Learning all about Organic Food & Farming!
We love yummy food and our kids menu is made up of lots of our favourite foods – beef burgers, soups and lots more.
We think it’s important to know where your food comes from, and to choose food that is good for people and the planet.
That’s why a lot of our food is organic or free-range!
What is Organic Food & Farming?
The word Organic relates to how the food was created, prepared or raised. Organic Food is basically food that is grown naturally.
To understand Organic Food, we can compare it to non-Organic Food.
Organic Plants -Fruits and vegetables
Organic Plants are grown naturally with lots of care and attention going into how healthy the soil is. You might think soil is just mud, but there are lots of nutrients and vitamins in soil that need to be checked and supported.
Non-Organic Fruits and Vegetables can be sprayed with chemicals. These chemicals are called pesticides (to kill bugs), and fertiliser (fertiliser is a chemical added to the soil to make it have more nutrients artificially). That’s why you should always wash your food before you eat it!
Organic fruits and veggies don’t have chemicals sprayed on them. Organic Farmers believe there are better ways to keep soil healthy and to stop bugs from eating all our veggies! We use natural cycles to improve soil health, and anything we use to keep the bugs away is natural (did you know bugs hate garlic?!)
Animals
Animals raised on organic farms have a very different life to non-organic animals.
Field or feedlot?
Organic animals have to have lots and lots of outside space to run around, graze and feel the fresh air. Non-organic animals live on feedlots which mean they don’t have very much space outside at all. Which would you prefer?
What the animals eat
Organic animals eat grass, and in the winter, when the grass isn’t growing, they eat oats (just like your porridge!).
Non-Organic animals are often fed lots of grains and even given hormones in their food to make them grow big unnaturally quickly. This isn’t what their tummies are designed to eat, most farm animals should be eating grass!
We think animals should grow big and strong naturally by eating their greens and exercising outside – just like how humans do it!
Better for the planet
As we have talked about, non-organic farming can use a lot of artificial chemicals sprayed on the ground. This isn’t good for wildlife, it can hurt wild animals and bugs.
Organic farms don’t use artificial chemicals, so there are lots more places for wildlife to live. On our farm you will find lots and lots of butterflies, bees, creepy-crawlies and bigger wild animals like deer, otters, pine martens, squirrels and lots more. We love that our farm is home to so many wild animals.
Should all my food be organic?
It would be tricky to have 100% of your food be organic. Organic food is not as common as non-organic food and it can be more expensive. The most important thing to do is to eat a healthy diet, and to pay attention to where your food comes from. It’s good to eat local foods that are grown by local farmers. The North West of Ireland has so many great farms where you can get everything from cheese to honey to apples to fish. You could try your local farmers market to learn more!
