JEFFERSON TWP — When faced with regular supermarket produce, the first thing Cathy Bullion notices is the bitter odor left by traditional pesticides.

"It's like a chemical smell," explained Bullion, a physical therapist at Concordia Lutheran Ministries who has eaten organic foods for more than 30 years. "With organic produce, you notice the difference — the smell, the taste and the quality."

Bullion and about a dozen other like-minded gardeners meet weekly for the Organic Living group at Concordia Lutheran Ministries.

The group meets year-round at 5 p.m. Tuesdays and is open to the community as well as Concordia employees and residents.

Brian Cairns, grounds manager and landscape supervisor for the Concordia at Cabot location, oversees the group, which is now in its second year.

Interest in organic living has increased in recent years, he said, and the group was a natural development.

"We started hearing from people who didn't want their families eating that sort of thing, but didn't know what to do," Cairns said. "(The group) started out as an informative thing, and it took off from there."

As well as educational activities, the group tends a 20-by-50-foot garden on campus, with winter meetings serving as planning sessions.

Nearly $400 worth of produce was grown last year, including zucchini, tomatoes cabbage, beans and cucumbers. Group members took home some of the vegetables, but most was donated to Concordia assisted living residents.

During a meeting on Tuesday, the group began to finalize plans.

"Think of something we don't normally grow," instructed Cairns at the meeting.

"How about Swiss chard?" group member Shirley Kelly Kennedy of Cabot offered.

Cairns agreed and said he hopes to grow some vegetables that are normally more expensive at the grocery store, like the Swiss chard, asparagus and broccoli.

"If we grow it here, it will be cheaper," said Cairns, adding he wants to boost peoples' access to organically grown food.

Cairns maintains the location's 167 acres and is certified in horticulture, arboriculture and professional grounds management through Penn Foster University.

"Everybody knows something different about gardening," he said. "It's not me coming to teach this class, it's about everybody teaching each other."

The fellowship aspect is a big draw for Bill Hartman, who first went to Concordia last year for physical therapy and caught wind of the group.

"We all learn from each other," said Hartman, who carries out the group's teachings in his home garden.

Organic gardening is more feasible than people realize, said Bullion, who lives in Allison Park.

"It can be done; it's not super hard," Bullion said. "The taste is remarkable and the amount we produced (last summer) was unbelievable."

All necessary equipment is provided, although participants are welcome to take supplies from home.

"Everyone has that comfort tool that they like to use in the garden," Cairns said. "But all we ask is that you show up with an open mind and you'll go home with some vegetables."

Last year, the group was busy getting organized and centered around vegetable gardening, Cairns said. This year, members will expand their skill set to include organically grown flowers, lawn care, fertilizers and water conservation.

Cairns also plans to create more educational opportunities for the group, including an upcoming talk by Doug Oster, an Emmy Award-winning producer, television host and writer who has published three books on organic gardening. He lives in Ross Township, Allegheny County.

Group members will hopefully take what they've learned and implement it in their personal gardens, Cairns said.

"I want everyone to go home and practice what they learn and show their family, friends and relatives," he said. "That way, not only is one person is learning here, they're sharing it."

<B>WHAT: </B>Organic living seminar by Doug Oster<B>WHEN: </B>2:30 p.m. April 3<B>WHERE: </B>Concordia Lutheran Ministries Haven I dining room, 120 Marwood Road, Jefferson Township<B>ADMISSION: </B>Free; open to community. For information, call 724-352-1571.