Organic, organic, organic. You hear that all the time now. So what is this all about? Are organically raised vegetables and fruit better for you? Without a doubt, but why? Well, first of all a farm that uses organic practices are not permitted to use herbicides nor pesticides so their crop may be more susceptible to being eaten by little critters such as snails, beetles, worms, etc. In order to combat that, they need to go back to practices from thousands of years ago which include rotating crops and planting certain vegetation that these pesky guys do not like around the intended crop.
Have you ever wondered why the incidence of cancer and other diseases are so common these days? I remember watching an educational show on television about pesticides and how they initially were thought to be safe and how a great deal of them were eventually banned due to health risks. Well, there was a clip where they were spraying DDT on children in swimming pools to show the public how safe this chemical was. It was banned several years later after long term data was collected. Safe, huh?
Did you know that there is bacteria all around us? Did you also know that you need some of that bacteria and that some of the bacteria around us are beneficial to us? Take for instance our gastrointestinal tract (stomach, large intestine, small intestine, etc) contains countless amounts of bacteria that we need, and that we need in perfect balance? Do any of you have constant heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, allergies, or other digestive problems? Did you know that most of those problems are all linked to the flora in your GI tract Due to our poor diets and the overuse of antibiotics, the flora changes, and that is where we get these problems.
So, how does our GI tract have anything to do with organic produce and the soil they are grown in? It’s just the same. The soil is a living organism as well; there are lots of bacteria and other larger organisms living in a perfect balance which contribute to the soil being in perfect balance. In that perfect balance the fruits and veggies get all the nutrients they need not only to grow up strong, but also tasty. What happens when man-made pesticides and herbicides are used, these bacteria and other life forms are killed, throwing the soil out of balance and then to counter that, more chemical fertilizers have to be used because the crops do not grow correctly and it becomes a vicious cycle. Man does not know enough to create that perfect blend of chemicals so that the crops that are raised are happy.
At Maru, just about all the vegetables and fruit are organic. They are actually hand-picked, smelled, checked for blemishes, carried to the car by hand, and washed one by one. Why, because they cost about four times more than conventional fruits and vegetables. But, we would say that it is worth the price, not just for flavor, but for the health of those who enjoy it, which by the way includes all the staff at Maru. I can only serve what I will put into my own mouth.
How do we pick these fruits and vegetables so that you get the most flavor for the extra money you spend? Check out some video clips at www.MaruValencia.com .
Maru Restaurant is located at 24250 Town Center Drive in Valencia. For more information, please call 661-290-2595.