Can we still trust the 'organic' label?

In the U.S. hydroponic fruit and vegetables are allowed to be labeled 'organic', but not so in Europe. The two main sources for the nutrient bath for hydroponics are soy meal and fish meal. Fish meal usually comes from fish farms with fish that were saturated with antibiotics and fed GMO corn. Hydroponic plants are very efficient at absorbing antibiotics.

The soy meal nutrient bath for hydroponic plants is usually GMO soybeans (glyphosate). Then they add acids and other chemicals under high pressure to allow it to be absorbed by the plants.

Hydroponic fruit and vegetables are cheaper and so are gaining market share from the farmers who are slowly being squeezed financially by growing food in rich, nutrient rich soil. Consumers have no way to distinguish organic foods grown in real soil from 'organic' foods grown in artificial nutrient baths.

I wonder if this might explain why all of a sudden BLAM!, I cannot tolerate spinach anymore. I guess we need to grow our own food or ask imagardener2 to sell us stuff from her extensive garden.

We buy the bulk of our produce from spring to fall through an organic farm that runs a CSA. The winter is trickier, but she freeze a lot of the summer veggies to last through the winter. It is actually less expensive if you can get a CSA. We pay $800 a year for fruit and veggies, all local and organic.

I guess we need to grow our own food or ask imagardener2 to sell us stuff from her extensive garden.


Ha, you haven't seen my garden lately, brutal 2016 Florida summer when nothing grows. My garden is not large at all even in full production.

People who survive eating from their garden are very few, Amish maybe with low cost child labor and generations of experience to know what to plant and when, how to can and freeze. I don't can, afraid of doing it wrong and botulism. I freeze herbs and juice greens (collards, kale) to keep volume low in freezer. Yes my produce is organic but growing enough produce we like to eat would be a full-time job at low low pay.

Winter is Florida's true growing season and I have lots of seedlings going in ground soon, too hot earlier.
Cannot help you, IamCurious, with spinach because it just won't grow for me this far south. Oh how I wish it did because like you I worry about how my food is grown. Haven't gotten sick yet from store-bought yet, knock on wood.

Farmers markets round here are less reliable than Publix. If you look closely the farmers market produce is not local, not even US grown, people think they are buying local but they are not. There are very few organic farmers here, I'd have to drive over an hour roundtrip, they don't participate in local markets.

I'm really a low volume hobby farmer, enjoyable at this level. Recent projects: making mulberry vinegar from home grown mulberries and store bought white wine vinegar, growing more herbs this year including mint, lemon basil, mammoth basil, dill. New veggies this year: sorrel (kinda like spinach), bok choy, several hot peppers.

Wish I could have chickens as my county just approved them for homeowners but too big a commitment (never be able to leave town ha). Thinking about a beehive instead even though I can't eat honey, they are good for pollination and the planet.

Planning to donate excess collards and kale to local food bank if they want it. If not they get juiced.
Luckily my neighbors also do not use pesticides or herbicides, they aren't organic they just aren't into keeping a fake green yard by dousing with chemicals.

IAC, my husband is skin allergic to Round-up and spent years going from doctor to doctor searching for reason. When we moved outta the HOA it cleared up. Discovered it was Round-up causing it when he used it on some weeds. Never used it since.

Post Edited (imagardener2) : 11/27/2016 11:39:11 AM (GMT-7)

Europe doesn't allow hydroponic plants to be labeled 'organic'. But our government looks the other way when Big Agriculture wants to cash in on consumers' desire for healthy produce. It's bad enough that we cannot discern between food grown in artificial nutrient baths and food grown in real, wholesome dirt, but the family organic farms are getting run out of business by much cheaper hydroponic farms.

As bad as the Democratic Obama administration protects us consumers I expect things to get worse when Donald Trump is sworn in.