A new level of respect

I love organic food stuffs. I love buying a jar of (fill in the blank) and knowing my purchase isn't filled with chemicals. I don't even mind paying a bit more for it.

Today, however, I feel a new level of respect and admiration for organic growers. Exhibit A: The mountainous paperwork.

Are you kidding me?

This is not just a fill-in-your-name-and-sign-on-the-dotted-line application. There are affidavits and system plans and buffer zones and site visits and soil samples and umpteen ways you must prove everything you're doing and have done (for the past three years!) is according to organic standards. This is not for the faint of heart.

So to all you organic growers out there, I salute you and thank you for your steadfastness in filling out all those forms. And fair warning: I may be calling you in the next few days with questions about propagation materials and pest management plans.