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I began eating organic food back in the 1980s before Federal Regulations defined the category. Pesticides originated as chemicals used in warfare, and I intuitively felt that ingesting food grown with them just couldn’t be right.

It’s true that sometimes I fudge a bit. If my local store doesn’t have organic onions (which is rare these days), and I need one for a recipe, I’ll buy a conventional one rather than go to another store.

After hearing about a new study, I will rethink my recipe. This research shows that when people eat organic food for one week, their levels of glyphosate drop dramatically! Continue reading “Six Days and Seven Nights – Eating Organic Makes a Big Difference” →

Culinary Delights, Organic Policy and Regulations, Social Implications in Agriculture, well-being, What is Organic

Waste Not Want Not: Granny’s Tips on Reducing Food Waste

August 8, 2020 Melody Meyer

christian-bowen-3JqVQsShG28-unsplash — Photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash

My grandmother used the old adage “waste not want not” for good reason. She was a woman who lived during the Great Depression, she grew our family’s food most of her life. Planting, nurturing, harvesting and preserving food was her life—and she didn’t intend to waste any of it!

In the US, we throw away 30-40 percent of our food supply. That’s 219 pounds per person and $1600 per family each year.

Wholesome food that could feed families in need is sent to landfills. Food is the single largest component taking up space inside US landfills.

If that isn’t enough to motivate you, think about the land, water, labor, energy and other inputs used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing of discarded food.

For me, you and I, it may be about saving money. For others, it’s about contributing to the environment and doing your part to save the planet.

Whatever your reason is to reduce your food waste, I’m going to give you some hints from my pantry and Granny. Continue reading “Waste Not Want Not: Granny’s Tips on Reducing Food Waste” →

Culinary Delights, Environment, well-being, What is Organic

How My Life Became an Organic Lifestyle

August 7, 2020 Melody Meyer

andrew-welch-i5Crg4KLblY-unsplash — Photo by andrew welch on Unsplash

I was recently on the phone with one of the original leaders of Organic Valley. He pointed out that we are both steeped well—like a couple of fine teas—in organic culture and history.

We have both based our life on organic agriculture and food as a starting place of health and healing. We eat organic food because it’s healthier for us and better for the planet. We yearn to support organic farmers with our dollars and our time.

That belief system permeates outward to everything we do. From our home to our business, to the way we teach others, living an organic lifestyle is not a diet fad—it’s a mindset that becomes a way of life. Continue reading “How My Life Became an Organic Lifestyle” →

Culinary Delights, Travel, What is Organic

How I Learned to Eat to Live

July 29, 2020 Melody Meyer

My grandfather was a man who cherished every morsel; he ate slowly and with purpose. As a child, I remember he was always the last to finish—and we did not leave the table until he was done.

The midday meal was the most substantial and reverently honored. We sat and let him have the last indulgence. Comprised of garden vegetables, fresh or preserved, small animals, chickens, roots and bitter greens, my grandparents harvested and fermented many things.

Since sheltering in place, I have been examining how I eat and remembering the ways of my grandfather and wonder…

Do I eat to live, or do I live to eat? Continue reading “How I Learned to Eat to Live” →

Culinary Delights, Environment, Organic Policy and Regulations, What is Organic

Earth Friendly Living is Easier Than You Think. It Begins Right at Home.

July 23, 2020 Melody Meyer

joshua-ness-Vo52cKzOxMY-unsplash — Photo by Joshua Ness on Unsplash

Storm clouds may seem to be gathering on multiple fronts these days, but there is hope in many areas. I believe at the root of every human being is a nugget of good—a place where we really want to do the right thing.

The world is becoming a more environmentally conscious place. People recognize that to change the trajectory of degradation to our planet, we must take matters into our own hands.

Change happens at the local level, and no place is more local than home. Click your heels, and you’re there? Not quite, but there are things you can begin doing right now, even as you shelter in place, that can make a difference towards environmental change. Continue reading “Earth Friendly Living is Easier Than You Think. It Begins Right at Home.” →