Having a corn allergy for most of us is like setting us back a good 50-100 years. Some of us make our own jams, jellies, and juices. We cook and bake nearly everything from "scratch", using the more pure and unprocessed foods we can find because those are the corn-free ones. We can our own foods for the winter months. We grow our own supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables.
But even with all that effort to keep away from corn, it can still sneak right back in.
I came across a webpage a few days ago about a GM corn that had such high amounts of natural insecticide that it killed bugs that ate it.
Cornell News - Corn kills Monarch Butterflies
DailyNews - ISU Study questions use of Bt Corn
And I wondered what use this GM corn could possibly be used for (I was hoping not food), and now I think I know.
According to The Dirt Doctor, Howard Garrett, corn gluten meal is a natural weed and feed fertilizer and recommends its use in organic gardening.
And he's not the only one. Homewizard states that most fertilizer preemergent natural products available are made from corn gluten meal. The Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) also recommends the use of corn gluten meal for natural gardening.
So while "natural" products may sound good, they may not be good for your corn-free gardening. Watch your labels. Last thing we need is to get sick because we're trying to live healthier.
For more information on corn in fertilizers and herbicides, please click the following link:
Google Search - Corn Gluten Meal
1 comment:
It sounds like the makings of a good horror or mystery novel. "Who could have guessed she was poisoned by the fertilizer..."
Dh and I tease that we need to go start a corn free commune...but when even the most basic of supplies runs the risk of corn contamination...Well, its scary even to think about the implications. :(
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