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A traveller saw two fields of tea bushes at the side of the road. In one field, the farmer was happily picking the fresh green young leaves, however in the other, the farmer was spraying his plants to destroy the insects that were ruining his crop. So how come the two crops, situated so close together, were so different? The answer is that the first farmer was using organic methods. Sadly, many growers see nature as something to be tamed, but the sensible ones work with her. That is the essence or organic farming. An organic culture creates a balanced and self-sustaining system that requires no artificial fertilisers or pesticides. Much of the sickness of crops are created because they are forced to grow too fast, too large or out of season. In the same way that an athlete is more prone to disease or illness during periods of intense training, plants are most prone to problems when they are forced to their natural limits or even beyond. Organic growing does not make tea plants disease free, nor does it mean that they will be safe from insect attack - it just means that they will be able to cope better when the inevitable happens. Being organic is not just a question of passive avoidance of manufactured chemicals, there is a need to be proactive. Goodness needs to be replaced in the soil after cropping and insect attacks still need to be repelled. At the heart of organic growing lies the compost. This is used to maintain a good soil structure and to replace nutrients lost from the system when the tea crop is sold. To use a compost that is entirely based on vegetable materials would need an area of about 4 times that of the crop itself which is clearly not practical. The solution is to include animal manure - from herbivorous creatures such as cows, horses and chickens. These provide a rich source of nutrients. Of course, to be truly organic, the animals that supply the droppings should also have a fully organic provenance. Tea grown in this way, without the use of artificial fertilisers, will therefore grow at a more natural rate. The beneficial chemicals will have time to develop fully and will probably be present in higher concentrations than in plants that have been forced to grow faster or out of season. The flavour in the leaves will have also developed more naturally and is likely to be more intense, to the benefit of you, the consumer. Of course, the organic philosophy will produce a lower yield and the product will be more expensive to buy. However, when you use a high quality organic loose leaf tea, you will need to utilise less to produce a great flavour so weight for weight, it will last longer and ultimately not cost much more per cup than a cheap tea. It will be a much more pleasurable experience and you can sit back smugly realising that you have not only enjoyed a great cuppa but have done yourself and the environment a favour! Do you want to improve your health? Then start by drinking organic green tea or other loose leaf teas from China.
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