The reason I began this quest to find the meaning of “natural” is because I found the word running amuck in the food and cosmetics industry and I really wanted to get to the bottom of what can be considered truly “natural” and what couldn’t. After all, I am building a website around it.

So, I looked it up. And here is what I found…

Although, the dictionary definition of natural is quite extensive, for our purposes the Webster’s Dictionary definitions are -

2 a : being in accordance with or determined by nature b : having or constituting a classification based on features existing in nature

6 : of or relating to nature as an object of study and research
7 : having a specified character by nature

10 a : growing without human care; b : existing in or produced by nature c : relating to or being natural food

13 a : closely resembling an original : true to nature b : marked by easy simplicity and freedom from artificiality, affectation, or constraint c : having a form or appearance found in nature

Natural, therefore, of course, does not mean strictly “organic” as there are many inorganic things that are still very natural things.

Nor does it mean “safe, healthy or good for you”, as many natural things are quite good for you and just as many are quite bad.

When I began writing this article, I simply thought of “natural” as in it’s original natural form.

However, most of us think of the words “all natural” along with the words “no chemicals, perservatives, dyes or fragrances”. But, if you think of “all natural” in this way, you might need to again check up on your definitions because MANY chemicals, preservatives, dyes and fragrances are actually quite 100% all natural. Again, some are essential for your body and some are essential to avoid, natural or not.

In fact, five natural chemicals (oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and  hydrogen) help make up 95% of your body. They sound pretty “natural”, to me.

Your body actually really needs some chemicals like iron, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, iodine, and zinc. And some chemicals (like cobalt, copper, sulfur, fluorine, silicon, and tin) , although they may be harmful in high doses, your body does need them in trace amounts. Again, these are all “natural” chemicals found in the periodic table of elements.

Now, let’s also look at preservatives.

People have been “preserving” since ancient times. And, many of them, used chemicals and chemical “processes” to do it. Salt and sugar have been the main and most popular “preservatives” throughout history. Both, again, considered natural. Although, with sugar, you do use it in a “process” so it can technically be called a “processed” food. Does this make it any less natural, when the process is simply heating it up? Again, there is that complicated question. But, I think, I am closer to an answer than I was yesterday.

Take, for example, lye. For centuries, people have been using lye (a corrosive alkaline substance) to preserve everything from olives to hominy. Lye, for those of you who don’t know, is made from the ashes of hardwood. Again, there is a process but it seems one of the most “natural” processes in the world as fire is a very natural element of nature.  Nature can make fire without the help of any human, right? So, I would think that makes the preservative lye a very natural preservative. A natural preservative that can kill you if used incorrectly but a natural preservative nonetheless.

Fermentation is also a preserving process, a natural process but a process. So, again, any food that has been fermented could be considered a “processed” food despite that it is one of the most “natural” processes in the world. We wouldn’t even consider anything fermented to be a “processed food” but technically it is.

And, what about dyes and fragrances? Well, many plants in nature have natural dyes and fragrances. It is how they attract vehicles to reproduce and are essential to many life forms. So, to think that all dyes and fragrances are some sort of evil thing to be demonized and taken out of your food is a bit silly since the 100% natural food that nature provides often times already contains an abundance of it.

After all this research, I have come to the conclusion that we really need to learn more about what we consume and the history of what we consume, in order to make good sound judgments about it. And only you can decide what you consider to be “natural” and what you consider to be artificial. For me, natural can be defined as “found in nature”. For me, if you can’t find it in nature, it isn’t natural.

The best thing to do is to find out what your body needs and what it doesn’t and provide for it accordingly, whether it is considered “natural” or “socially accepted” or “certified” or not by the masses, governments and commercial industries feeding them. And, don’t just check out the labels of your consumables but the processes and methods used to grow, preserve and administer those consumables. Don’t avoid certain products because it connected to some word you can’t pronounce or because when you pronounce it properly it sounds scary. If you stood by that rule, you may never eat a  Lycopersicon esculentum or Brassica oleracea again and you most definitely wouldn’t put sodium chloride on it. Just educate yourself on your needs and how to provide for them accordingly, as everyone’s needs are different and education is truly your best defense.

Squash/Gourds
Beans
Peas
Sunflowers

Something to remember is that the larger the seed the deeper it will need to be planted. As a general rule, always plant seeds in a hole twice as deep as the seed. Although many places will tell you to use a cup or an egg carton to start with, this is not always the best option if you want to see your plant reach maturity.  We would like to suggest to our readers that they plant big seeds directly into the ground. If you do start a large seed in a container please make sure the container is deep enough for the plant to not only germinate but grow. So choose your seeds wisely and watch it grow!

Non GE Foods

This is a list of companies/products that “claim” to provide non genetically altered foods. As I have no way to test whether their claims are true or not, I can not endorse these companies nor can I make any claims as to the accuracy of their claims. However, I will tell you, if I had any personal doubt about the validity of the company/product claims I simply left it off the list.

365 Brand

Alpenrose Dairy
Alta Dena Organics
Amy’s Kitchen
Amy’s Soups
Annie’s Natural Pasta

Barbara’s Certified Organic
Belsoy
Berkeley Farms
Big Island Organics
Blue Sky Organic soda
Blythedale Farm Cheese
Bob’s Red Mill
Bragg’s liquid amino
Butterworks Farm

Cascadian Farms
Cedarlane
Chippewa Valley Cheese
Chocolove
Clif Bar
Clover Stornetta Farms
Crescent Creamery
Crofters Organic

Drew’s salad dressing

Earth’s Best
Eden
EdenSoy
Egg Innovations Organic
Eggland’s Best Organic
Emerald Cove
Emperor’s Kitchen
Endangered Species Chocolate
EnviroKidz
Erivan Dairy Yogurt

Fantastic Foods
Farmland Dairies

Garden of Eatin’
Genisoy Bars
Gerber products
Ghirardelli Chocolate
Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate

Harmony Hills Dairy
Harvest Moon Mushrooms
Health Valley
Horizon Organic

Imagine Natural

Jelly Belly
Joseph Farms Cheese

Kettle Foods
Knudsen organic juices and
spritzers

Land O’Lakes Organic
Lara Bar
Linda McCartney frozen meals
Lotus Foods
Luna Bar
Lundberg Farms Rice Sensations

Maranatha Nut Butters
Miso Master
Morningland Dairy

Nancy’s Cultured Soy
Nasoya
Natural by Nature
Nature’s Path
Nest Fresh Organic
Nutiva Macrobars

Oakhurst Dairy
Odwalla
Omega Smart Bars
Optimum Energy Bar
Organic Baby
Organic Planet
Organic Valley

Pacific Soy
Peace Cereal Organic
Pete and Jerry’s Organic Eggs
Promised Land Dairy

Quinoa Gold

Radiance Dairy
Reed’s Crystallized Ginger
candy (certified organic)
Rumford Baking Powder

Safeway Organic Brand
Santa Cruz Organic
Sea2o Organic Energy Drink
Seeds of Change certified organic
pasta sauce
Seven Stars Farm
ShariAnn’s certified organics
Silk
Soy Delicious
Spectrum oils and dressings
St. Claire Organic
Stonyfield Farm O’Soy
Straus Family Creamery
Stonyfield Farm
Sunshine Burger
Sunshine Dairy Foods
Sun Soy
SushiSonic Asian Condiments
Sweet Cloud

Teeccino Herbal Caffe
Tillamook Cheese
Tofutti

Vegan by Nature Buttery Spreads
Vigoa Cuisine
Vitasoy
Vita-Spelt pasta

Walnut Acres Organic Juices
Weli by Nature’s Path Organic
Westbrae certified organic beans
Westby Cooperative Creamery
WestSoy
White Wave
Wilcox Family Farms
Wildwood
Wisconsin Organics

Yves The Good Slice

Zen Don

The Rainbow Bridge Festival

June 26-29th

This Event brings people together through a common experience, involving a connection withnature and valuable interaction with Community expressed through Music, Yoga and healthy Lifestyle exploration.

* Supporting body, mind and breath awareness through Yoga classes and workshops inspiring a holistic lifestyle for all ages.

* Teaching new models for food production, sustainable local agriculture, and community based farming.

* Demonstrating Green Building projects, practices and appropriate use of new construction technologies.

* Demonstrating the use of Alternate Energy Technologies for power & transportation on site and in the community.

* Personal evolution through creativity skill building, the arts and collaborative problem solving.

* Return of a deeper nature connection by individuals and communities and how to intentionally use it for planetary healing.

This Event is the seed for creating a permanent biodynamic demonstratioin farm
and sustainable Ag teaching center that promotes the following:

* Biodynamic farm and teaching center modeling sustainable community

* Green/Earth architecture & building practices

* Eco-Energy research and exploration facility

* Specific environmental restoration projects on site and in the community

* Environmental work demonstration projects

* Personal exploration through Music, Yoga, Art and Creativity

* A formal permanent sacred gathering place

A little preview….

For more info and tickets, please visit…

Rainbow Bridge Festival

The LCCC is coordinating efforts for the larger community to participate through donations of goods, services and direct funding for this exciting project. Below you’ll see a list of community donations to date, as well as a wish list for continued success with this project. If you are interested in coming on board for the co-creation efforts, see our Community Garden wiki page under “Committees” or contact David Goolsbee at communitygarden@lakeco-op.org

The Lake County Community Co-op and the Highlands Senior Service Center are working together to develop an Organic Community Garden on land being provided by the City of Clearlake and with support from the County of Lake. These are just a few of the materials etc. we anticipate needing but there may be others that we can work with. We will be attempting to use recycled and/or salvaged materials where possible. If you have excess of something in a quantity that you think we can adapt to our purposes, please don’t hesitate to offer. If you can help with labor or have access to and/or operate equipment (trencher, backhoe, auger, etc.) we certainly would appreciate your assistance. Also if you would prefer to donate toward a particular project or to the overall garden, write your checks to HSSC, P.O. Box 180, Clearlake, California 95422 with a note to specifically set aside your donation for the garden. Donations of money or materials are tax deductible. Contact David Goolsbee at 707-272-9230 or goolsbeed@yahoo.com for additional info.

Stock tanks (any size)

Wine barrels and half barrels

Culvert pipe (6” and up to 4 ft. dia. or more) concrete, clay, corrugated galvanized, steel

Clay and ceramic pots

55 gal. steel drums (no toxic chemicals please)

Corrugated metal roofing

Cement, mortar, and concrete mix

Hardware cloth (1/2”) 3’ or 4’ rolls

Fencing (6’ chain link, or any deer/rabbit fencing)

Wood and steel posts

½” & 3/8” rebar

¾” PVC or below grade conduit

2x lumber (3 ft. min. redwood or cedar scraps preferred. No pressure treated)

Assorted 4x timbers

¾” & ½” HDPE &/or PVC water pipe and assorted fittings

½” & ¼” irrigation piping and assorted drip emmitters

Hose bibs and control valves

Heavy duty watering hose and sprayers

Irrigation system controller and zone valves

18 gauge irrigation wire cable

Crushed granite for wheelchair accessible paths

Manure (any type)

Shredded tree trimming mulch

Grass clippings (no pesticides or herbicides please)

Mushroom compost

Peat Moss

Worm castings

Organic soil amendments

Top soil

Red wiggler worms

Fruit & nut trees and berry bushes

Assorted vegetable, herb, & flower seeds/starts/bulbs

Stone, brick, concrete block, and concrete slab chunks

Assorted garden hand tools

Garden cart and/or wheel barrows

Entry/Tool Shed

Irrigation/Water system

Raised Beds

Fencing/Gates

Soil Amendments

Fruit & Nut Trees/Berry bushes

Perennial Garden Beds

Herb Garden

Flower Garden

Tools

Greenhouse

Compost Bins

Vermiculture

Solar Electric System

Pathways

Fountain/Sculpture

Wheelchair accessible garden beds

Garden benches

Arbors/Trellises

Photos / Article © 2009 Andrea Anderson

Photos Below Courtesy of JoAnn Saccato

Sardines
Broccoli
Kale
Spinach
Mustard Greens
Turnip Greens
Okra
Brussels Sprouts
Sesame Seeds
Almonds
Soybeans
Chickpeas
Perch
White Beans
Soft Shelled Crab
Clams
Dandelion Greens
Trout

And you can add these calcium rich herbs/spices for flavor
Basil
Thyme
Cinnamon

There is a monster lurking in the shadows, one that cannot be identified as it camouflages itself as a food source that will save the world. Biologists classify every living thing into four basic categories (Plantae, Animalia, Protista and Fungi). Since Genetically Modified Organisms (or Genetically Engineered Organisms) more often than not contain genes from several different kingdoms, they do not actually fall into any of these categories and therefore cannot technically be considered an animal, a plant, a protist or a fungi.

Are they simply freaks of nature? Well, that would imply that they were actually of nature. Yet, since nature has never combined the DNA of even two different kingdoms since the history of the planet, they can hardly be considered “of nature” at all. They are no more natural than the Frankenstein monster. Hence, they have been dubbed “Frankenfoods” by many. After examining the facts, I would dare say they are actually less natural than the Frankenstein monster and more accurately compared to the monstrous science experiments of Dr. Moreau which could not be categorized so easily.

So, really, what are they? Well, maybe, we should move on to the next question….

Why should you care?

Since the government agencies such as the FDA, EPA and USDA have yet to be able to accurately define these GMO’s, they have yet to be able to hold them to any standards of accurate research, testing or labeling. Instead, these GMOs are simply treated as “new inventions” which are then patented and passed on to the consumer as if they were just another product of a savvy company. Yet, these broad allowances have made for some fairly interesting developments.

For instance, baccilus thuringiensis (BT) is a bacteria often used as a pesticide. The genes from this bacteria (from the Monera Kingdom) are currently being introduced into food crops (from the Plantae Kingdom) used to create genetically modified food where the pesticide is no longer outside the plant but is now part of this new GMO’s DNA. However, because BT is considered a pesticide, and our foods are not required to be labeled with any pesticide information, this new GMO food is not required to be labeled to contain the genes of a pesticide within it. This creates a huge safety issue for the consumer, because genetic code cannot be scrubbed or washed off like other pesticides and can be consumed internally.

In the same vein, many plants we consider food crops are being genetically engineered to contain Glyphosate, a non specific systemic herbicide which allows resistance to pesticides. This means that our food crops can and very well may be sprayed even heavier with pesticides. Again, these GMOs are not required to be labeled, allowing for the possible consumption of pesticides.

And, even when the genes of the GMOs are simply coming from two sets of gene pools which are similar, there are potential hazards due to lack of a definition. For instance, when crops of soybeans were combined with genes of a brazil nut, the crop was still allowed to be referred to as soybeans, creating an issue for those consumers with nut allergies because the brazil nut gene did not have to be legally mentioned in any labeling. With the current lack of accountability, biotech companies bear no responsibility towards the consumer concerning these GMOs, even if a consumer went into anaphylactic shock (a type of allergic reaction which can cause death), because legally they are not required to make these distinctions, due to lack of definition.

So, this brings me to the question, once again…

What are GMOs?

Maybe, the question we should be asking is - what purpose do they serve?

Many biotech companies would answer this question by telling you that GMOs are going to someday feed the world and end world hunger by producing “new and improved” genetically engineered crops. However, this could not be further from the truth. In fact, hunger is not a food issue but a political and social issue. When it comes down to it, the hunger problem the world faces is not in the creation of the food but in the systems of delivering the food. We are not having a food shortage, unless you consider the biotech industry’s attempt to patent many food crops as “new inventions” in an attempt to control our food supply through a “pay to plant” system which includes terminator seed which “terminates” (basically creating an unfertile plant) the seed after each season forcing growers to buy new seed every season.

And, in fact, even if you accidentally sow the patented seed or your seed is simply contaminated by their crop and it reproduces their seed, you can be held financially responsible by these companies. Several farmers in the U.S. and Canada have already realized this, thanks to being sued by Monsanto (one of the largest biotech companies in the world) for thousands of dollars.

This issue should weigh heavily, on the minds of many farmers. Particularly, it is a question of great importance, to organic farmers. From a business standpoint, we need to be asking what will become of the reputation of other farmers (as well as other businesses), if contamination occurs?

In the year 2000, many farmers found the answer, thanks to Aventis and their genetically modified Starlink corn.

Starlink corn was actually banned for human consumption in the U.S. because it could trigger symptoms adverse enough to land people in hospitals. Still, somehow, it found its way into the food supply.

In fact, this genetically modified corn was suspected to have contaminated over 300 products and these products had to be recalled.

As a result, farmers and other companies which sold the accidentally tainted products lost enough money to sue for over 10 million dollars. These farmers and other companies didn’t just lose money, though, due to GMO corn which should have never entered the marketplace, they lost their good reputation, as well.

So, again, I ask, what are GMOs, really? I believe it is a question you should care about and be asking. Ask yourself, ask the biotech companies and ask the government. Keep asking, until you get an answer you can believe in.

I believe, it is time we begin to care about GMOs and the motives behind those who support the promotion of GMOs (such as Monsanto, the company who promoted Agent Orange and Aventis who brought you the Starlink Corn fiasco) and the motives behind those who support initiatives like a GE Free Zone in Lake County (such as Organic Farmers and The Coalition For Responsible Agriculture). Let’s not make the mistake of allowing the GMO monster to hide in the shadows and attack indiscriminately without accountability.

For a firsthand look at the newly drafted ordinance concerning the creation of a GE Free Zone in Lake County, please visit

http://www.lakelive.info/cra/draftordinance.pdf)

and, if you like what you see, go ahead and show your support by endorsing the ordinance and writing or calling your supervisor to express your support for a GE Free Zone in Lake County. A Supervisorial District map with phone numbers and email addresses for all board members is available at http://www.lakelive.info/bos.htm and don’t forget to join supporters of the GE Free Zone Ordinance at the BOS meeting!

Andrea Anderson – writer/photographer for http://www.butterflygardennews.com a natural living resource.