Oh my, I just have to share this! Last night we watched a movie called King Corn. Wow.. where to start? This movie exposed the facts about farming, government, and my favorite thing to avoid Corn Syrup! It started out with the two young men filming the documentary renting an acre of land to grow corn. They took us through the process of growing, to where it goes after harvest. What an eye opening experience, stuff we all know, but most of the time close our eyes to. We grow more inedible corn in our country than anything else. How sad is that?
Then they took us to the Beef farms where they stuff the cattle with their unnatural food(corn feed), until sick, saying 'good thing they fatten up quick, cause they are going to die soon anyway' I have to say, that spun me up real quick. When we 'know' something it is definitely different then seeing it first hand, and they certainly showed the reality of the situation. There was a cow stuck in this contraption so that he can't move, and a hole(yes a hole) cut into his side so that the beef farmer can reach inside the gut and see how 'things are digesting' yikes! I wont go into any more detail.
How about the farmer family that said that they don't even eat the corn they grow, because it's not edible! Their attitude was, I don't care where the corn goes, it's my living! The farming program is set up that farmers can't support themselves without growing this genetically modified corn. Too bad we can't eat most of this corn. There is nothing more that I love then some good tasty sweet corn. The men making the documentary spit their own corn out, one saying that it 'tasted like chalk'.
Please check out the website for additional information here: http://www.kingcorn.net/
All I have to say is that, it makes me more determined to buy the most local produce, and organic whenever possible. I encourage everyone to take a vested interest in your own health, be aware of what you are eating and putting into your body. If you don't know what it is, find out, or avoid it! Read the entire label, check out the ingredients, not just how many calories per serving. Be an informed consumer, suply and demand, perhaps we can get more healthy options into our supermarkets. Be Well, Be healthy.
7 comments:
Can John rent that or does it have to be specially ordered?
Red just stocked me up on corn kernels and corn meal. I have noticed that the farmer's market corn on the cob is so delicious. It may be more expensive, but when I can get it, its worth it.
Denise
Another thing you folks might want to take a look at is The future of Food. go to the website and then go to YouTube and watch all the videos...it will scare the living crap out of you and then it will piss you off.
What the big companies are doing to us and our food is a crying shame. And they keep telling us that it is the little guys who can make a difference. But when this information is not given to us and hidden at any possible cost, how can we posibbly make a difference.
Don't buy corn...come on, how realistic is that. You might as well crawl under a rock, for everything we eat and or use, comes form corn in some manner or fashion.
And for the record, I love documentaries.
I have The Future of Food on my list to watch next. Plus a few others... I can wathc them online on my netflix account.
I have seen many before, a lot of it is the harsh reality of exactyly why I dont eat meat....
One thing I wanted to say. I know there is a lot of sensationalism (and opinions) out there... in all directions. If I watch these movies, I don't know enough about it to know when the documentary has gone to far. Most people have their own intrest in mind and whatever it takes.
It is so true that things can be manipulated in documentaries. Thing I liked about this one, is the two guys that did this film did not start out on the path, of HFCS, just wanted to follow the path from growing. Some of the info came right out of the farmers and cattle farmers mouth. I think it is a worthwhile film, for anyone interested in their health, Corn Syrup isn't really the main objective, however, it's easy to see, the purpose of all that corn, syrup and ethanol, plus feed the cattle.
At the Nelson's farmer's market, I asked where they get the corn. They said South Florida. That's local. But how do you know what kind of farm your local farm is? I didn't know corn grew in S. Florida. Hmm... Maybe that answers my question.
Often Nelson's has Plant City Strawberries (central Fl). That's local too. But if it's not organic, its probably full of pesticides. Recently the got them from California. I can't always get my hands on fresh organic strawberries. I can go pick them at Decker's. Its out of the way and I really have to plan for it.
How about Mount Ranier Cherries? That was once your local! But not any more.
I have asked the farms here. Most are not organic. Too my sadness I have not yet found organic strawberries. We do have one farm that is not certified but say they dont use pesticides.
Ranier cherries! YUM!!!! One of my instructors says... sometimes local means regional. (speaking of getting produce in winter, however, it may HAVE to apply to ranier cherries too!)
Post a Comment