Welcome to We Organic TT

Welcome!

Farmers' Market - Santa Cruz, Trinidad

We Organic TT is about the organic choices available to you the Caribbean person, at markets, supermarkets, speciality shops, artisan and farmers' markets as well as in your own backyard.  You will get lots or recipes, cooking and food prep tips, all with your health and well-being in mind.  Those with outdoor spaces will get suggestions for growing organic edibles and lots of encouragement to keep the faith in organic sustainability.

The Term Organic means
- no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, weedicides, fungicides, insecticides or other chemicals to control the forces that naturally challenge the plant.
- plants are fed chemical-free water and organic composted materials
- produce are grown from non-genetically modified seeds
- sustainable agricultural methods are employed

The last point has important implications on entire eco-systems.  For example, coffee grows naturally on shaded slopes however to meet the demands of mass consumption,  a hybrid was developed to tolerate the full sun.  On estates with these plants, without the protective canopy of taller forest trees, the soil around the plants is quickly eroded by rainfall.  Conventional (non-organic) methods also involve clearing large portions of forest for cultivation resulting in destruction of the natural habitat of several different species of flora and fauna.  Sustainable practices work towards restoring healthy eco-systems by reintroducing cultivars to their natural habitat together with small rodents which help with the break down of living matter, releasing nutrients to the plants. Read more here.


The Dangers of Non-Organic products

Two words: chemical residue.  Here are a few more important links to the major concerns of non-organic produce: #roundup (learn about the dangerous weed-killer we love to use), #the dirty dozen list of foods that retain the highest amount of chemical residue and #the clean fifteen foods that are always safe to eat.

Certification/ Standards
At this time, there is no statutory body in Trinidad and Tobago monitoring and measuring chemicals used in the agricultural sector.

Our Organic Story

My very own fig (banana) patch

Less than 30 years ago most of the food we ate were organic foods; most came from our very own backyard or the neighbours' and in some cases from our uncle's or grandparents' estate in the countryside. With fruit-laden trees growing in our backyards there was always enough to share during the bearing season, from mangoes to portugals, soursop, papayas and coconuts, all organic.  So too were our eggs and chickens. Home grown, free range, organic. 

In those days every home had its own group of banana trees, known to Trinis as the 'fig patch'.  The young, green bananas (figs) were a dietary staple that were boiled, fried, baked or curried; recipes here.  

Successive generations gradually moved from homegrown to store-bought produce as we moved into tiny apartments with little or no space for gardening and our parents homes were with multi-storeyed apartment buildings. Store-bought often means wrapped in plastic and styrofoam, pesticide treated, chemically fertilised, force-ripened and maybe even genetically modified produce. With these practices farmers are able to pick, pack and ship their produce to us, with little deterioration so we receive them in picture perfect condition.   

Now it seems like we in the Caribbean are getting increasingly nostalgic about what we eat; artisan markets and farmers'  markets become trendy, supermarkets are stocking eggs labelled 'free range' or 'organic' and entire aisles are dedicated to pricey 'certified organic' foods, mostly imported from the USA.

Be Organic-Smart

Together, let's spread the word, organic does not have to be costly, we just need to remember how it was done by our parents and grandparents.... before roundup came on the scene.

Cheers, 

#Omgrowntnt

Coming up - The Green Scene, a community-based market place