A conference about Jews and food might cause some to think of people trading chicken soup and brisket recipes. But this was a different kind of conference, and a different group of Jews.

Organic, sustainable and compost were the buzzwords, with most participants saying they wouldn’t eat chicken soup unless it was made with ethically-raised, free-range chickens. And brisket? Only if the cows were grass-fed, leaving kosher consumers with few options.

Hazon convened this group of 150 people, chefs and farmers, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members, educators and food enthusiasts to talk about how the every-day decision of what to eat is loaded with numerous consequences, and how eating organically is not only the health-conscious choice, but the environmentally-sound one as well.

Hazon first made a name for itself with its environmental bike rides, both in the United States and Israel. While the rides have grown in scope, it is now changing the way Jews think about food. With Tuv Ha’aretz, it’s CSA program, it has numerous synagogues in cities across the country supporting CSAs, where synagogue members buy shares in a farm, and receive a box of organic produce each week, with the synagogue as the pick-up point.

Tuv Ha’Aretz is expanding to include more cities next year, and this conference was at first meant to be a leadership retreat for those involved. But interest quickly grew beyond that.

The Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Conn. was the setting, where a group of 20-somethings live off the land in community each summer, growing their own organic vegetables, collecting eggs, and milking goats. The Adamah-niks, as they are called, were a significant presence, offering fermentation tips and drumming whenever given the chance.

At one workshop a child obesity expert offered startling statistics about this epidemic, while at another, people practiced eating as a meditation, noticing the texture of a carrot slice, the crunch of a potato chip, the juiciness of a grape. A panel of Jewish farmers spoke about how they are bringing the Torah to life every day, as the Bible is a largely agricultural story, and a chef and cookbook author spoke about how disposable chopsticks are depleting the rainforests, telling participants that the simple act of refusing them at restaurants is one small way to make a difference.

Rabbi Natan Margalit made the point that a Jews’ notion of kashrut should be expanded to consider the entire journey the food on one’s plate has made. If one cannot feel good about the way in which it was raised, and grown, then what does it mean to bless it?