…when our oldest daughter was pregnant with our granddaughter, Saoirse. Her partner was studying horticulture while I was studying early childhood at the local community college. It was then that I was first introduced to the concept of organic food, and Boy, was I pissed!
Having farmers for parents, grandparents, great-grandparents as far up my family tree as I could climb, I found it very disheartening to think that my God fearing family would knowingly be growing dishonest food (I really didn’t know what to think of or call this.) After all, (most) farmers are the most honest and hardworking people you’ll ever meet.
During my early childhood studies, I challenged myself to learn as much about this “organic” way of doing things as I could. And what I found in my studies changed my life, all our lives - really. I concluded from my research (all from gov’t websites) that the USDA, FDA & EPA know what these chemicals, pesticides, and food additives are doing to our bodies & to our children; they simply don’t care. In my studies, back in 2011, I learned that by age 2, an American child will encounter 50% of the carcinogens they will ever encounter and most of them come from their food.
From. Their. Food.
During that time, we had moved to Olympia, WA and continued our research on this organic way of growing food. We also learned about GMOs and the early damning studies coming out on mice eating food grown with Roundup Ready seeds. The more research we did, the more concerned we became. While in Oly, our 13 year old niece was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease and my best friend’s 3 year old was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. What the hell? I never knew sick kids and now there are 2 close to me?
Must. Be. The. Food.
We became involved, campaigning for Yes on 522! to label genetically modified organisms in our food products. After all, 65 other nations BAN or LABEL them; all we wanted in WA was to label them. We Marched Against the Cause instead of Walking for the Cure. We figured out our own cure -- avoid them.
Avoiding them is not as easy as it sounds. There are hundreds if not thousands of interchangeable words for things containing GMOs. For example, maltodextrin, dextrose, diatase, fructose, rice syrup, agave, honey, sucrose, lactose, & high fructose corn syrup are ALL terms for sugar. And if it’s not CANE sugar, honey or agave, you can bet money in Vegas that it’s GMO sugar made from sugar beets. Plus, even if it’s not GMO, chances are it’s been sprayed with pesticides. Organic is really the only way to avoid the chemicals.
Or you could grow your own. It wasn’t long after coming around to this organic way of thinking that we found ourselves doing just that. We had moved to 5 acres with a garden and room for pigs, so we grew produce and pork. I volunteered at an organic farm down the road. We canned food like my grandparents had taught us years ago. We met other like-minded folks and I discovered I had thyroid issues.
Going organic didn’t cure my thyroid, but eliminating gluten and nightshades sure helped. I went from sleeping 11 hours a night to 7! That’s like getting a part time job of free time back! I had energy, I felt young. I had my life back and I wanted to share my newfound changes.
This is where I discovered the real problem with change. People don’t like it-- it’s hard. It’s stressful. It’s work. People don’t want to hear about it, so I stopped talking about it. We moved to the Snoqualmie Valley where we knew no one. We integrated into this quaint farm valley and lived our lives as an example. We continued to learn and practice a healthier way of eating.
I had received my Permaculture Design Certificate at Evergreen State College and learned how to integrate design systems based on observing nature. So we practiced. The more we learn, practice and observe, the more it makes sense.
We knew we wanted to own land again and found ourselves on the north end of this beautiful island on a piece of property that’s just perfect for leading the example we are choosing to live. A barn and wooded paddocks for the pigs, large open spaces for the chickens and a garden, it is the perfect canvas to paint the OTB story.
Since arriving here, we’ve continued to learn new things, most recently about the #RegenerativeAg movement. This movement is about sequestering carbon, using animals to heal the land and planting cover crops to serve different purposes, including improving quality and nutrient density.
I’ve always said that it’s a good day if you learn something new. Well, we’re still learning and are new to this way of doing things, but you can bet money in Vegas that we’ll get it figured out and continue Live our BEST Life Outside the Box.
We welcome you to live Outside the Box with us.
~Brandi