We\u2019re committed to educating a healthier generation, but we know dedication to a fully organic lifestyle takes time and research. We believe small changes can make a big impact. Consistently opting for the organic version of just one of your primary food staples should be celebrated as a big accomplishment. Then once you\u2019ve made this change, take the next step to keep the momentum going by committing to another organic swap.<\/p>\n
The compounding impacts of these choices will have you and your family living a healthier, more environmentally friendly lifestyle without even realizing it! The first steps are a little daunting; we get it. That\u2019s why we\u2019re here to provide you with helpful tips and tricks to guide you along your journey.<\/p>\n
We sat down with Matt and Susan McLean, the husband and wife duo that steer the ship here at Uncle Matt\u2019s Organic, to find out about how they live organically at home and get tips for how to live life more sustainably both at home, and in the workplace.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Q. Would you say you were you raised in an \u201corganic\u201d family? Have the benefits of organic been something you\u2019ve been aware of from a young age?<\/strong><\/p>\n Susan:<\/strong> I was not. I definitely grew up with parents who stressed healthy eating, but organic was not top of mind. It wasn\u2019t until I was older that organic came on my radar screen. Then when I met \u201cUncle Matt\u201d and learned about his mission to change our food system, I embraced the lifestyle fully. When you realize the ramifications of what\u2019s happened to our food system, it makes you want better for the next generation.<\/em><\/p>\n Matt:<\/strong> No, but we always ate healthy and were focused on farming and agriculture.\u00a0 My grandfather told me he was organic by default prior to pesticides being invented in the 1940\u2019s, but then followed the rest of industry as they became more prevalent.\u00a0 It was not until the late 1990\u2019s that I approached our family about organic farming and making the transition back to how we did it before pesticides.\u00a0 Before then, we were conventional farmers.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Q. Growing up in the citrus industry, at what point in your life did you start to notice a difference in how your family was producing citrus compared to how others were doing this?<\/strong><\/p>\n Matt:<\/strong> We didn\u2019t convert to organic farming until I founded Uncle Matt\u2019s in 1999.\u00a0 From 1999 forward, we went back to our organic roots of farming pre-pesticides.\u00a0 My grandfather had witnessed both systems in his lifetime, and he was thrilled for us to be going back to farming organic and holistic.\u00a0 He complained to me in the late 90\u2019s that farming had pivoted to single factor analysis.\u00a0 If you have a pest then find a pesticide, instead of thinking holistic and asking why is that pest attracted to our farm, and can we do something different naturally to deter the pest through soil or plant nutrition.\u00a0 That really is the basis for problem solving in organic farming. \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Q. With the rising use of harsh pesticides and herbicides in conventional farming and agricultural practices, what made your family opt to not pursue this method?<\/strong><\/p>\n Matt:<\/strong> They felt the trees and soil responded much better from an organic program building healthy soil with compost and cover crops verse the conventional alternatives.\u00a0 I also provided the impetus by having demand for organic juice.\u00a0 That helped push us forward.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Q. You\u2019re committed to fostering and educating a healthier generation. How do you practice this at home?<\/strong><\/p>\n Susan:<\/strong> I take the time to show my children the differences in labels and we talk a lot about ingredients in certain foods. We discuss which things might be harmful to their growing bodies \u2013 maybe not now, but later. We talk about diet, exercise and disease. We also have conversations around our table about where food comes and how it\u2019s grown, but there\u2019s no better way to teach young minds than by doing! At our home, we\u2019re fortunate to have an organic vegetable garden, and our kids participate in planting seeds, understanding seasonality, how to prevent pests and harvest \u2013 all utilizing organic growing practices. Then, you enjoy the benefits in the kitchen and the delicious \u201cfruits\u201d of your labor!<\/em><\/p>\n Matt:<\/strong> Well first, we purchase almost 100% organic food and household products.\u00a0 We also have an organic garden that teaches our kids the basics of food production and farming.\u00a0 My kids really respond to watching plants grow and then harvesting them for dinner.\u00a0 It completes the ag lesson.\u00a0 Gardening is not that difficult, and you can focus on easy crops that grow fast, like green beans or lettuce.\u00a0 We also have backyard chickens that get fed scraps from the garden.\u00a0 They love our collard greens, and it helps make their egg yolks dark orange and rich in nutrients.\u00a0 The kids can see the difference from a store-bought egg.\u00a0 It\u2019s dramatic!\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Q. If I were to look through your fridge and pantry, would I only find organic items? Are there any food items that you just can\u2019t give up in an effort to be fully organic?<\/strong><\/p>\n Susan:<\/strong> I totally get that some organic items are just not available in all areas. It happens, and I certainly experience this problem, too. In our house, we\u2019re 98% organic, but I will share that organic and vegan marshmallows are not the same thing as the conventional ones for s\u2019mores! We also have a penchant for Ghiradelli chocolate.<\/em><\/p>\n Matt:<\/strong> As close to 100% as you can get, at least that\u2019s my goal each week.\u00a0 I can find organic for just about all items, but there are some kid snacks that seem to creep in every so often.\u00a0 The kids know dad is always lurking and will throw out any junk.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Q. You\u2019re the proud parents of two daughters who are undoubtedly exposed to new and trendy food brands and items that might not have the cleanest labels. How do you strike the balance between promoting healthy eating while also letting them be kids when they\u2019re around friends?<\/strong><\/p>\n Susan:<\/strong> We stress moderation. Go ahead and have the food you\u2019re interested in. Try it\u2026 but don\u2019t overindulge. But I will say that many times, they\u2019re underwhelmed by that particular food, sweet, or snack and their tastebuds are \u201ctrained\u201d to recognize better, healthier food. Our bodies know!<\/em><\/p>\n Matt:<\/strong> It\u2019s been fun to watch them grow up.\u00a0 They started with a good base of knowledge from their parents, and they do a good job on their own discerning healthy from junk.\u00a0 For me it\u2019s more about teaching them good habits and letting them apply it to their own life.\u00a0 You know it\u2019s working when they are telling you about how they help their friends eat better.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Q. What about in the office? How do you encourage environmentally friendly practices for your employees?<\/strong><\/p>\n Susan:<\/strong> If we go out as a team, we try to support local purveyors that are committed to farm-to-table and\/or organic foods. We also \u2013 of course \u2013 offer juices to all of the staff, and we are working towards being more responsible with our office supplies, waste and energy usage.<\/em><\/p>\n Matt:<\/strong> We obviously encourage consuming organic products in your daily routine.\u00a0 We have recycle bins in the kitchen and encourage everyone to conserve energy by not abusing the thermostat.\u00a0 We try and limit the amount of things that need to be printed.\u00a0 We also have work from home one day a week to help with costs of commuting.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Q. What advice do you have for someone just beginning to incorporate organic items into their diet and lifestyle so that they can have a long-term, fruitful relationship with organic living?<\/strong><\/p>\n Susan:<\/strong> Baby steps! Start with one goal at a time. Then every few weeks, add another \u201corganic\u201d option to your lifestyle, whether it\u2019s food choices, supporting local organic farmers, recycling your waste, volunteering to plant an organic garden, planting your own garden, or something else that excites you.<\/em><\/p>\n Matt:<\/strong> Don\u2019t try and accomplish it all in one week.\u00a0 You will get overwhelmed.\u00a0 Similar to getting your body into physical shape for exercise, begin with small goals and work up to bigger ones.\u00a0 Start in the produce aisle (and of course the juice aisle) and substitute your weekly needs with organic.\u00a0 From there move into other staples of your diet and then household items.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019re committed to educating a healthier generation, but we know dedication to a fully organic lifestyle takes time and research.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[202,50],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5220"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5239,"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220\/revisions\/5239"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unclematts.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}