Chemicals in the Garden

“Chemical Free Dirt (for the Fairytale Garden),” by Deborah Blum.
Earlier this week, the magazine Mother Jones posted a helpful little story on the question of whether the health-conscious consumer should wash organic produce. Was it necessary, the author pondered, after all “how bad could a little chemical-free dirt really be?” I had a ready answer to that question: “Not bad at all,” I shouted at the computer screen. “since it doesn’t exist!” The howl brought my teenage son to the office door. “What’s wrong?” he asked. Usually he rolls his eyes when I launch into one of my chemical-free rants. I think he’s still recovering from the day I discovered that our local bakery advertised chemical free bread. “Mom,” he begged me then, “let’s just leave quietly.” Read the full article on Wired.com.