Happy Fall, Y'all!

Even though Summer is my favorite season, Fall brings some wonderful foods to us.  Notably in Georgia our mountain region will begin harvesting its apple crops, bringing us fresh, juicy, non-gassed, non-waxed local apples.  So far I have not found any certified organic apple farms in Georgia, so it's always a good idea to wash your apples before eating.  Please share if you know of one.  

You can look for Georgia apples in your grocery store, visit a farmer's market or farm stand, or even pick your own apples at a local farm.  October is usually the peak time for fresh apples, but some varieties ripen and are harvested early.  Several websites offer information on where to find this delicious fall fruit grown close to home including:  

http://www.pickyourown.org/gaapples.php

https://www.georgiagrown.com/find/seasonal_crops_producers/apples

Image from B.J. Reece Orchards in Ellijay, Georgia.

Georgia Organics conversation on SoundCloud

I enjoyed listening to this discussion on GMOs:  what they are and why some people object to them.

https://soundcloud.com/onsecondthought/break-it-down-gmos

My New Year's Resolution

**Warning:  Many links to good locally-grown food are included below!**  

I don't like having a New Year's Resolution - it makes me feel confined and obligated, and it's so much nicer not to be accountable for one more thing.

That being said, this year I have decided to try to do something to help support Georgia farmers, especially our own small organic farmers:  I will make a point to buy their products at the grocery store, even if I pay a few cents more.  Here is a small sampling of products that are grown in Georgia, many of them are organic:

Canola Oil - Solio   http://soliofamily.com/ (I buy mine at Whole Foods)

Cheese - Sweet Grass Dairy  http://sweetgrassdairy.com/

Cheese/Raw Milk - Nature's Harmony Farms  http://naturesharmonyfarm.com/

Beef and Eggs - The Pastures at Rose Creek  https://www.facebook.com/thepasturesofrosecreek

Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Pork - White Oak Pastures  http://whiteoakpastures.com/

Blueberries - Harriets Bluff Farm  http://www.harriettsblufffarm.com/

Olive Oil - Georgia Olive Farms, http://georgiaolivefarms.com/gof/retail-locations/

Gallberry Honey (my favorite) - Weeks Honey Farm http://www.weekshoneyfarm.com/

Chicken - Springer Mountain Farms http://www.springermountainfarms.com/

Pecans - Pebble Hill Grove http://growinggeorgia.com/features/2012/08/georgias-organic-peanut-production/ (Although admittedly I have never had to buy pecans in the store thanks to the abundant supply from my family's trees.)

Vidalia Onions - Antioch Farms http://www.antiochfarms.com/products.cfm?cat=6

The saddest thing I have learned from my research is that I cannot buy organic peanuts or peaches in Georgia:  http://growinggeorgia.com/features/2012/08/georgias-organic-peanut-production/ and http://www.pearsonfarm.com/about/the-farm.html.  These are two of our biggest crops, for crying out loud!  Hopefully our outstanding agricultural research institutes will turn this around soon.

Support a Georgia farmer in 2014!

Thanks to Nature's Harmony Farm in Elbert County for your photo.  Yum!

A Book Recommendation

Recently I finished "Gaining Ground" by Forrest Pritchard.  It documents the first years of his efforts to save his family farm in Virginia by becoming an organic farmer.  Having grown up on a family farm, with both parents also from a family farm, this subject is near and dear to my heart.  It does my heart good to see that organic farming can be yet another way to preserve this important, and fast disappearing, part of our heritage.  The book was fun to read - written with both humor and humility.  I recommend it to anyone who is interested in family farms, organic farming on a small scale, or for someone who simply wants to learn more about where their own food comes from.  

"The family farm will continue as long as its existence is valued."  --Forrest Pritchard

Happy Reading!  

Here's a link to Forrest Pritchard's blog:  http://forrestpritchard.com/

Healing Multiple Sclerosis | Kelly the Kitchen Kop

I thought I'd share this story on my own blog:
Healing Multiple Sclerosis | Kelly the Kitchen Kop

FREE Child Nutrition and Cooking Online Course

As if I have nothing to do, I've signed up for this course:  https://www.coursera.org/course/childnutrition
Looking forward to learning more about child nutrition and healthy cooking ideas for my daughter!

Bhutan leads the way

I came across this article from NPR recently:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/31/157645902/bhutan-bets-organic-agriculture-is-the-road-to-happiness (photo from article)

Bhutan has pledged to become a 100% organic country, banning the use of all synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc.  Although there is some opposition within the government, I am impressed that they are even having this conversation.

And it turns out that Sikkim State in India is also on track to be 100% organic by 2015.