organic

When you want to buy organic food you have a number of different options open to you. These options will include going to the supermarket and also stopping by roadside organic food stalls where you can buy the fresh produce. Now, while both of these options are quite good there are times when you will need help in finding where you can get your organic foods from and this where an organic directory comes in handy.

This will change form place to place, from region to region, but essentially the organic directory will contain the same basic information. This will normally include such things as the names of organic food producing farms, the different organic foods to be found in these farms, and maybe even how long these farms have been producing organic foods.

The information will necessarily vary from organic directory to organic directory, but the end product will be something that is helpful and easy to use. Now, since there is no one organic directory as such, you will have to be content to rely on the different organic directory services that are offered by the many different organic farming and food producing organizations.

These will for the most part have an organic directory of the various criteria that the organic farmers association or organization has on their books. If you’re interested in getting an organic directory for yourself, you should be able to lay your hands on this by contacting the various organic organizations.

Of course, you might also be able to find an organic directory from the National Organic Program which is the arm of the USDA which oversees everything about organic foods. This august body is also the one that sets the definition of what organic is, as well as giving organic certification to farms and organic processed foods.

You will also find worldwide that the usage of organic foods has spread. This means that there are not only organic farms to think about anymore, but also organic restaurants, organic wine shops and organic health food stores among other things.

With this boom in the culture for everything organic, you will that an organic directory for these things has also sprung up. With one of these in your pocket, or on your laptop or palm pilot, that you will be able to have a fine organic dining experience even when you leave your home. And considering where organic foods were a few years ago, this is a great achievement.

Not everyone knows about the fact that you can get not only organic produce but also organic meats. This enables you to change your entire dietary lifestyle if you so wish, without having to compromise on such things as organic meats and organic dairy products, substituting the non-organic stuff instead.

In fact, if you do your grocery shopping in a place where organic foods are readily available, you will find the organic meats and dairy products to be readily available alongside their stock of organic fruits, vegetables and processed foods. This is also true, maybe especially more so, of online organic food stores and suppliers.

So what is the deal with organic meats? Well for one thing, organically reared animals are treated to a different regimen than animals reared on normal farms. For one thing, these animals are only fed organic foods.

This means that they don’t have any non-organic foods in their diets at all from the very beginning. They are only fed on high quality organic produce. There is also the small factor of not having any antibiotics pumped into these animals as well as not being subject to other potentially harmful toxins.

Just because you prefer organic foods, it doesn’t mean that you have to become vegetarian or even vegan. You can still enjoy the same sumptuous foursquare meals that you’re used to without loss of vital ingredients. This is where knowing where to get your organic meats can come in handy.

And part and parcel with organic meats, come organic dairy products. Since animals reared in an organic farming environment will also produce organic dairy products as well, you have that assurance that you can still enjoy your port and cheese!

All that aside, when you’re looking at organic meats, you will also want to look at the various processed organic foods as well, that contains meat. Unless it has been specifically stated that the ingredients within the packaging s 100% organic you might find yourself faced with only some of the items being organic.

This applies to any meats to be found in the product as well. Unless it has been stated specifically that the meats contained are organic meats you might want to think twice before buying these types of processed foods.

If you’re having trouble finding not only organic meats but organic fish as well, you might want to try your hand at finding an organic foods supplier online. You will more than likely have better luck at these places finding, and purchasing, your organic meats, fish and dairy produce.

Organic restaurants are almost as difficult to find as organic foods were once upon a time (ten years ago!), to find. But not to worry, if you like eating out once in a while and enjoy a fine dining experience, you will still be able to find one or two organic restaurants in your nearby vicinity which you can visit when the mood hits you.

Otherwise you might find that you are stuck with going to a normal restaurant for those special times, or for those times when you just want to get out of the house. This is not a hardship by any means, but it does seriously curtail your organic food habits especially if you eat out on a regular basis.

Finding organic restaurants can be easy as looking in the yellow pages, or looking them up on the internet. The world wired web has definitely brought a new revitalization to the organic food market with the presence of organic food stores available online for organic food consumers to easily buy their organic foods.

And it has also made it easier to find organic restaurants in your area. Without this utility at your hand it can become difficult to find good organic restaurants to dine out at. If on the other hand, you are a visitor to a country, city or state, and you’re staying in a hotel, you might be able to find one or two organic restaurants by asking at the front desk.

They are bound to have a list of the better dining establishments, and you might find that there are a good many organic restaurants in the area for you to visit.

On the other hand, you can also find great organic restaurants by word of mouth. Just ask around from your friends if they know of any good organic restaurants, and you might be surprised at the outcome.

By now, and in this day and age, organic restaurants have certainly popped up more and more frequently, and although they’re not copious in number, there are certainly more organic restaurants than you might be led to imagine. This is especially true of the larger cities, where trends such as going organic and changing lifestyles to suit these trends, is a norm.

If on the other hand you have yet to decide whether or not you want to go organic, and you’re worried that your days of eating out and fine dining are over for good if you do go organic, there’s only one thing to say to that. Be afraid, be very afraid. Having said that, it is beyond a certainty that organic restaurants will pop up all over the world before too long, en mass!

Not everyone who likes to eat organic foods has the chance to do so on a daily basis. Most people will have to settle for the more mediocre fare of the same foods they have been eating for most of their lives. Other more fortunate people however, are able to enjoy organic foods on a more regular basis, and some of these people have also been blessed with the ability to bake, which gives rise (excuse the pun!) to organic breads.

Now f you’re wondering what on earth organic breads are, and whether they really do taste as if they were fresh sprung from the ground along with the carrots and the potatoes, there’s only one thing that I have to say, Ha! Organic breads don’t taste any different from your normal average everyday breads. In fact more than tasting different, people who eat organic breads and organic foods in general believe that they taste better to those of the normal non-organic, pesticide filled food varieties!

This is of course a hotly debated topic, because how can any one person truly accept what the taste buds of someone else are saying? They have to taste it for themselves and if they’re trying to compare the tastes of organically grown produce with that of conventionally grown produce there’s always bound to be some differences.

That aside however, organic breads taste the same as normal breads and they are made in the same manner as normal breads. The main difference lies in the ingredients used to make the organic breads. Only organic flour, butter etc would be used when making organic breads. Essentially the recipe stays the same, it’s only the ingredients, or rather the manner in which the ingredients were produced, that is changed.

“Organic” for those of you who are unaware of it, is a term, or a definition of a farming process which shuns conventional methods of farming. Things such as chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are put away in favor of natural pesticides and fertilization methods. More over, genetically plant organisms are also rejected in the organic farming method. And in organic animal farming you will find that use of steroids and antibiotics is banned, and the animals receive only organic foods for themselves.

Therefore when someone tells you that they regularly bake organic breads, don’t stare at them as if they had just grown two heads. All they have done is to continue on with their normal baking routines substituting organic products where necessary to make the organic breads.

On the other hand, if the person has never lifted a single finger in the kitchen before this, and they calmly announce that they have baked a batch of organic breads, you might do well to stare and be suspicious. Oh, and reach for the roll of antacids as well!

If you've been to the grocery store in the past five years, you've undoubtedly encountered some sort of organic food. Maybe you noticed different packaging or special sections in the store and maybe you've even ventured to try these newfangled products. But most likely, you're still not exactly sure what "organic" means and why it has been getting so much media attention in the last few years. The idea of organic foods can be intimidating, so Recipe4Living offers you a place to familiarize yourself with the terms and facts surrounding this new organic craze.

* What is organic?

In the simplest terms, organic foods are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.

The USDA National Organic Program has created a long and wordy definition that you can view here. As of October 21, 2002, all farmers and organic producers are required to adhere to these guidelines throughout their organic license:

- Do not use prohibited materials (listed above) for three years prior to certification and throughout license.
- Allow outdoor access and pasture for livestock and do not feed animals antibiotics or hormones. Rather, feed animals with 100% organic feed.
- Avoid contamination during processing of products and keep records of all operations.

This relatively simple definition is just the basis for understanding the organic world. When grocery shopping, it's important to know that the USDA has identified three categories for labeling organic products:

- 100% Organic: Made with 100% organic ingredients
- Organic: Made with at least 95% organic ingredients
- Made with Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30% including no genetically modified organisms.

(Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may list organically produced ingredients on the side panel, but cannot make organic claims.)

For more terms and definitions, check out the comprehensive Glossary at Organic.org.

* Potential Health Benefits

Though there have not been enough long-term studies done to confirm health benefits from organic foods, recently published studies from the University of California-Davis recently found that some organic foods have higher nutritional value than regularly-grown foods. Some people also believe that organic food tastes better, but you'll have to see for yourself.

* Pesticide Dangers

While the idea of eating organic may seem to be more of an inconvenience than its worth, you should consider the harmful effects that pesticides have on foods. They can have detrimental effects on a human's endocrine, nervous and immune systems and the risk is even greater for children. Remember, the use of these pesticides is prohibited for organic farmers.

For your shopping convenience, a report by the Environmental Working Group used data from the FDA to show that many of the pesticide health risks are concentrated in a relatively small number of fruits and vegetables.

- High Levels of Pesticide: strawberries, red and green peppers, spinach, cherries, peaches, cantaloupe, celery, apples, apricots, green beans, grapes, cucumbers, pears, winter squash and potatoes

- Low Levels of Pesticide: avocados, corn, onions, sweet potatoes, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.

The realization that your food may have harmful pesticides on it can be scary, but there are ways to clean your food without having to swear off fruits and vegetables forever:

- Buy commercial vegetable and fruit washes formulated to remove chemical residue (Evironné or Vitanet).
- Make your own cleaning solution with mild dishwashing detergent (1 tsp. detergent per gallon of water).
- Use a soft brush to scrub food.
- Peel fruits with tough exteriors, especially peaches, pears and apples.
- Eat organic.

Click here for more tips on keeping your family safe from pesticides.

* Where to Find Organic Foods

Your search for organic food could mean exploring a new section of your neighborhood grocery store or traveling a further distance to meet your new grocery needs. Chain stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's carry extensive organic sections of their stores. You can also look into local co-ops in your town that will undoubtedly have an impressive selection of organic foods.

If you're still having trouble finding organic in your town, perhaps these organic delivery services will make it easier:

Diamond Organics - delivers to any address in US
Dave's Organics - home delivery in California
Front Door Organics - home and office delivery in Toronto
Organics Delivered - delivers to Toronto and Peterborough Co.
Peapod - delivers to Chicago and South-Eastern Wisconsin and most of the New England area
Urban Organic - delivers to the New York area
Small Potatoes - home delivery within BC, Canada
Organic Express - home delivery throughout California
Door to Door Organics - serves Philadelphia, NJ and vicinity
Planet Organics - home delivery in San Francisco Bay area

A note on costs: Many people don't buy organic foods because they believe them to be too expensive. While organic food is often pricier than its non-organic counterparts, there are good reasons for this:

- Organic farmers don't receive federal subsidies like conventional farmers do, therefore they price reflects the true cost to growing.
- The price of conventional food does not reflect the cost of environmental cleanups that we pay for through tax dollars.
- Organic farming is more labor and management intensive.

* Other Info to Know

In case you still have any doubts as to the incredible impact that organic foods are having on food industry, take a look at this map of the Organic Industry Structure . Looking at the large circles, you'll probably recognize most of the major brand names that occupy your kitchen cupboards, but follow the arrows to see the organic brands these food-giants are creating. Even if you just glace at the chart, it's easy to see that the organic industry is growing quickly and will not be ignored.

If you're still thirsting for more organic knowledge, the Internet has some incredible organic resources. Check out these websites for further information.

Organic.org
Organic Consumers Organization
USDA National Organic Program

Copyright © 2006 Ampere Media LLC

Times have indeed changed and organic apparel that was at one time fashionable only amongst hippies who loved to sport hemp frocks have now become a new craze that is sweeping many in its wake. Thus, the next time you step into a fashion store or even any of the bigger mainstream departmental stores, don’t be afraid to ask for organic apparel. They’re so popular that many are being hawked all over the place, if only to capitalize on the newfound popularity and not because of its benefits to the environment.

Today, there seems to be an almost non-stop stream of retailers ordering organic apparel just to cater to the whims of the two biggest segments of buyers for such clothes. Many buyers happen to be the young and the now aging baby boomers.

Today, these and other buyers have realized the need to protect the environment and even small purchases go a long way in improving the planet’s environment. In fact, buying organic apparel today is certainly less of a one-time self indulgence and more of a small necessity.

To show the importance of buying organic merchandise, the latest figures have shown that the organic clothing and organic bedding products have become the second fastest moving of all organic products. They have seen their sales jump to one hundred and sixty million dollars from what used to be half of that two years before.

Organic apparel is just one aspect to the organic boom, though it ranks ahead of garments made out of soy, corn, or bamboo. The organic fibers used in making organic apparel are made from soil used on farms that do not use pesticides or even other chemical fertilizers; they conform to the regulations concerning organic farming as laid out by the US Department of Agriculture.

However, as of now there are no regulations that govern the making and processing of these fibers. There are certain voluntary standards applicable all across the globe that requires organic apparel and other organic goods to contain at least ninety-five percent organic fiber. These rules also restrict how dyes and finishing is to be done.

Contrary to expectations, the wearing of organic apparel does not in any way mean that the wearer will derive any noticeable health benefits. Yet, it can prove to be effective in the case of those who are affected by skin allergies who often prefer wearing organic apparel because they won’t be quite as likely to develop any allergic reactions.

Still, organic apparel, though appealing to many people, is not as obvious as is the case for clothes made by the more conventional means. However, the recent craze has caught on and will certainly go from strength to strength once people become more aware about the need to avoid artificial means and decide to put their faith on all-natural means. Even hybrid cars that provide better mileage and less pollution, once they catch on and begin to be mass produced, will fuel the popularity of things organic, including organic apparel.

With the weather changes, our skin tends to dry and become rough. For this reason, we often must discover ways to restore our natural oils. Some of the best possible solutions may lead us to organic lotions. Lotions are great for restoring natural oils.

With common lotions, you will find by reading the labels, that there are many chemicals and preservatives that can make your skin feel dry, similar to a scratch pad. Make your skin smooth and soft by using organic lotions after bathing. Your face and hands will feel smoother after using organic lotions after returning from the sun.

Organic lotions do not have any artificial preservatives, chemicals. The organic scents and natural preserves will benefit you in many ways. Start using organic products now to bring out the glow of softness to look and feel great.

Save time and money. Go online to find a wide array of products and unbelievable prices. Online you will find offers of many organic products to fit any need or mood. Organic lotions are available to clear up dry knees, elbows, face, hands, and so on.

Shopping online will save time also. To save money we offer the most relievable prices and convenience are to shop online. Stop running around spending money on gasoline, and taking time from other things to find products you really do not want when you can sit at home and shop conveniently.

We offer great gift ideas for that special loved one whether male or female. Give them the joy of relaxation to boost them up by giving natural products in a fancy basket or box. You will be giving them a gift that they will enjoy and want more of.

Stop in and browse with us to find the perfect gift or personal item. We have bath products as well and lotions, soaps and shampoo for all types of skin and hair. Make your hair shiny again with organic shampoos also.

If you are not sure what lotion you want, our customer service is here 24 hours a day to assist you with answers to all your questions. With just a click, you will get support right away.

Organic shampoos are great for restoring and revitalizing your hair back to its original state, since you get the natural resources your hair needs to grow healthy and naturally. Many of the organic shampoos have natural vitamins and minerals, which is great for promoting healthy, shiny hair.

Be sure to check out the line of organic soaps, shampoos, bath lotions, bath soaps and more when you visit the Internet. You have a wide selection or organic products so be sure to shop around.

Some people have naturally dry hair but with all the dyes and hair perms out these days, they can put some real damage to any head. Perms and dyes will dry and split our hair making it break off. You can spice up your hair however by using organic shampoos.

We can benefit today from the many organic products sold on the market. The chemicals and preservatives in shampoo can dry out hair. You restore your shine, life and beautiful hair by using organic products.

Going the organic way will give your lifeless hair more manageability, shine, and the soft, smooth look that everyone will want to run their hands through. Become the talk of the party with the most beautiful and managed hair.

Our shampoos have all natural products what will condition your hair to bring back the long life it deserves. You will not find artificial colors, fragrances, and preservatives in any of our products.

Start today and shop online with us to find the perfect shampoo to fit your hair no matter what condition it may be in. Put life back into your head to make you feel like a new person with just a click of the finger while relaxing at home.

Start shopping online to find all the natural organic products today. We offer many products for the hair, lotions for that smooth and soft look, and bath items as well.

Give the organic gift that will please anyone from the youngest to the oldest by shopping with us. We have gift boxes and baskets to fit everyone likes. To find natural products that restore life back to your hair and skin visit the Internet. Most products are affordable. You will find a nice line of products from shampoos, organic soaps and more.

Need something for that special person and not sure what it is? Ask our online customer service to help you make a decision. They are here to help all of our customers click off with a smiling face afterwards. We can help you decide what to buy for any situation and gift as well.

Start shopping the fun and convenient way to look and feel good by clicking in to visit our site today. You will be glad you did and step out with a smile.

Using organic products and shopping online will give you a new prospective look on how today's technology and products can make you a happy shopper.

Online you will find organic health tips. Instead of restoring the life in your hair only, check out skincare products, homegrown foods, and other healthy organic products that can give you the most of your natural way of living.

Unfortunately with the easy and ready availability of processed foods, organic eating habits aren’t as wide spread as they could be. Even those of us who prefer not to literally riddle our bodies with pesticides and chemical toxins find that sometimes a fast food meal from our favorite drive-in or takeaway is easier than going to the trouble of preparing our own organically cooked meals.

I have to admit that I sometimes even go to the lengths of heating up a TV dinner when I’m too tired to even lift a finger to dial the pizza joint for a meal that has to be better than a first frozen and then nuked meal eaten in solitary confinement in front of the TV.

In fact this is why I turned to organic eating habits to begin with, to get out of the rut that my life had fallen into. It did take some doing, and I did fall off the organic eating wagon quite a few times, but perseverance finally won through and I was out of my fast food junkie and TV dinner rut, and onto the benefits of organic eating.

The problem is though, that sometimes I’m just too tired to bother about cooking a meal for myself and that’s when I resort to the fast foods or the TV dinners. In order to combat the seductive quality of these fast paced lifestyle ruts, I even went so far as to find and buy organic TV dinners, but common sense finally set in on that one, and I switched back to stocking my freezer with non-organic TV dinners.

Why? Simply for the reason that after all the processing these foods have gone through, along with the freezing process, and then the nuking, it renders useless any type of goodness that might be found in the foods. So why pay more for what turns out to be essentially the same item? That was my theory anyway.

If you decide to follow an organic eating regime however, you will find that your life just became healthier and more difficult at the same time. It became healthier because you’re eradicating pesticides and other toxins from your body, and it became more difficult because now you have a larger monthly food bill, and you also have to search specifically for organic foods!

The benefits however, far outweigh the disadvantages, and you will most definitely be glad later on that you went to the trouble to change your eating habits to organic eating habits.

Although many people are becoming conscious about what they put in their bodies, they do not take necessary precautions for what they put on their bodies. Pesticides and other chemicals can not only damage our bodies as they are ingested, but also as they are absorbed through the skin. This proposes great concerns as most of the cotton grown today is loaded with pesticides and chemicals. Cotton uses the most pesticides of any product farmed. As the crop is growing insects and other pests pose a large problem, and because of this a crop can be sprayed with chemicals more than six times. These chemicals and toxins not only go into the clothing made from the cotton, but damage the environment through contaminating water, air, earth and ultimately animals.

As people are exposed to chemicals, toxins and pesticides, through the clothes they wear, these chemicals build up in the body and systems are not able to flush them from the body. As there are too many toxins for the body to be able to clear out, it begins to store them in organs and fatty tissues. Health problems such as cancer can develop. Because cotton is on of the most widely worn fabrics, its effect is far reaching.

Organic cotton farms produce not only safer material, but also help the environment in a significant way. To make just a single t-shirt it takes about one-third of a pound of chemicals. Multiply those amounts by the acres and acres of traditional farms and the thousands of t-shirts on store shelves and it is easy to understand the volume of damage produced by these chemicals. In contrast organic farms take natural preventative measures to prevent insect destruction. Organic farms are required to use crop rotation, weed burning or cover crops to prevent weeds, and the use of animal manure for fertilizer.

Not only is the material itself a problem, and the what it takes to create it, but the dyes used on cotton to make fabric is another concern. Toxins in the dyes effect skin, other organs and the bodies systems. Individuals who suffer from skin problems such as eczema, are especially benefited as they are even more prone to skin problems due to chemicals and dyes. Babies are also a concern as their skin is thinner than an adults and harmful chemicals are more readily absorb into their bodies. As their bodies are smaller and their systems are still growing, the effect of harmful chemicals and toxins even more of a threat for them.

There used to be much more limited variety of colors to choose from when buying organic clothing and that was a draw back to those who are more fashion conscious. Today, there is a large selection of both colors and styles to choose from, making organic clothing more environmentally friendly, safer for the body and more appealing. Another benefit is the deepening of color as the clothes are washed. Unlike cotton colored with chemical dyes, organic dyes do not fade as you wash them, but instead deepen in color, increasing the quality of color as the items is worn. Some people, although they eat organic, find purchasing organic clothing inconvenient and more time consuming. Public demand has a large impact on the availability of products both produced and sold. Stores that have had their organic products fly off the shelf, want to continue to supply those demands. Ultimately the people will decide what is made by their choices as they shop. Choose organic and more organic will be produced, helping the environment as well as your own health.

There are as many definitions of organic as there are farmers in Iowa. So it is up to you to select your own level of purity and focus. You may choose to be absolutely chemical-free or to accept some level of commercial intervention. Much will depend upon your available time as well as your willingness to get down and dirty with the gross and smelly.

Any organic intervention in your life is better than none, so take the information that fits your needs and begin. Who knows? That first step into the world of independent gardening may free you enough to catapult you into full-fledge organic farming at its best.

Composting
What is considered one man s garbage is another man s treasure. For organic purists composting is almost canon, although not absolutely necessary for organic gardening. Because it is messy and aromatic, some may choose to purchase composted soil or products already composted rather than to learn this age-old method.

The process of composting is the science of decomposition in a controlled environment, such as a big garbage can, a 5 ft. x 5 ft. hole in the ground, or an expensive purchased drum that turns automatically. It provides a faster process of breaking down once-living matter into enriched soil and nutrients perfect for the health of your garden. The compost gardener does all possible to recycle appropriate wastes of any living matter, along with a healthy supply of bacteria (purchased or naturally available in the soil from hard work and time.)

To compost, use and accumulate all fruit, vegetable, and grain scraps throughout the year. Yes, this takes time and might not produce a parfum de toilet that tickles your nose, but you will reap the benefits by producing fruits and vegetables that are packed full of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Recycling left-over food wastes, leaves, grasses and hay is at the core of organic gardening at its finest and well worth the effort.

Compost must be turned faithfully to oxygenate the matter. The oxygen is required to heat and decompose the food into nutrients and soil in a timely manner. Without the oxygen that is provided by turning, the material will have to take its natural time to change into soil. Although this is acceptable, many gardeners want to use the recycled wastes within the next six months and are willing to put in the biweekly labor of turning the compost. Some may roll the drum of brown gold around the yard while others may enjoy turning it by hand with a pitchfork.

Fertilizing
Without fertilizing additives (natural or chemical), plants will be stunted and unhealthy. Organic gardeners may use compost to augment the nutrients in the soil and to improve the texture and good bacteria, but most compost should not totally replace fertilizing additives. Cynthia Boruff, a gardener of fifty years, told us that she annually adds to her garden: compost, chicken manure, alfalfa tea (after the plants are at least six inches tall), and her special formula for fertilizer.

Since I do not rely on commercial chemical fertilizers, I vary my organic methods to insure a broader spectrum of nutrients, states Cynthia. My formula that replaces purchased fertilizer is a combination of blood meal, bone meal, and dolomite (or agriculture lime) in equal proportions. I mix it into the soil at the time of setting the young seedlings or planting the seed. It has never failed me yet! My corn is the biggest in the county and my vegetables are award-winning.

Gardeners who don t use chemical fertilizers practice crop rotation a common technique to lessen the amount of fertilizer needed. This will help to prevent depletion of nutrients specific to individual species of plants by rotating vegetable beds or rows. As an example, organic gardeners will plant carrots in a specific row one year and plant a different vegetable in that spot the next season. Since different plants require different amounts of key nutrients, the soil will not be depleted and less organic fertilizer is needed.

Seed Selection
Depending on your definition of organic, you may choose to purchase seeds from a universal standard seed catalog or from an organic seed farm. The differences vary from multi-generational hybrids and genetically engineered plants/seeds on one end of the spectrum to heritage or heirloom seeds on the other.

Purists on the organic side religiously purchase only heirloom seeds because these seeds have had little change over decades, sometimes even centuries. Pure high-protein bean seeds used by the Anazasi have managed to survive in tact these past centuries and have been handed down generation to generation for hundreds of years. Heritage farms have kept the purity of the bean and offer the seeds by catalog purchase. The same is true of a bean variety that the Pilgrims brought over on the Mayflower. The catalogs usually boast seventy-five to one hundred different plant seeds, sometimes with very interesting histories.

Heirloom seed catalogs are available via the internet, but it is more fun to collect the seeds or catalogs from other organic gardeners or heritage seed club members. Once seed has been acquired, it is necessary to learn how to harvest and store the seed properly to maintain quality control for the next season and to protect the purity of the heirloom seed. While it is interesting to think of an entire garden of only heirloom plants, gardeners may find themselves disappointed with the final product. Without the science of hybridizing, some historic products may be small or not as tasty.

Winifred Meidinger, a 90-year old gardener, collects her heirloom seeds each year for the following season s planting. She especially loves her tomatoes and zucchini that have been handed down generation to generation for the last one hundred years. Ms. Meidinger enjoys the taste and texture of her produce and has a sense of pride in knowing she is one of the few gardeners holding to the heirloom philosophy. Many find it fascinating to keep in touch with the past by using the same seeds the pioneers used unadulterated by modern science.

Heirloom seeds are absolutely organic, but not all organic seeds are heirloom. Organic seeds are not genetically engineered and are not chemically treated prior to purchase. Most organic farmers purchase mainly from organic seed catalogs. But they will also buy seed from standard catalogs if it is the best way to get the desired taste or texture of a particular fruit.

Standard seeds, from the store and most catalogs, are frequently powdered with chemicals to prevent mold or fungus growth and to ward off deterioration in the soil before germination. While there are organic methods to do the same precautionary measures without chemicals, few gardeners know the techniques to protect the seeds. These methods should be researched in organic farming books and magazines. Such approaches include planting in paper towels, or how to properly collect and dry seeds.

Bruised Knuckles
The benefits of organic gardening far out-weigh the work load. But the amount of time down in the dirt is far greater than standard chemical gardening. It requires time picking bugs off of plants, time placing jars of natural attractants and boards on moist ground to trick insects into captivity, time working manure and teas into the soil all of this instead of the easy chemical fix. The advantage is health from chemical-free produce for you and your family, as well as physical and spiritual balance from the daily physical exercise required to nurture your garden.

In years past the knowledge of organic gardening was handed down from generation to generation, as well as a basketful of tricks to make the job easier. Today, it is a risk for good produce the first season or two if you are a beginning organic farmer -- unless a mentor is nearby to offer helpful hints. However, there are hundreds of books, articles, and internet resources to help the new gardener become successful. Even that takes time, though.

Organic farming is a noble pursuit that requires perseverance. This resolve will remind you of your ancestors and your past each time you pick up a handful of composted soil or preserve an heirloom seed. It will keep you looking to the future -- jumping over and around your present day problems -- to the seeds that you will purchase, the produce that will be picked, the new recipes and uses you will concoct. For that you won t mind a few scrapes, an aching back, or bruised knuckles. It will all be worth it because philosophically, it is where you want to be.

Vitamins are living enzymes complexes responsible for the production of natural biochemical reactions in our body. When taken in their organic form, vitamin can therefore perform the very functions they are called upon to perform. Vitamins are micronutrients, organic in nature that the body requires in small does in order to maintain life at an optimum level. Vitamins are most easily found from supplements or even better from the foods in our diet.

As a society geared towards consumption, we are confronted with an unprecedented choice of vitamins, as daily supplements or multi vitamin super duper and multi boosted tablets of sheer vitamin power and yet an increasing number of Americans are chronically ill.

Even the foods we buy boast products that include vitamins (in fact these vitamins are almost always chemicals components).

I was present at the birth of a friend s baby the other day, and as the baby was shown through the glass window, generating the customary crescendos of ohhs and ahhs from the gathered audience, I couldn t help thinking that here we were witnessing perfect health, the ultimate healthy body without diseases or imperfections, health as it should be, in all its innocent glory!

And as I quickly drew a mind map of the baby s growth amongst us, I was only too painfully aware that just as nature had brought into life a perfect bundle of joy and health so would we turn this healthy perfection into something all too familiar in today s life: A nutritionally deficient health in need of vitamins and supplements.

We are what we eat and in a country where billions of dollars of synthetic vitamins are spent on a yearly basis, the overall state of our health seems to indicate that those synthetically produced nutrients are falling short of the promises on their labels.

And so as the realization that these synthetic chemical vitamin products are not the real deal gradually becomes evident in our mind, the problem we now face is where to find, the good vitamins that our body craves.

The answer to that question is simple. Just as the food we eat should be organic, so do the vitamins we take as supplements. If there is one message that one needs to remember, it is that when it comes to vitamins, nothing compares with organic food which when consume provide our body with all the necessary nutrients it needs for its well being!

A word of caution about so-called enriched food products such as bread which boast the addition of vitamins in their products. The supplements they use are actually not vitamins but chemical components which may prove more detrimental to your health than you think. The rule of thumb here is to select organic food products that are naturally packed with nutrients necessary for our good health. If in spite of this, you still notice a deficiency in your nutrition in terms of vitamins, then go the organic vitamins route as opposed to the synthetic vitamins branded about in every health and vitamin store.

“Beauty is a glorious gift of nature.” Homer

What you put on your skin is absorbed through your skin. To be more precise, the skin absorbs approximately 60% of any substance applied to it. Hence the success of trans-dermal skin patches prescribed by physicians to deliver medications.

Unfortunately, most of the skin care products mass produced for the market today, even those claiming to be `all natural’ and/or `botanically based’ products, contain harsh, toxic and even possibly carcinogenic ingredients that actually contribute to disorders of the skin and accelerate the aging process.

There is a growing concern from consumers about the ingredients in the personal care products they use daily. In a recent study by the US General Accounting Office (GAO), 125 ingredients found in cosmetics are suspected of causing cancer. Twenty ingredients have been implicated in causing birth defects. Twenty ingredients may cause adverse neurological symptoms, such as headaches and convulsions. Most of these toxic chemicals are so inexpensive that they are used in extremely high concentrations in many personal care products.

These toxic chemicals provide no benefits or nutrients to the skin. They are the inexpensive alternatives employed to achieve the “feel” or “slip” to the skin that occurs naturally using pure, nutritious, essential oils and vegetable oils. The chemicals used to replace the nutritious components are used in significant concentrations in most skin care products. Their only purpose is to increase the profit margins for the manufacturers. The health of the consumer is completely disregarded.

The trend for natural products is growing because the educated consumer is now demanding these for face and body care. Making the decision to use only natural products is easy. Incorporating this decision into your everyday life becomes more difficult as you try to practice it. It is nearly impossible to find completely natural and organic personal care products on the commercial market. It is offensive to see large numbers of chemically laden personal care products lining the shelves of natural health and food markets. Marketed as “Natural”, these products contain harmful synthetic chemicals; however, few of us have the time to peruse the ingredient lists of our moisturizer, deodorant, body lotion and any of the other products we apply daily. We trust that the products sold in these “natural health stores” are safe for the entire family, and so we believe the advertised claims on the bottles of shampoo, lotion, facial care, etc.

According to industry estimates, on any given day a consumer may use as many as 25 different cosmetics and personal care products containing more than 200 different chemical compounds. If a product claims to be organic and /or natural, its ingredients should be easily recognizable as natural components. Also, the ingredients should be listed in descending order with the most prominent factors listed first.

Nature offers all that is needed for healthy, radiant and beautiful skin.

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Aristotle

How were the National Organic Standards created?

Passage of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in 1990 (Title XXI, 1990 Farm Bill) created the U.S. National Organic Standards. The National Organic Program (NOP) of the Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is authorized to enforce OFPA.

What is the National Organic Program’s role?

NOP has the responsibility of implementing the organic standards now that there is a final rule. NOP’s role is to accredit state agencies and private organizations that will certify organic producers and handlers, and to oversee enforcement of the standards.

Who developed the National Organic Standards?

OFPA mandated the formation of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to advise the Secretary of Agriculture in setting the standards for the National Organic Program. NOSB based its recommendations on industry consensus. The board asked for and received an unprecedented amount of public input from farmers, businesses, and consumers during every step of its decision-making process. NOSB consists of four farmers, two handlers/processors, one retailer, one scientist, three consumer/public-interest advocates, three environmentalists, and a certifying agent. USDA appoints NOSB members.

What is the current status of the standards?

On Dec. 21, 2000, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a final rule to implement national organic standards. The organic rule went into effect April 21, 2001, and was fully implemented on October 21, 2002.

What do the national organic regulations include?

As promised by USDA, the regulations prohibit the use of irradiation, sewage sludge, or genetically modified organisms in organic production; reflect NOSB recommendations concerning items on the national list of allowed synthetic and prohibited natural substances; prohibit antibiotics in organic meat and poultry; and require 100% organic feed for organic livestock.

What is the role of the National Organic Standards Board in this process?

NOSB serves as an advisory board to USDA. NOSB recommendations regarding substances that are allowed and prohibited are part of the final rule.

What is the European Union’s current position on U.S. standards for organic?

U.S. exports to the European Union (EU) have had to be certified by certifying agencies accredited as meeting International Organization for Standardization ISO Guide 65 requirements. Now, with U.S. national organic standards, USDA and EU officials are working on developing an equivalency agreement to expedite exports between the two regions.

What do national standards mean for consumers?

With national organic standards, all agricultural products labeled "organic" must be in compliance with U.S. organic law. The word "organic" on U.S. products means that the ingredients and production methods have been verified by an accredited certification agency as meeting or exceeding USDA standards for organic production. In short, consumers have the assurance that products labeled "organic" have been produced in compliance with the standards set forth by USDA.

Organic aromatherapy is a type of natural bodily and mental healing approach that uses essential oils from plants that can be inhaled or applied onto the skin. Examples of such plants are lavender, sage, rosemary and juniper, just to name a few. These plants were initially used in the days of ancient China when the Chinese used such herbs for therapeutic purposes.

Organic Aromatherapy Today

Organic aromatherapy is the process of using plant oils extracted from twigs, flowers, bark, etc. to assist in the treatment of many spiritual, physical and mental ailments. Essential oils are the primary component, and when the pure, concentrated fluid is ingrained with other carrier oils they induce an aromatic liquid that can either be inhaled or rubbed into the skin. There are many aromatherapy products in different forms such as bath salts, facial creams, lotions, oils and candles.

If you consider yourself an environmentally conscious consumer, you will want to inquire about buying organic aromatherapy products as a way to not only treat yourself beneficially, but to treat the environment respectfully also. Here are some important facts that you would want to know regarding organic aromatherapy:

What Is Organic Exactly?

Organic plants are grown minus the treatment of pesticides and other chemicals. Many organic growers carry conviction that pesticides not only damage the earth, but they are not healthy to ingest either. Organic farms are inspected every few years to test for the presence of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or other types of artificial substances. If they pass the inspection, then the farm can be identified as "certified organic".

Organic aromatherapy oil is the superior choice if you want your body and mind to be treated with the purest forms of nature. Organic aromatherapy oil comes from the essential oils of plants that have not been tainted by any chemicals. This means that whatever tree, flower or plant your essential oil was derived from, it has not been treated by any man made chemicals.

Numerous holistic practitioners only will work with organic products, such as organic aromatherapy oil. They propose that without the intrusion of an artificial chemical, the pure chemicals of essential oils will harmonize better when combined, thus having a superior physical and mental impact on the consumer.

We live today in a world that is greatly impure, but that doesn't mean your foundation for good health and well-being has to be. If you want to indulge yourself, do it naturally with organic aromatherapy. It just may be the purest sensation ever.

In the old days of the Internet, there were no SEO Consultants, automated systems, or all that high technology stuff. A few years ago, in fact, the term "Search Engine Optimization" did not even exist! Website owners struggled with ways and means to get the much-needed hits to their website (never mind if it was not targeted) to hopefully generate the needed revenues. Those were the days of IBM (or "It’s Best done Manually") and Organic SEO>Organic SEO.

Organic SEO still refers to the processes and strategies that are undertaken to optimize a website so that it gets good relevance ratings based on the keywords that the site is responsive to. The only difference between Organic SEO and the SEO we now know is that Organic SEO is a manualprocess vs. the current automated processes of page submission and alteration that characterizes "modern" SEO. Organic SEO focuses on promoting websites on the Natural search engine results also known as organic results in contrast with sponsored links (Pay-Per-Click/PPC). Organic SEO, if you really think about is a "purist" approach to website optimization because nothing is a “black box”. As an expert in Organic SEO, you knowoptimization; you don’t just blindly trust it.

Organic SEO is based on a clear understanding of fundamental concepts, including:

• Search engines and how they work
Obviously, you cannot practice Organic SEO if you don’t even know how the first two letters of SEO (i.e., Search Engine) works. A search engine is a web site that provides the visitor a list of recommended websites to go to, based on a specific keyword or keywords. The rank of a website is statistically determined by what is termed as "key word density" or the ratio of keywords to the total number of words of content in a website. Inbound links and their relevance is another factor that determines your rankings. The gatherer of this statistical data is what is called a "spider" or "spider bot", which is a program whose function is to count the number of times a keyword appears in a website through a process called "crawling".

• Search Engine Optimization
You can’t have Organic SEO without the SEO part, which stands what Search Engine Optimization. SEO’s main goal is simple: bring as many visitors to your website as possible by exerting influence on the search engine to position your website as close to the top of the list as possible. As a result of having more visitors, it is hoped that your website will generate business for you. This result is every Organic SEO practitioner’s clear measure of success.

• Viral Marketing
This is an important concept to understand if you are serious about becoming a good Organic SEO expert. Viral Marketing is a strategy to exponentially increase the number of visitors to your website from a small base that you have developed from your initial Organic SEO strategy. An example of Viral Marketing is to offer visitors to your website an opportunity to generate income from their own website by simply putting in your website’s link on theirs so that when people visit their website, then there is a good chance that they will visit yours. This strategy is certainly a handy component of the arsenal of a practitioner of Organic SEO.

• Optimized Domain Names
One of the simplest concepts to understand, yet also one that is not as easy to implement. Getting a keyword-rich domain name is every Organic SEO consultant’s dream because it carries so much weight in the relevance scale. If you domain name is exactly what you are selling, you will be able to smoothly sail on without much of a problem in the rankings. The problem, of course, is that there is a very high likelihood that the “good” domain names already belong to someone, and this makes an Organic SEO specialist life more difficult.

• Keyword Research
This is the first step on the list of to-dos for an Organic SEO practitioner because it plays a major role in determining your optimization strategy. Since it takes months for any optimization strategy to take effect, an Organic SEO expert’s efforts will be wasted if he makes the mistake of optimizing a website based on keywords that are not as popular as he assumed.

Becoming an Organic SEO specialist is not an easy task at all because it requires a deep understanding of the fundamentals that those utilizing automated systems take for granted. There is a major advantage, however, of organic-natural-search-engine-optimization.htm title=Organic SEO>Organic SEO vs. the "lazy man's" SEO: A clear understanding of the concepts allows you to analyze SEO situations more accurately and come up with strategies that are more appropriate and responsive to your website’s needs.