Throughout my life, healthy eating and fitness have been a significant theme-whether I liked it or not! Several years ago our school principal asked if I could come into her elementary school and teach the students a little bit about healthy eating. Coincidentally, Heart and Beet had just been invented on the napkin and we started creating a few comics. That was the start of Heart and Beet entering school cafeterias and teaching kids how to make healthier choices. Our comics covered several common and basic topics such as sugar, water, healthy lunch and breakfast options, introducing different vegetables and defining what the word ‘organic’ really means. And the favorite part for the kids was the taste test!
Organic is a misunderstood and mis-defined term by both adults and kids. When asked what organic means, people often say, “it means healthy,” or that “the food is healthy.” Organically grown food may be healthier for our bodies, but “healthy” is not the definition of organic.
To help explain these concepts to kids (and adults!), we used two fun characters – Heart & Beet! Heart is always the curious, unknowing one and Beet is the educated one. Heart asks questions and Beet explains what, why or how! The voice of Heart is actually my son Tyler and the voice of Beet is my daughter Anna – obviously skewed for cartoon purposes. But they will forever be the inaugural voices of Heart and Beet. And now they even get to dress up as the mascots! Heart and Beet Go Organic teaches kids about what the word ‘Organic’ really means…
The definition of organic is ‘relating to or derived from living matter.’ Food that is organic is derived from living matter. Foods claiming to be organic must be ‘free of artificial food additives, and are often processed without the use of artificial methods, materials and conditions. Organically grown foods do not use chemical ripening, food irradiation, and genetically modified ingredients. Pesticides are allowed under the federal laws as long as they are not synthetic pesticides.’
Many farmers who grow organically avoid all pesticides – whether synthetic or derived from living matter. Instead of focusing primarily on the plants, the focus has shifted to the soil. By creating optimal soil conditions, plants will thrive and vegetables will contain optimal nutrition. This is where farming goes beyond organic. Led by farmer Dan Kittredge, Bionutrient Food Association is one organization that is teaching farmers how to optimize their soil, utilizing what nature has delivered to us. This helps to optimize the nutritional value of our plants and ultimately the fruits and vegetables that these plants produce. When explained by Dan, it seems so obvious. Nature thrives without the intervention of synthetic materials. So, given optimal soil conditions, our farm plants should thrive as well and produce fruit and vegetables that are very high in nutritional value.
The land at HeartBeet Farms has been farmed organically for over 10 years. At HeartBeet Farms we have a significant focus on our soil. We have taken a few classes through the Bionutrient Food Association and consistently speak to fellow farmers that are a part of the Association to help resolve farming challenges and identify new methods for helping our plants thrive. We hope that you will join us in our quest to produce the most nutritious and delicious organically grown produce!
