Local and Organic UK

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Comment by Karen Maskall on January 5, 2009 at 3:03pm

Duly found a great video for the soil association on You tube. Thaks for the suggestion Roberta and welcome on board!
Karen

Comment by Roberta Rose on January 5, 2009 at 2:48pm

I'm new here and this group will be great. I can help to market it if you like? Let me know won't you? I think a google map would be an asset or a video of organics maybe. The soil association might be of help I'm not really sure how it all works.

Comment by Chantelle on January 3, 2009 at 1:08am

This is a great group.
It's actually a living directory isn't it? Not only do we get to see the posts (when they happen,which I'm sure they will very quickly) but we can connect and get to know the business owners too. Brilliant idea well done!

I hope there will be many posts as I love travelling and visiting organic food shops and farms and sometimes( not often enough) I stay at a local guest house that offers organic food on the menu etc.

I think there will be plenty to keep me occupied for a while in here when this group/directory gets going
Chantelle

Comment by Karen Maskall on January 2, 2009 at 8:17pm

What is an Organic Wine?

The last time you went into a supermarket or off-licence and you saw a wine labelled as 'organic', 'biodynamic' or 'produced from organically grown grapes' were you confused? This short article will dispel the myths and help you make an informed choice.

The term 'organic' is defined by European Law and in order for a product to be labeled as such an inspection by a certified body must take place. Organic wines must display on their label the certification body that has confirmed that their product is organic. In Europe these could be; Ecocert, Nature et Progres or Terre et Vie from France, or The Soil Association in the UK.

In fact there is a difference between organic wine and wine produced from organically grown grapes. An 'organic wine' must be made from certified organic grapes and be bottled without any preservatives. Mostly, the main wine preservative is sulphur dioxide which must not be added during processing for the wine to be classed as 'organic'. Sulphur dioxide is used by 99% of all wine makers and even if the tiniest amount is used then a supposed wine grower must describe the wine as 'made from organically-grown grapes' but not as an 'organic wine'. Due to the additional paperwork and fees involved in obtaining full 'organic status' some wine growers state that they use 'organic methods' without specifically naming their product organic.

Asthmatics, many of which are particularly sensitive to sulphur dioxide, may find that drinking organic wines has added benefits. There is evidence to suggest that they are more susceptible to suffer an allergic reaction to wines containing sulphur dioxide than to those wines without. The lower levels of sulphur dioxide could also reduce other allergic reactions such as migraines and skin rashes that some people suffer from after drinking wine.

Currently, organic wines form just a small drop in the ocean of the wine market. However, they are becoming ever increasingly in demand. Some vineyards, seeing the increased status that producing an organic wine could give them actively attempt to change their production methods in order to become organic. This process is called reconversion.

Reconversion is the process by which a conventionally-maintained vineyard can make the transformation to organics over a period of time. This reconversion period is set at three years for vineyards because the grapevine is a perennial plant, whereas only two years' reconversion is required for annual crops like wheat or vegetables. The reconversion period only starts once wholly organic practices are adopted, so once the reconversion process has started a producer can't use any non-organic production practices. Reconversion is a tough road for the wine producer, the extra paperwork, certification fees and also understanding that their yields and hence income could reduce. However, it is becoming increasingly popular in all parts of the world for traditional vineyards to adopt reconversion.

'Biodynamic Wines' are often described as the next level from organic wines and the media has coined the term 'Super Organic' to easily describe the process. Based on Rudolf Steiner's 1924 lecture series, biodynamic methods are organic, but also match the natural rhythms of the earth and cosmos with the vine and its capacity to bear fruit. For example, during Biodynamic production lunar cycles are used to determine when the vines should be pruned or when the fermentation process should commence.

Detailed knowledge of astronomy and astrology dictate the timing of all aspects of cultivation, harvesting and winemaking. Special sprays of homeopathic strengths are used to increase fertility of the soil and to protect the vines from pests and diseases.

To some this approach seems outlandish - bizarre even - yet its popularity is increasing. A growing number of top wine makers are adhering to this philosophy. Certainly it's an approach to wine-making which is attracting some serious and world-wide attention.

Biodynamic winemakers claim to have noted stronger, clearer, more vibrant tastes, as well as wines that mature more favorably. Nonetheless, critics of the biodynamic process mention that the so called improvements to taste are due to a more meticulous approach to cultivation and fermentation and have little to do with channeling life forces from the cosmos.

In conclusion, although there is some debate to the better taste of organic wines, purchasing organic or 'super organic' biodynamic varieties offers your support to sustainable production methods that impact the natural environment and ecology as little as possible.

Article written by Kevin Allen, author and founder of http://www.essentialfinewines.com/

Comment by Karen Maskall on January 2, 2009 at 8:10pm

The Advantages to Organic Vegetable Drinks

Consumer demand is growing in the organic vegetable drinks, or beverages. In North America, organic juice sales alone are projected to double in 2005. Consumers spent more than US $25 billion on 'wellness drinks' in 2005, making up 12% of all soft drinks spending across the US and Europe. The market represents a major opportunity for drink marketers, as consumers become aware of the link between diet and lifestyle.

Antioxidants help our body eliminate these harmful free radicals. Antioxidants can come from healthy eating or in the form of supplements, and they include a family of naturally formed components like vitamin A, beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin E, and more. They are believed to protect cells from free radicals, harmful oxygen molecules thought to damage cells that result in cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, and they may be the underlying reason why we age. Antioxidants are said to eliminate harmful free radicals that are produced from chemical reactions of electrons in the body. A number of companies use pomegranate and blueberry juice, which contain high levels of beneficial antioxidants.

Organic vegetable drinks offering therapeutic health benefits are now widely available in whole food stores, supermarkets, gymnasiums, and health retreats. In many respects, their popularity is determined by the overall quality and acceptance of the wider range of manufactured products known as functional foods.

Organic farming keeps harmful chemicals and pesticides out of the food we eat and beverages we drink. It also prohibits the use of antibiotics in animal feed, which are routinely used in conventional farming and is known to create dangerous antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.

Author: Gregory Wadel
Tips To Producing An Awesome Organic Lifestyle
http://wadeshealthmatters.info

Comment by Karen Maskall on January 2, 2009 at 8:05pm

Organic Food and Locally Grown Food - Are They the Same?

In the U.K., consumers are gobbling up organic food by the bushel. In fact, according to the Organic Centre Wales, "Direct sales of organic food through box schemes, farmers' markets and farm shops grew by more than a third to L144 million during 2004." And those numbers have continued to rise as consumers become increasingly concerned about the long-term effects of the chemical fertilizers and pesticides used on crops grown by non-organic farms. While most people agree that organic food is preferable over non-organic, a debate has begun about the source of organic foods. For example, is imported organic food as desirable as UK organic food?

Making the Case for Local Organic Food

Those on one side of the debate insist it doesn't matter where organic food is grown; rather, the crucial factor is that the food meets stringent standards to ensure that it is truly organic. Those on the other side of the debate are equally vehement that locally grown organic food is preferable to imported organic food, both because the fossil fuels used to transport imported organic food add to global warming and because UK organic food supports local farmers.

Advocates say that you can find UK organic food at an organic farm shop, or even arrange for organic food delivery right to your door. You can even find organic fish, such as organic trout from an organic fish farm. There, the organic trout may live in 400-year-old spring water and eat natural shrimp that comes from organic watercress beds.

Those who favor importing organic food point out that an organic farm shop will only have seasonal foods, which severely limit the choices consumers have when preparing meals. Imported organic food, they say, retains its superior nutritional quality while delivering a bountiful variety of fruits and vegetables.

Some people, of course, take the middle ground, and opt to select their foods from an organic farm shop when what they desire is in season and shop for imported organic food the remainder of the year.

The Bottom Line

People may differ in their opinions about whether or not to limit one's consumption of organic food to that grown locally, but virtually everyone agrees that organic fruits, organic vegetables, organic fish, and organic meats are preferable to those that are grown with chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides.

Currently, non-organic growers are authorized to use over 1,000 chemicals on crops. This translates into everything from soil erosion due to over-farming to dangerous toxic runoff into our drinking water. Growing food organically is a way to reverse this trend. With over 700,000 hectares dedicated to UK organic food, farmers are trying to meet consumer demand. Still, some markets import almost half of the organic food they sell. As for who will win the debate over locally grown organic food vs. imported organic food, only time will tell.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Organic Food vs. Locally Grown Food or Majon's Food directory.

Comment by Karen Maskall on January 2, 2009 at 7:58pm

Tips for Organic Farming

I really surprised myself by becoming involved with organic farming just if you are short years ago, and boy am I glad that I did. I was going through some tough times in my little home. I live in a small ranch style house in the California country, attempting to make a living as a handyman. Work turned out to be a little more scarce than I first had anticipated and times call for a little belt tightening to say the least.

I got a book on organic farming, figuring that if I grew my own food, it would help things along for me. My feeling was that I would use up some of my increasingly abundant free time, save some money on food, and perhaps best of all, began eating more healthy diet. Once more, it would give me a sense of pride. Having something to do keep your mind sound and your spirits from sinking.

I actually have been consuming organic farming for for quite some time, but never really gave it much thought. I guess that I still don't in some ways. I was doing it in such a small scale that I had no idea how huge in industry organic farming really had become. The large corporate farming interests have to find ways to grow huge fields of the same crop, and they can afford expensive measures to control pests without using any unnatural pesticides. I was again a little different in this respect in that I did not have the expertise or resources to fight the little varmints, so I had to get clever so that my organic farming would not be compromised.

The first thing I had to deal with or slug. Did you realize that peer works great for getting rid of slugs? They are attracted to the liquid itself but are then ironically drowned in it. What you might not realize until you try organic farming, is that there are always more slugs out to ravage your crops. You wouldn't believe how much of the pain in the butt these little fellas are. But I found that they weren't even the worst of it. Little bunny rabbits or a huge threat to my organic farming venture. You see, unlike my neighbors,

I never have sprayed my lawn, so I have always had a family of cute little bunnies living in my yard. But there are two things bunnies are known for, and the lesser known one is equally impressive. You wouldn't believe the voracious appetites on these little guys and gals. As for carrots, it's not fiction, they really do love them. Organic farming is wonderful but you had better be prepared to roll up your sleeves and put in the work.

Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding gardening. You can get interesting and informative information here at Organic Farming