Well, last month I was all about the crochet and knit. I credit our multitude of snow storms here in Central Ohio for my new found crochet proficiency. As thankful as I am to have finally grasped the basics of crochet, this month it’s time to shift gears and get ready to garden. We’re still novices in the urban gardening thing. Between hubby and I it’s truly the blind leading the blind. But we spend copious amounts of time at our local garden center plying the employees for bits of garden wisdom. Each year I think we do just a little bit better. Who knows, by the time we’re ready to be put into the ground, we may have figured out how to get something edible out of the ground.
As I posted yesterday, I’ve got my heirloom seeds ordered from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I’m waiting on baited breath now, praying they get here before St. Patty’s day. I’m so excited to have so many heirloom seeds to play with this year. I’ve fallen in love with Baker Creek and their commitment to non-hybrid, non-GMO, non-treated and non-patented seeds. I’m jazzed that they refuse to buy seed from Monsanto-owned Seminis, and that they boycott all gene-altering companies. As I promised yesterday, I did look up Seminis. In 2005 Monsanto purchased Seminis, the largest developer of fruit and vegetable seeds in the world. Many of the seeds we buy at garden centers and nurseries, sold under the brands of various smaller seed companies, come from Seminis. ((http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-garden/2009/12/boycotting-monsanto-seminis-seeds.html)) Well, that’s an eye opener. Two companies I bought seeds from last year are on the “Owned by Seminis” list. Live and learn, right?
I’ve known, for quite some time, about Genetically Modified Organisms and how they’re altering our food supply. Think Frankenfoods. Think a salmon gene injected into a tomato to provide cold weather resistance. ((http://www.justmeans.com/What-if-USDA-didn-t-know-how-be-green-Part-I/10043.html)) Is it a fish tomato or a tomato fish? ((http://www.geneticengineering.net/atomatofishorafishtomato.htm)) I’m aware that here in the U.S. manufacturers do not have to list GMO on their packaging. U.S. soybean production is 95 percent dominated by genetically modified Round Up Ready soybeans. ((http://www.usagnet.com/story-national.php?Id=771&yr=2009)) So much for the health benefits of soy milk folks, unless it’s organic. In a much-cited study from 2000, the Grocery Manufacturers of America estimated that 70 percent of food in the U.S. contains genetically modified traits. ((http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_9716.cfm)) Just think what that percentage might be today? I also know that the main kingpin in all this genetic engineering of our food supply is Monsanto and their Roundup Ready seeds, pesticides and herbicides.
I pulled this from Monsanto’s site. I hope this doesn’t get me on someone’s black list. Won’t be the first I’m probably on.
The Roundup Ready® seeds contain in-plant tolerance to Roundup® agricultural herbicides, allowing growers to spray Roundup agricultural herbicides to kill the weeds without harming the crop. Roundup Ready varieties provide unsurpassed weed control, proven crop safety and maximum yield potential. Roundup Ready products are stacked with other traits such as Bollgard and YieldGard to add insect protection.
So if I understand this, and I don’t think I do, these are seeds that have been injected with “something” to protect them from a poison that would otherwise kill the plant? Then they’re zapped again to get rid of insects? I wonder how this is really impacting our ecosystem? How DID our ancestors survive without all this?
I’m not in any way an expert in any of this. My head nearly exploded just googling for the few articles to verify what I’m saying here. It’s just too much to comprehend. Here’s a couple videos I’ve found discussing what we’re up against when it comes to a behemoth like Monsanto. These are experts. I’m not. Whatever happened to working for the greater good of all? Can’t we all just get along and plant good clean food?
