a letter to parents about gmo's in organic baby food

i just sent out an email to some of my friends who are young parents in regards to an email i received from organicconsumers.org.  i was shocked to see that gmo's are moving so quickly and shamelessly into our labeled organic products.  i know that these parents want to make informed decisions about the food they give to their babies, and after i sent the email i realized that the majority of parents want to make informed decisions and i should post this for hopefully others to see.  so here goes my letter to them :

i just recently found out about gmo's being purposely put into "organic" products, particularly baby foods and i wanted to send you the link i received from organicconsumers.org, for you to make informed decisions at the grocery store.

gmo's are genetically modified organisms that have not been proven to be safe in our foods. there are actually links to harm done by it (including deaths of animals, still births in animals, etc). europe, among others, has banned it.

heres the link
http://organicconsumers.org/documents/gmo-dha-ara-organic.pdf

for more info about gmos

you can go to http://thefutureoffood.com/ and watch their free documentary.

if you want to take action against gmo in your foods go here http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_24413.cfm (change the zip, i think its linked to mine)

or scroll around http://www.organicconsumers.org/gelink.cfm

let me know if you want more info or have any questions and i will do my best to get it to you

love you guys!

and here's some added info on how organic labeling works:

Products displaying the USDA Organic seal must consist of at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients.

Processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients can use the phrase "made with organic ingredients" and list up to three of the organic ingredients or food groups on the front of the package. However, the USDA Organic seal cannot be used anywhere on the package.

Processed products containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients cannot use the term "organic" other than to identify the specific ingredients that are organically produced in the ingredients statement.

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this is where the email ended.  HERE is a little more research found since then.

from window box to table in a couple of hours

wow. it's been a while since my last post. i blame it on my first-ever container garden. i plan on blogging about that blog-distracter in an up and coming post but hope to whet your appetite (no pun intended) with two of my eggplants - from window box to table within a coupla hours. may I present to you my eggplant parmesan:

soaking in salty water for an hour to take out the bitterness

rinse and dry

and fry... in minimal extra-virgin olive oil. 

then layered em up and added tomato paste between layers and topped it off with some cheese. 

stuck it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about an hour and it all equals yumminess ...with ribs and okra as sides :)

local foods...where to find it...

a good place to start is at your local farms and farmers markets

don't know where they are? try:
http://www.eatwild.com/
http://realmilk.com/
http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/

ask the farmers if they know of any co-ops or buying clubs that you can join.  or start your own. i highly suggest you read this article written by a good friend

i personally recommend raw/real milk; my husband and i drink quite a few gallons of it per week.  we have been drinking it for about 4 years now and it has been great!

it is important to know your farmer and their practices.  visit their farms, ask them questions about their techniques (how fun is it to personally know your farmer/where your food comes from!!).

hints for what is ideal: grass fed cows for milk, meat, and cheese.  pasture-raised chickens (aka: feed mostly off the land) for eggs as well as meat. ... well, pretty much pastured everything is ideal... kinda like the olden days... you know... before scientists thought they could do it better...