Taste Hot and Delicious Organic Coffee

Coffee drinkers everywhere now have the option of forgoing their ordinary cup of coffee and going “organic”.  Coffee made from organic coffee beans has advantages and is healthier for you than its traditional counterpart. Organic coffee is created using beans that have been cultivated and harvested without the use of chemical or synthetic pesticides or herbicides, which can be harmful to both growers and consumers.  Because the yield of organic coffee is less than with traditional coffee, this type of coffee tends to be more expensive than regular coffee.  In growing organic coffee, emphasis is made on recycling, fair trade purchasing, composting, and soil health, as well as on a healthy environment. 

Coffee is certified organic using a third party certification organization; most commonly, organic growers use the Organic Crop Improvement Association.  There is a cost involved, cutting into the profits of the small producers that often make this type of coffee.  In addition, organic coffee is “shade grown”, which reduces yield and also adds to the cost of this type of coffee. Most organic coffee is also considered “fair trade coffee” and a special certification is required for that status.  Fair  trade coffee is traded in such a way as to bypass the coffee trader, allowing better profits to the producer, in general.  

The third party certification organization that certifies fair trade coffee is called TransFair USA.
Organic coffee traded using fair trade methods involves an agreement by coffee importers and small farmers that says the importers will purchase their organic coffee from smaller farmers listed in the International Fair Trade Coffee Register.  Organic growers are guaranteed a minimum “fair trade price” for their coffee and importers provide a certain amount of credit to growers against future sales, keeping farmers out of debt.  The middle man is cut out of this process.  

It is also important in organic coffee farming that the farming be sustainable.  While the definition of “sustainable” varies, it basically means that the growth of the organic coffee is healthy for the environment and the people who grow and buy it.  Sustainable organic farming doesn’t destroy the land the product is grown on and uses very little external energy 
in the production of the organic product.

A sustainable organic farm is designed to give back to the land as much as it receives from it.  Non-renewable resources are avoided and pollution in the farming process is minimized as much as possible.  Sustainable organic farming thinks of  the health and welfare of the employees as well.  One example of using sustainable farming is to reuse the organic coffee 
husks as heating fuel rather than using petroleum or natural gas heating.  New trees are grown to make up for those used in heating.

Sustainable organic coffee growing takes steps to avoid excess energy added to the system.  For example, a solar coffee drying system is used instead of commercial coffee bean dryers.  Water consumption is minimized in sustainable organic coffee growing and the water used is kept clean.  Water from the coffee fermentation tanks is never dumped in rivers or lakes but is filtered naturally through the earth before being used for irrigation.  

Sustainable organic farms will spread organic fertilizer like composted coffee pulp under and between the coffee trees.  Yields are increased and the mineral content in the soil is maximized.  All in all, organic coffee farming is safe, healthy and good for the environment.  Consumers can buy these products in cooperatives, health food stores and some supermarkets. 

Go Natural with Organic Gardening!

Have you noticed that the "organic" section of your grocery store has grown exponentially in the last few years?  

This type of food, as it clearly seems, has ceased to be a fad of hippies and environmental nuts.  Organic foods are everywhere and you can find them alongside other vegetables and fruits in your local stores and markets.  So how about the vegetables and fruits you grow at home?  

Have you made the leap to this source of healthy food yet or do you still have a lot of pesticides on your garden shelf?  Let’s take a look at how you can transform your regular garden into a delight of organic vegetables.  It does not take much and you won’t have as many problems with insects or poor soil as you thought.

Organic gardens are different from regular gardens in the way that the plants are fertilized and in the way that pests are controlled in the garden.  True professionals use only natural products and materials and shy away from any synthetic materials that could be harmful to the environment or to those who consume the produce.  

Just like conventional gardens, and perhaps a bit more so, organic gardens take a great deal of work.  You may need to plan for a few healthy meals when the vegetable or fruit is in season and leave it at that.  On the other hand, an organic farmer may decide to can their vegetables or otherwise store them for when they are longer in season.  Clearly, a bigger garden is in store in that situation.  Make sure your garden has a steady water supply and that the soil drains well into the ground.  

Remember that organic fertilizers and conditioners work more slowly than the synthetic variety so mix up the soil  with your fertilizer at least three weeks before you actually plant.  Make sure you remove any organic materials that haven’t rotted yet and any weeds or unwanted plants.  Fertilizers usually mean using animal manures, plant manures, compost or a mixture of  different types of organic fertilizers.  Some parts of the world rely on human waste but, generally, that’s not recommended. 

Your organic fertilizer will remove the hardness of the soil and improve its overall condition.  The soil will be able to hold both water and nutrients much better after fertilizing it.  In addition, organic fertilizer buffers the soil so it is more stable to extremes of acidity or alkalinity.  In many cases, the microbiology of the soil improves and the added nutrients will gradually release themselves as the plants grow. 

Organic plant fertilizer will add healthy nitrogen to the soil in a process called “nitrification”. Nitrogen is a necessary nutrient for the growth of most gardens—even conventional ones.  Compost piles help organic gardens by improving the usable nitrogen component of the soil. 

Animal manures make for the best type of fertilizer for the average organic garden.  It needs to have been aged for at least 30 days to make the nitrogen more usable.  The manure varies depending on the type of the animal, the way the animal was fed and even the condition of the animal.  After letting the soil rest with the animal manure, you’re ready to plant and grow the healthiest garden possible. 

Treat Your Garden Right with Organic Pesticides

What gardener does not want to rid his or her garden of all those nasty summertime pests?  Yet to put chemical pesticides on plants that will ultimately grow produce the family will eat seems a bit wrong.  That’s where gardeners have a break as there are several organic pesticides for use in the garden.  These natural pesticides are safe and don’t damage the soil year after year.

Many organic pesticides come from plant sources, some of which produce pyrethrum, while others produce rotenone, ryania, or mineral-based pesticides.  Mineral pesticides include cryolite, boric acid or diatomaceous earth—all of which are designed to kill plant-destructive insects in your garden. 

Experts say that, while organic pesticides are distinctly safer than synthetic pesticides, users want to be careful when using them.  Gardeners shouldn’t use them with bare hands and they should realize that some organic pesticides can be as toxic as their non-organic counterparts.  Least toxic products will say “Caution” on the label, more toxic products will say “Warning” and the most toxic products will say “Danger”.  These words, however, are not a signal of their potential for environmental harm.

Some organic pesticides are minimally toxic to humans but are very toxic to animals.  Ryania, for example, is highly toxic to fish.  Other organic pesticides kill even the most beneficial insects, such as the combination of pyrethrins and rotenone. By law, all pesticides, including organic pesticides, must be used precisely according to the instructions on the label.  
Read the label before using any organic pesticide. An important group of “organic” pesticides is the biopesticide group.  This unique class of pesticides involves using biological organisms to control pests.  In general this type of organic pesticide acts slower than other organic pesticides and involves critical application times.  Biopesticides reduce, rather than destroy, pest populations and they have a narrow target range with a specific mode of action. 

Biopesticides have a limited shelf life as they are live organisms. There are two general types of organic biopesticides.  They include biochemical and microbial-based organic iopesticides. 

Biochemical pesticides include insect pheromones, odor-based chemicals that disrupt the insect mating cycle by interfering with the ability to find a mate.  Pheromone-based traps can also be used to trap male insects, disrupting the mating cycle.Organic microbial biopesticides include those that come from genetically-changed fungi, viruses, protozoans or bacteria.  
This type of organic pesticide suppresses the pest population by secreting toxins specific to the insects, causing disease in the pest population, interfering with the establishment of pests through competition and other modes of action. One type of organic biopesticide is the bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis, a soil-based bacterium that is toxic to several types of insect larvae but not to other things.  This bacterium can be applied to plant foliage or incorporated into the genetic material of larger crops.  It is toxic to the larvae of moths and butterflies.  Other varieties are toxic to mosquitoes and black flies.

Gardening with organic pesticides is generally effective and healthier to the environment and the plants than synthetic pesticides and make a good alternative to using harmful chemicals on your garden.

Stamp out Fleas with Organic Pest Control

What pet owner has not worried once or twice that their beloved pet had developed fleas? Worse yet, how many have worried that the fleas had spread to other parts of the house? Luckily, there are numerous organic flea control remedies that can both keep fleas from infesting your home and can get rid of them once a pet has been infested.

Those with pets need to know that for every flea they find on their pet, there can be more than thirty more fleas somewhere  in that pet’s environment.  Your pet can get fleas from being outdoors or can get fleas through contact with a visitor’s pet.This is why its important to learn all about the organic flea repellent remedies available that will be both safe and effective on your pet.

Make sure you give your pet a bath and comb your pet on a regular basis.  Pets that already have fleas should be combed with a comb that’s been dipped in a glass of soapy water.  Organic repellents and deterrents include the use of citrus products. For example, you can pour a cup of boiling water over an entire sliced lemon, including the skin.  Score the skin to release more citrus oil. Let the mixture soak and sponge it on the animal.  Believe it or not, it will kill fleas immediately.

Another organic pest control remedy involves using Brewer’s yeast and garlic, or apple cider vinegar in small amounts to the pet’s food.  This will repel fleas quite nicely. Cats, however, shouldn’t consume garlic. Topical organic remedies include cedar-based shampoo, cedar oil and sleeping mats that contain cedar chips.  Fleas do not like cedar of any kind and will be repelled from areas where you put it.  Other insects are repelled by organic cedar products as well. 

In the horrible event that you find you've got fleas in your carpeting, you should first vacuum the entire carpet, paying special attention to low traffic areas. Seal the vacuum bag and get it out of there. Another organic method for getting rid of fleas is to obtain a wide, shallow pan, like a cake pan, and fill it half-full with soapy water.  Place the pan on the  floor and shine a light over the area.  The fleas will jump up to the heat of the lamp and will land in the water and,  because the water is soapy, the fleas will simply drown.  Do this for a few nights and it will make a big difference.

If you’re desperate for a long-lasting organic and safe method of flea control in a room, purchase a nontoxic flea trap.  Basically, you place a sticky pad under a grid on the plastic device and plug it into a regular light socket.  The light and heat from the device attracts fleas on a permanent basis from as far away as 25 feet.  The fleas jump up, fall through the grid and stick onto the sticky pad.  The sticky pad is easily replaceable when it is used up.  

Finally, the best organic flea control for outdoor use involves buying flea control nematodes (worms) that are 100% safe  and can be spread throughout the lawn and garden.  These organic little creatures kill the flea larvae and pupae so that the fleas don’t reach adulthood.  That way, your pets won’t be bringing in fleas from your yard. Flea control doesn’t have to be complicated nor does it have to involve the use of toxic chemicals.  Your pets don’t deserve the toxicity and neither do you. 

      

Those Nasty Mosquitoes: Organic Ways to Keep them at Bay

What would warm weather and picnics be without mosquitoes?  For many outdoorsmen and picnickers, they’re a summertime standard.  Fortunately, there are organic techniques you can use to keep mosquitoes out of your summer fun.  There are a few toxic ways to rid the area or your skin of these critters but nontoxic, organic methods keep you and your children safe, too.
Some things are obvious.  Close your windows on the side of the house that have no breeze.  

These insects don’t like breezes so you can leave the other areas of the house open to the fresh air.  Organic pest prevention starts with simple, easy ways to keep them out of your space in the first place. 

Outside your home, you’ll start your organic mosquito prevention by removing areas of standing water that don’t need to be there.  Things like bird baths, pet bowls and wading pools should be cleaned out and refreshed at least twice weekly.

Think about the water that collects in the eaves troughs and other outdoor areas.  If you’re having a barbecue, your organic mosquito control can be as simple as putting some sage or rosemary on the coals.  Mosquitoes don’t like those herbs and steer clear of them. 

As for actual skin protection, consider a 30% concentration of oil of eucalyptus, which prevents bites for up to two hours. Another organic skin protector is 2% soybean oil, which works for almost that long.  In comparison, Citronella works poorly, keeping mosquitoes away for only 20 minutes. Another organic and natural substance involves mixing garlic juice and water in a 1 to 5 ratio, shaking it up and spraying it on your skin.  Believe it or not, it can work for up to six hours.  You can hang strips of cloth that have been soaked in this substance and hang the cloths in areas where people will be.

The Neem tree in India provides another organic form of mosquito control.  It contains a compound you can buy called Neem oil that repels mosquitoes effectively and is extremely safe around humans.  Marigolds will act as an organic preventative against mosquitoes and other flying insects don’t like them either.  Finally, Avon’s mosquito repellent is very safe and many people swear by it. 

The alternative to organic pest control is the mosquito repellent called DEET.  It is a chemical also known as N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide. It’s a powerful chemical created by the US military in the 1940s.  As DEET is so powerful, doctors recommend that children not be exposed to more than 10% DEET products.  Many products containing the chemical are 100% DEET.   The skin should be washed after you don’t need the DEET any more.  Some research has linked this chemical to toxic encephalopathy—a brain disease.    

On a brighter note, an organic way of keeping mosquitoes out of the area is to plant a big tub of Thai lemongrass and  put it nearby.  It contains a natural organic oil, citronella, that is both safe and effective in repelling mosquitoes in a large area.

You don’t have to ruin your outdoor fun with mosquitoes nor do you have to worry about using DEET, which carries some toxicity.  Enjoy the outdoors using organic mosquito control techniques, which work very well and are safe for you, too.  There are also nontoxic, pheromone-based mosquito traps that you can buy for overall protection.