What about those bottles, bags and other containers for fertilizers and seed-starting materials? What about all that material and energy used to produce the inputs of equipment, seed, etc. My G_d, the non-organic components just add up, don't they?

If you want to sell organic produce, there are very detailed rules. If you're growing for yourself, you decide how far you want to go with it. I think everyone would agree someone who uses Atrazine on the corn and Miracle Grow on the melons isn't growing organically. But plenty of people consider themselves organic growers and use non-organically grown seeds, plastic bags, plastic handled tools and other evil things. I mostly use organic seed but fertilize new seedlings with a Miracle Grow generic. It isn't exactly organic, but it is in the most important ways and works for me.

On a recent visit to Eliot Colemans Organic 4 season gardens, I asked him about organic food being sold as a processed food, is it still considered organic?

He told me that no matter what they tell you about twinkies...there will never be a organic twinkie...

So what ever that means. I have been perculating on his words as if they were great gems of wisdoms, as he has been tried and true as a organic selfsustaining farmer.

We both agreed that the actually food you eat can be grown with out the need of any controls others than a very healthy soil that is constantly fed.

Eliot sort of like composes a musical journey with "his soils of his gardens".
We agreed with out actually saying that but instead to just see all the plants in the greenhouse growing in Early April as if it was August. could sing they would sound like the birds signing, but instead all they can do is look strong, breathe of health, and taste of full flavors as nature can only supply- WHile he didnt offer me any taste samples and I didnt ask, I did stop on the way home to the local coop and purchase some of his mixed greens and that evening (few weeks ago) we were eating such greens and the taste gave my husband and I "happy feet"!