Going Organic

Well the new year is here and with the new year comes making resolutions.  I've never been one to make resolutions because I know in a matter of time they will be broken and will become a distant memory.  Instead of a resolution I want to make a commitment to things.  I don't want to promise or resolve to do things, I want to commit to doing them.  Josh and I have made a mental list of things we want to commit to doing this year and one of them has been "going organic".

Last year I watched the documentary "Food Inc" which reveals how the food we buy is really processed and how the food industry has become corporate controlled.  The documentary is very shocking and pretty disturbing.  Cows stand in the own feces, eat processed corn, fats and rendered horse protein, and live within the confines of barbed wire fences.  Its not the grassy green fields and blue skies that you imagine cows grazing in.  I recently watched this documentary again with Josh a few weeks ago and he was just as disgusted as I was.  In fact, he got so angry about it all that we have made a pledge to eat organically.  We'd much rather drink milk from a cow that's been outside grazing in the grassy fields or eat meat from a chicken that's been allowed to roam outside instead of being cooped up in cage with 1000 other birds and no sunlight.

Organic and happy cows (in grassy fields, eating grass and roaming free)

Unorganic and sad cows...no grass and no room to roam

When I first heard about going "organic" I figured that it was just a fad and it'd be something we'd all look back on someday and say "Hey remember when everyone started going organic, that was a joke!"  I really didn't care where my food came from and was not going to pay more for chicken that was supposedly "organic".  But after watching this documentary and reading more about it all, I really do think this is something important and something that (hopefully) will become commonplace in every household.  Don't get me wrong though, going organic is EXPENSIVE!  The chicken breast I used to buy cost $2.99 a pound and now the organic kind costs anywhere from $6.99 to $8.99 a pound!  That's up to 4x the price!!  But Josh and I rationalized it by figuring that the money we spend now is worth it if it means spending less on healthcare costs in the future.  Think about all those pesticides and unnatural hormones we are eating that our food has been exposed to... that can't be good for our health and who knows what kinds of diseases they can cause.  Plus, by buying organic we are supporting local farmers instead of those big corporations who are processing our food with little regulations.

I know going organic might not be possible for everyone, but start small.  Maybe start by going to your local farmer's market on a Saturday morning or start buying organic meat.  You could even start by watching this documentary and educating yourself.  Josh and I are starting to incorporate organic food into our lives little by little.  Its been tough because you have to read labels (to see if its really "organic"; "all natural" is not organic) and you end up spending more time and more money.  But, so far its been worth it.  We've found that organic milk surprisingly tastes a LOT better.  Maybe its all in our heads, but I swear I can tell a difference.  I've never been able to drink straight milk, but with the organic milk I could easily have a few glasses.

Sometimes I wish this really existed, maybe people would think twice about what they buy

After all this organic talk and after watching the documentary Josh and I really want our own ranch where we can raise our own chickens and cows and grow vegetables.  I know absolutely nothing about growing food or tending to animals, but maybe someday we'll be a couple of ranch hands, you never know! :)  Maybe I'll just start small with an herb garden.  Yes, an herb garden sounds perfect.