Wake up and smell the organic coffee – Eco-farming could double output of poor countries, says UN

Well, it’s been a spectacularly long time since my last post. Hello all…if anyone is still reading!!

I wanted to quickly comment on the UN report citing that eco-farming could double food output of poor countries. This is fantastic news but something that researchers of organic farming methods have known for some time…still at least it gets the message out to a wider audience. Eco-farming…is not particulalry well defined but it basically means farming methods that avoid the costly oil-dependent model of industrial farming. That is exactly what organic farming does. No doubt there will be backlash from the likes of Monsanto saying the opposite but I think this demonstrates that one day or another…their number will be up. One thing for sure is that they are spectacularly failing at feeding the world (or at least those that need it most).

It may sound obvious but security of food supply is vitally important, not just for nations like the UK where most people can get their hands on some but more importantly for poor countries that really struggle. Recently, the price of food in the UK has been going up. Why? Because agriculture is dependent on using petroleum based fertilisers which are linked to oil prices and the price of oil has been steadily increasing. We all moan about this, just like we do when petrol at the pump hits £1.30+ a litre. Really this is crazy and we really shouldn’t tolerate it! Surely, it’s better to promote a form of agriculture that doesn’t depend so heavily on fossil fuels? Looking into my crystal ball tells me that oil prices aint going to go down over the next 50-100 years. All I ask is that people give more thought to how their food is produced, what effect those production methods will have on prices in the future and the impact those practices have on the environment.

Imagine though if you were living in a country where your crops failed and you couldn’t feed your family…do you really think “modern” (they are actually very crude) agricultural methods are going to solve the problem? Research says “No” but unfortunately those that make a lot of $$$ promoting such methods in developed world says “Yes”. At least those countries still have the most incredible wildlife…best work with it and try and preserve it I say.

This reminds me of a story a friend of mine at law school told me. He’s from Zimbabwe and his grandfather had a couple of shirt factories in Harare employing a decent amount of people. Unfortunately, his business gradually declined and he went bust having to lay off his entire work force. The reason for this was that when we donate used clothes to charity, they end up in local markets all over Africa…I’ve seen it myself…it’s probably the easiest way of getting your hands on a Harvard University t-shirt! No one wanted to buy his shirts anymore and his business like I’m sure many others was destroyed. I’m all for giving to charity but sometimes we think we’re doing a good thing by imposing our values and methods on other countries when actually we are doing more harm than good. I have never forgotten this.

Perhaps, the farming methods we have adopted since the end of World War II are not appropriate for those in the developing world? I personally think they’re not appropriate full stop where ever you’re growing crops. Food for thought I hope.

Best wishes to all,

Carlo x

Tis the season to be tomato!

Here at Mr Organic we get pretty excited at this time of year.  Why?  Because all our lovely organic tomatoes have been sunbathing under the Italian sunshine for a couple of months now and are almost ready to jump off the vine and into our pots, bottles and tins. None of this “grown in green houses under lights” non-sense.  Who needs artificial light when you’ve got the baking sunshine to do all the work for you?! Yes, yes, I know we do here in England (sob sob…miserable and rainy here in London today!) but Italy is a different story this time of year.  We don’t grow our tomatoes all year round…just when they are naturally meant to grow and in season.

We take great care in selecting the best tomatoes for the job and knowing your tomatoes is key.  We know our tomatoes so well that we could probably name each and every one of them.  There’s Giovanni from just down the road, who’s got a sister called Marta (quite a looker I might add!).  They are just perfect for our Puttanesca pasta sauce.  On the other hand, Marco and his family are great in our ketchup.  They come from a little further away…not far mind, as all our tomatoes are grown within a 150km radius of Mr Organic’s Italian HQ in Pontinia where Valerio is based.  It’s funny to think that after three generations, Valerio’s family are still producing delicious authentic tomato products.

Anyway, we’re so excited about the arrival of our new season tomatoes that we’re going to make a film about it at the beginning of September. Just so that you can see exactly where our tomatoes come from and how they end up in our tasty products.  That way, when you crack open one of our pasta sauces or pour some of our award winning ketchup onto your bacon sarnies you know exactly what you’re getting and how its got from the field to your fork!

By for now and watch this space!

Carlo

Wow it has been hot!!!

I’ve got a coat made of wool and it’s great in the winter but it has been getting hotter and hotter. Thankfully, I went to the hairdresser just before the really hot day last Sunday and I had a good hair cut all over. It made me feel quite frisky!

When I have been for a walk in this hot weather I get an itchy back.  Do you get an itch on your back? One of the great joys in life is to lie on my back and wriggle and wriggle on a carpet. It is great fun and relieves the itch no end – You should try it!

Introducing Valerie…the new Mr Organic van!

On Friday Sam and I picked up Valerie our brand new van…and isn’t she a looker. To be honest, she’ll look a lot better with a bit of slap on (keep an eye out for the update on her Mr Organic make up!) but she’s looking great for now.  We’ve certainly fallen in love J.  Thanks to Shane and Gary from Breeze VW in Southampton for getting her ready so we could get the Mr Organic tour well and truly started.

(Sam, Shane & Carlo)                                                          (Sam loading the first products)

It was an eventful first day that’s for sure! We started by loading her up with products and heading to our great customers Health Zone in Wimbledon.

(Carlo on laptop for first delivery!….Carlo & Mihhail….Mr Organic on the shelf in Healthzone, Wimbledon)

Mihhail was on hand to give us a warm welcome us as usual and we thought that seeing as we were round the corner from Murray and R Fed we better head down to the All England Club to check out some tennis.  Well it was more of a fly by…and one that got us into a spot of bother.  Who can head past the greatest tennis tournament on the planet without taking a few pictures?  Well, the Metropolitan Police had something to say about that as we were pulled over to explain why we were driving an unmarked white van past the gates taking pictures.  The exchange went something like this:

Mr Organic (slightly nervous) – “Hello Officer, how can we help? Some delicious ketchup? A fantastic pasta sauce for your dinner sir? The Mrs would love it.”

Mr Police Man (in a grave voice) – “Gentlemen, we’ve had reports of a un-marked white van driving past the gates with someone hanging (a gross exaggeration!) out of the window taking pictures.  We believe it was this vehicle.”

Mr Organic (still slightly nervous) – “Yes Officer, that’ll be us.  We thought we’d take a picture of the goings on whilst we drove past.”

Mr Police Man (still in a grave voice) – “Under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act I have the right to search your vehicle and look on your camera to see exactly what you were up to.”

Mr Organic (slightly calmer now!) – “Of course Officer, be my guest.  We’ve got a load of extremely high quality organic products that don’t cost the earth in the back. Pasta sauces, ketchup, extra-virgin olive oil, tinned tomatoes and much more.  Here you’ll see a picture with us and Shane from the VW centre picking up the van this morning…here’s one of us loading it with delicious Mr Organic products…etc. etc.”

You see where this is going…he got a bit bored when he got to the photos of Christmas and granny taking a nap next to the tree!

Mr Police Man (quite friendly now!) – “Gentlemen, I‘m just going to have to take your identification and pass the details onto HQ…standard procedure. You can understand that with The Queen and many high profile celebrities here we can never be too careful.”

Lots of thumb twiddling and half an hour later!

Mr Police Man – “Sorry about the wait. Before I could radio back to HQ someone pulled a sword out of his jacket at the front gates. My colleague had to deal with it but it’s all fine gents…all under control.  Anyway, you’re free to go on your way.  Sorry for the inconvenience but you can appreciate that Wimbledon is a prime target.”

Mr Organic – “No problem Officer. It’s good to see that security is tight!”

Mr Police Man (pretty relaxed now) – “Yeah, we’ve got the security as tight as a ducks butt down here.” (no joke!)

Mr Organic (very relaxed now) – “That’s tight!  Would we be able to take a photo of you holding a bottle of our ketchup? (Cheeky but you’ve got to give it a go!).”

Mr Police Man politely declined and we were on our way again!

Anyway, keep your eye out for more posts. We’re going to get Val some Mr Organic glad rags so she’s going to be pretty recognisable. If you see us on the road give us a toot. We’re going to be heading all around the UK spreading the Mr Organic love…more on that in later posts.

Hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed the sun….just don’t mention the Germans!

Big love

Carlo & Sam X

I’m getting ready to go abroad

As I’ve told you, I have been micro-chipped. A rather large needle inserted the chip in the back of my neck and then I was injected with a rabies vaccine. I must have been brave and well behaved because I got a lot of treats afterwards. I like the meat ones best.

The vet tested the chip by putting a reader near my neck and it went ping – “My name is Scoot”!

In three weeks time, I’ve got to go back to the vet for a blood test, which if satisfactory will enable me to get a pet passport in about six months. I’ll then be ready in case I am invited to have a look around Mr Organic’s facilities in Italy.

Hint, hint from Scoot.

Life afloat

I’m back on dry land again after a memorable trip. Just look at those ducks!

We went over the Pontcysyllte aquaduct which is magnificent if a bit scary. I heard my folks being told that Pontcysyllte means connection between two hills in Welsh and that the word is used for Brassiere. They thought it was very funny.

I have just been micro-chipped for foreign travel but more on that next time.

Hoot from Scoot

First night afloat

We moored up the first evening and I was lifted ashore for a constitutional. I then had supper which was the usual old stuff – nothing special.

The motor was silent and no boats passed us and life was good. I heard a loud moo and looked out of the window and to my surprise there were many cows on the far bank. Of course, I have seen cows before, down by the river when I did some modelling – I’ll tell you about this another time – and I usually bark like hell at them but as they are on the other side of the canal, I’m holding my fire.

Hasta luego from Scoot afloat.

A canal boating holiday is fun

Hello every one! It’s me Scoot and I am onboard a canal boat on my way to Llangollen. I’m not sure how long this trip is going to take but I started my journey in Shropshire near Oswestry.

The boat is okay but it does make a hell of a din when the motor is going and my quarters are not the best as you can see in the picture.

I get ashore from time to time because there is no dog loo onboard.

Apparently, we are going to moor for the night in quite country. I am looking forward to that as it has been quite a journey getting here.

Love from

Scoot.

Dog Blog Entry – “Postmen”

I really dislike postmen. When they push the mail through the letterbox and make an unwelcomed noise, how do I know that they are not intent on forcing an entry into the house. I make a point of barking as loud as I can and, if I can get to the front door, I try and bite the postman’s fingers. I have been quite successful in the past and have drawn blood and no postman has been able to force entry.

Oh by the way, I’m told that I am going on a canal boating holiday soon but more about that later as I have not been told a lot yet.

Ciao,

Scoot

Introducing Scoot the Organic Family dog

Hi everyone. My name is Scoot and I am a Bichon Frisé, which is French for a curly lap dog. I have a black nose and one dark round eye. I was born with only one working eye but I get about pretty well with it though I do bump into things on occasion. I have white wool-like hair consisting of a curly outer coat and a silky undercoat.

I really enjoy myself as a member of the Organic Family and will be keeping you posted with what I get up to.

Scoot