Creating a Meal From Locally Grown Foods

Conventional farmers and the modern food industry argue that planting the same crop year after year is convenient and profitable because it cuts down on the different types of farm equipment necessary in production, and initially, in the types of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers needed. However, in this unnatural environment, tremendous amounts of pest... ... middle of paper ... ...d to Know About Organic Foods.” Online. Internet. 20 Nov. 2013. Available: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php Goodall, Jane, Gary McAvoy, and Gail Hudson.

The word organic refers to a natural method of farming that produces food without using any artificial pesticides, chemicals, or hormones while relying on soil organisms, insects, and birds to keep bugs in check. If society is serious about eating healthier, there appears to be an opportunity to change things. Although the government regulates pesticides in food in conventional farming, to a larger extent, organic farming benefits a person’s health because the food one eats has a bearing on one's state of mind and well-being and ingesting chemicals is unhealthy. A cultural shift to organic is critical for human and environmental benefits for three reasons. First, a person’s physical condition depends on eating high-quality foods.

Each farm must decide the specific details of its operation, but all CSAs run on the principal of pre-payment. Members of the CSA, which can range from ten to two hundred families, purchase a share at the start of the growing season. Each week thereafter, the members travel to the farm or other designated drop-off point, and receive a portion of what has... ... middle of paper ... ...tate University Press/ Ames, 1995. Boltwood, Meagan. "More Beets For the Buck-Community Supported Agriculture is the Affordable Way to Go Organic."

Organic produce/food is becoming more popular by the year. People say that organically grown food is healthier than conventional. There are no facts or data that show organic provides more nutrients than conventional produce. Many people who are against the use of pesticides and water soluble fertilizers support the companies that are stating these facts. Only problem with this is the public does not know what to beli... ... middle of paper ... ...and-challenges-0000431 Health Benefits of Organic Food | Organic Facts.

Third, there are no irradiations or chemical additives involved in developing organic food (United State Department of Agriculture). From the short definition above, it is obvious that people expect organic food to be more nutritious, safer and environmentally friendlier after spending a lot of money since consumers have to pay more for organic food than conventional food. Nowadays, many people stereotype that organic food is better than conventional food. 63 percent of Americans would rather buy organic food than conventional food (US Organic Food Market Increases). Nonetheless, to say that organic food is better than conventional food is not entirely true because the differences between organic food and conventional food just in the way it is handled, grown, and processed.

W. Atlee Burpee & Co. (2013). Companion Planting Guide. Retrieved January 4, 2014, from http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/companion-planting-guide-article10888.html. Unknown (n.d.). Companion Planting - Secrets of Organic Gardening.

Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and some other groups push the implementation of green belt policy in UK.  Benefits of Green Belt Green belt has been proved that people are benefited from the constructio... ... middle of paper ... ...ble at: http://www.politics-greenbelt.org.uk/criticism-and-disadvantages-of-green-belt-policy.html [Accessed: 6 Dec 2013]. Quilty-Harper, C. 2012. Interactive map: England's green belt - Telegraph. [online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenpolitics/planning/9708387/Interactive-map-Englands-green-belt.html [Accessed: 6 Dec 2013].

Having lived in rural America all of my nearly twenty-two years in life I take pleasure in sitting down to dinner and knowing exactly where the food I am about to partake in came from and am hopeful that we continue to produce enough to feed ourselves. The steak was from an Angus steer fed out on our farm, the potatoes and corn a family friend grew in his garden, and the apples in dessert are from a local orchard. Granted, not everything I put in my mouth comes from a source that I have direct contact with, but I least have knowledge of the food industry. However, your average American is clueless about where their food comes from. They travel to their local supermarket and furnish themselves with the plastic wrapped meat in the freezer section or to the local fast food drive thru for a burger.

5 Dec 2013. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/ "factory farming." Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon. Dictionary.com, LLC. 05 Dec. 2013. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/factory farming "Factory Farming."

What is “local food”? While there is no direct definition for the term “local food”, it could be summed up as simply buying from local food/farmers markets and the CSA, Community Supported Agriculture. Consumers define local food by driving distance; farmers markets, for instance, are undoubtedly considered local food. Vendors are governed by highly enforced laws confining vendors to local farmers, and also growing produce themselves. Since 2006, farmer’s markets have had an annual growth rate of 10 percent; right now, there are 3,766 in the United States.