult, but just try to make sure it's organic!! :] Also, be on the look out for sugar beets which may or may not have entered the list of GM crops recently. I suppose it depends on the product.


Tip #4: Buy the Products listed in THIS SHOPPING GUIDE

After studying that guide and whatever else you can on GM foods, you will be a Non-GMO Pro in no time with a healthy body to boot. You'll be living free from any harmful pesticides that linger on the numerous produce selections sitting in grocery stores today. It's always better to be safe than sorry!! :]

Peace&Love, Everyone.
-Dr. Green T