Organically grown further down the rabbit hole
ORGANICALLY GROWN
Truth is the moment to moment existence of what is. Points of view are ones personal perspective.
"I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path." Krishnamurti
The fact is many suppliers simple won't Gc-Ms test products that are organically certified. They either think it's a waste of money or they don't want to know? They have their piece of the paper trail with a symbol on it. That's fine if they are the ethical farmer who grew, distilled and distributed the product, without anyone else in the middle. Sorry that this is an improbability, as most products are diversely spread around the globe, with many middle persons. At the end of the day you have to trust the farmer, the distiller and the distributor. Sure police can help, but IMO there are pitfalls in the field and implications in the human dilemma.
IMHO it is misleading if we think that a stamp on a product guarantees that it's 100% Organic or what ever. Although I think this an admirable beginning, to the best of my knowledge, systems are paper-trail based on trust. Correct me if I'm wrong. Spot checks are made to see if your warehouse has the organically labelled on one side and the conventional on the other, along with a look at your books of organic purchases. I do not know any Organic Organizations that test every end product for pesticide or herbicide residual, but then again I can't be everywhere or know all. In fact, I believe you'll find suppliers don't test because of these pieces of paper.
I am a advocate of Organically grown, but not a fundamentalist anymore. I attended meetings with the Organic soil association as far back as 1997. I went to some of the largest essential oil suppliers and preached that this is the way to go and got many wry smiles. What is their point of view?
I then thought through the Organic plan and asked the question, "How can you verify that a farmer doesn't use a banned herbicide or pesticides?" They told me they were audited. I asked, "Do you test the end product?" and they said no. I said, "then how can you verify that no pesticide or herbicides are present?" They said it is based on trust.
I really believe Organic associations need to have their own testing facilities, test all batches of every product they certify and do surprise spot chemical composition sample checks. Maybe it's asking too much, because it is costly. When this happens I may join and will be happy to pay more.
Should I be focusing on the problems or the solutions? I believe both. If I know something isn't best I have to care and admit it first; see what is, do the best I can without judgment, adjusting moment to moment under the given constraints for better alternatives.
WHAT IS ORGANIC FERTILIZER?
Well, as of March 2011 we have ploughed our land. The land has laid fallow and used for pasture land for generations. When it was purchased we were told it was Organic land and never sprayed. Outside the barn and in the field were mounds of well rotted manure and we spent days removing bailing twine from it. We can only trust that the previous farmers did not use unwanted chemicals. Saying this, as of July 2011 the weeds (plants out of place) of Hemlock, Ragweed, Buttercups, Thistle, Fat hen, Docks and Mayweed on the Organic compost are the largest I've ever seen. They are very hard to deal with. Cutting them down, pulling them out before they seed and turning the soil over is paramount to reducing the weeds.
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The Organic green waste scheme is necessary; IMHO it has it's compromises, but what are the alternatives?. The truth is garden waste from homes from around the country is used in Organic farming.
- How are we going to stop people from using herbicides on their lawns?
- How do I stop my father-in-law from using herbicides? Show how it affects him without alienating him, otherwise he might spray them when I' am not looking. If this doesn't work, perhaps put a flyer through his door, by a third party source, in a language he can understand. Sometimes you have to be creative, so as not to create an opposing force.
1. Please stop using herbicides in your home gardens. It just takes a little longer to dig out the plants that are out of place. Easier to do than on a commercial growing scale.
- What about banned chemicals? Do people use them until they are gone?
2. Please take your Banned chemicals to a proper dumping place.
- Where do lawn clippings go? What do people put down their drains? Rose's, Rose coloured glasses and what is? How do we ween and wean off compromises? What are we actually going to use to make all the "Organic" fertilizer? What pristine world with unlimited resources do we live in?
- What are farmers going to do if insects decimate their crops and loose their income?
3. Please protect what little natural resources we have. It is up to every individual and group to do their utmost. Every little thing we do matters and adds up.
All in all we must keep working toward a more perfect world. Understanding is an ongoing and changing matter.
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There are many reasons for herbicide and pesticide residual. They have even been found in the ice at the Poles. Saying this, they are more likely to be found in carrier oils and expressed oil. Not as likely to be in essential oils, due to being more easily soluble in fatty acids.
I recently tested a number of Evening Primrose oil samples and one of them had pentane, hexane and an added vegetable oil to it, which of course I have rejected. It had 174 peaks at threshold of 12 while all the other samples had around 134. It also had two peaks that are not present in the other samples. I won't waste anymore time on this as I'm busy and I need to get on with the process of sourcing quality oils, which is an ongoing process.
We do our best by testing to find what we can. I do not believe anyone can guarantee they are not present 100% by just having a symbol to hide behind and it would be misleading to say so. Most oils are what our good suppliers say they are and I hope the day will come when I don't have to reject an oil. It is a wrench in the gears when I do.
Kobashi is not a member of any Organic Certifying body, but many of the products Kobashi purchases in bulk have been certified by one Organic body or another. We decided many years ago not to join after going to meetings with the Soil Association. Our main contention was not addressed. The logical conclusion is the whole thing is based on TRUST. A farmer could easily spray his or her field. I would love to trust and hug everyone, unfortunately experience has made me cautious. Without testing of the final product there is no way to prove, without seeing them do it, that the product wasn't contaminated, even then there is no such thing as 100% percent certain.
Sure we like to purchase Organically grown when we can, but it doesn't mean we will, just because it's marked with an Organic symbol. A good example is our Orange oil from Spain (not organically grown and same supplier 2004 - 2008). I would put it up against any Organic Orange and I would buy it every time, it is a great oil. Many of the Organic Orange oils we have tested were flat and lifeless and lacked the rich sweet notes of Our Spanish Orange. Then again, things change, as of 2008 we have been selling an excellent Organic Orange. Incidentally, expressed Citrus oils are the most likely to have PPM (parts per million) pesticide residual, but ours didn't.
In 2007 , a friend who supplies oils became a member of the Soil Association. He said he had a perfectly good Cinnamon oil which was grown organically, but the OSA wouldn't certify it. Instead they told him to purchase from someone within OSA. He tested the Cinnamon Oil and it had 20% diethyl Phthalate( a plastizer).
Could you please explain the difference between Certified Organic, Organically Grown, Naturally Farmed and Wild?
Certified Organic, Organically Grown, Naturally Farmed and Wild. They all mean virtually the same thing. They are supposed to be grown without the use of harmful pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. Wild most likely will not have them, Naturally Farmed and Organic hopefully not.
If we at Kobashi find herbicides or pesticides in the oils they will be rejected and the suppliers will be notified.
Organically Grown, Naturally Farmed:
Farmers who are ethical, but don't join a certifying body for one reason or another like ourselves. Example: we grew Lavender and Calendula on a friend’s field, who is a member of the Soil association, we are not, so we cannot use the symbol, but we can say it was organically grown because it was.
Example: our friend’s cousin in the Alps grows Our Lavender Vera high without the use of pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. He isn't a member of a certifying body so we call it Naturally Farmed.
He has now decided that he is going to join. Since originally writing he has now joined and increased his price by 150% for the same exact oil, but certified. So next time we purchase this oil we will have to charge you more. Now that's the definition of perceived inflation. Now we will call it Organically grown.
Many of the Farmers don't want to spend their time and extra money dealing with bureaucracy by joining. They know what they do and they are insulted if you don't TRUST their word. Some can't understand why people are willing pay more for the same thing. Their argument is they would have to put up our prices and for what, a symbol, when in fact, you are still in the same scenario whether you are certified or not, TRUST.
Unfortunately, I always ere on the side of caution even if I trust a supplier, as they can make mistakes; it is better to always look for problems when doing quality control.
Sustainable Wild: or Sustainable wild Crafted
Grown in the wild such as Our Chamomile Wild, Elemi, Helichrysum italicum, Frankincense and Rosemary and St. John's Wort: the plants grow back and farmers pick them or in the case of the gum trees or shrubs the sap is tapped without harm to the plant.
Certified Organic:
Many of Kobashi products, such as our Aloe Vera, Spanish Eucalyptus, Niaouli, Ravintsara, Pelargonium aspermum, Petitgrain, Orange and carrier oils: Cocobutter, Coconut, Evening Primrose, Flax seed, Hempseed, Jojoba, Rosehip seed, Sea Buckthorn, Sesame seed, Sheabutter, Sunflower seed are certified at source by one certification body or another, such as The Organic Soil Association, Texas Department of Agriculture, Label Cbd or Ecocert. This list changes.
Kobashi is against Genetically Modified oils, but the EU and UK governments are trying to get a law passed to allow 0.9%GM. Presently the Organic Soil Association allows 0.1% GM learn more...
When we first started selling Aloe Vera in 1996 we bought it from a very well known Company and Iryna found herbicide in it. They told us it was organically certified and sent us the certification from the Government of the Dominican Republic. I never purchased Aloe Vera again from this supplier.
