ever tried organic? why did you try it?
what did you think?
ever tried growing your own food? was it a success or not? I am thinking of starting a co-op greenhouse what do you think? ... it really worries me where my food come from especially fruit and veg how do you tell if retailers are telling you the truth about it being organic, pesticide free or farm reared.. it's all confusing to me.
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11 Comments:
I completely agree. You pay nearly twice as much for the 'Organic' label but how do we really know how the food was processed or how it wasn't processed. The USDA lets a lot of stuff slide so you can never be too sure. With crossed fingers, I still buy organic as long as the price isn't super inflated compared to the regular. I also rely a lot on Farmer's markets and produce stands.
I'm all for DIY. If you have a place to do it and have even the slightest 'green thumb' then go for it. It is super economical and you know what you're getting. Not to mention that the quality can be far superior. I don't have a yard yet, but I grow my own herbs and my orange tree is coming along. A greenhouse? I'm jealous.
pezbabypez at 11:14AM on 03/15/07
Well anything that's labeled "organic" must by law comply with the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. Farmers go through a rigorous process to become certified organic, including three years of using organic fertilizers on their fields before their harvest can be certified organic. I imagine if someone applied the label "certified organic" to their product and it wasn't, you could sue for fraud.
That being said, organic has a very specific meaning, and it does not guarantee that, say, organic eggs come from chickens that are free-range, or humanely-treated, because those issues aren't addressed in the legislation. It does mean no hormones and antibiotics, organically-grown feed, etc.
So with a little reading of the link above, you can be pretty certain of what you're getting when you pay the premium for an organic product. Now whether you think it's worth it is another question. For those concerned with whether animals are being treated humanely, you should take a look at the Certified Humane Raised & Handled labeling movement.
Growing your own food, well that's a whole 'nother ball of wax and I'm not much of a green thumb. But growing your own food of course has its own benefits and costs. If you're interested in getting farm-fresh local food but don't have the time, space, or inclination to grow your own food, you can join a CSA program in your area. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You buy a share of a farmer's crop by paying him/her at the start of the growing season, and are rewarded with the bounty of the harvest throughout the year. Of course, you take a risk as well. My CSA farm last year here in New York suffered from serious flooding early on in the season, and a lot of the crop was lost. So often deliveries had a single onion, or one stalk of broccoli, instead of the usual bounty of three heads of broccoli in a box or ten onions. I still recommend CSA programs and have participated in them in both San Francisco and New York City. They're an amazing way to eat fresh and local for a reasonable amount of money.
megnut at 11:51AM on 03/15/07
I try to buy organic as often as possible. I actually think the cost of organic is becoming lower all the time. I can easily buy organic vegetables at my local supermarket for sometimes the same amount or slightly higher than conventional. I do all of my produce shopping at farmer's markets in the summer, and I also frequent a small pork producer in my area for the best cuts of meat!
As far as having your own garden...definitely give it a shot! You don't even need alot of room to start. For years I grew tomatoes & peppers & fresh herbs in containers on my patio!
Meganut....I agree about CSA's as well. I'm trying one for the first time this year...just sent out my first installment payment....can't wait to get my first box this spring....although here in WNY we have to wait for May for that!
mepolo at 2:59PM on 03/15/07
I have never even tried to grow my own food, but my take on organics is that local trumps organic, and that in general I tend to buy the "person" instead of the label. I have gotten to know many farmers at farmers markets around the country, and I find that process to be the best way to figure out what and who to buy from.
Ed Levine at 12:08PM on 03/16/07
I try to buy organic whenever possible, and am planting my own garden now. My boyfriend and I have had a garden for the past three years. It is especially easy to grow lettuce. I love being able to go outside and pick enough for a salad whenever I feel like it. We have the space for a garden, but I have had success with container gardens too. It's totally worth trying!
Eliza at 2:04PM on 03/16/07
I'm with Ed on this one. Local organic is best, but local is the weighted of the two. I've noticed a marked difference between the organics and their grocery store counterparts. The big ones that stand out in my memory are chicken, eggs, and leafy greens. However I can't always afford to drop the cash an organic price tag commands - assuming I can even find it. In my neck of the woods (fields, technically) we don't have Whole Foods or anything good like that. Just big chains - so it's pretty much a crapshoot.
D.I.Y. would be super-cool. Except I'm really good at killing plants. I annually attempt an herb garden that usually winds up dead by July. I better leave that to the pros.
And to Megnut - due in no small part to your posts (and blog), I'm meeting with a local (less than an hour away!), organic farmer this weekend and probably purchasing a CSA half-share for the 2007 season. I really like this idea and have no clue why I'm just now hearing about it. Keep up the great work.
corycm at 6:29PM on 03/16/07
pezbabypez - not sure I agree that DIY is all that economical... once you start getting into containers, soil, tools, organic fertilizer and/or compost equipment, vegetable plants and seeds, fences if need be to keep out deer, etc., etc., it's always somethin', and it can really add up, especially when you lose crops or they don't work for whatever reason (e.g., my squash never got pollinated a couple years ago because it rained too much). A guy wrote a book about this topic a couple years ago - "$64 Tomato." Having a green thumb helps, it's true... And it's a wonderful experience, I certainly wouldn't want to discourage anyone, but it helps to have realistic expectations! :)
emily20008 at 7:04PM on 03/16/07
Now that the USDA is involved in labeling mass-produced 'organic' produce and products you can take that as The Signal to begin buying ONLY from local small farmers that you have chatted up and know to be truly devoted to actually producing organically. Unless, of course, you don't mind birthing inevitable Frankenchildren and then dropping dead of cancer or who knows what other genetic mutation that may 'pop up'.
Mass producing food on factory farms, organic or not, was a thought, but it turns out that it so doesn't work. The only thing that has ever worked is local produce grown organically by knowledgable small farmers. The reason it's been done like that for centuries is because that is what centuries of sustainablity has proven true, ie Europe and Asia. It's only when the people arriving on this continent got all out of hand with greed (I really doubt it was service motivated - profit/greed has always been the bottom line in the US. It's not called Aggro-Biz for nothing) and caffiene that the all important balance was disregarded.
A friend's brother is an 'organic' farmer in Texas for Whole Foods and I was told that he still sprays herbacide with a plane covertly, because it is impossible to mono - crop on the scale that supplies Any chain without it weakening the crop to the point of vulnerability to disease and pests. That's because mono-cropping as it's done now is totally unnatural. Buy from the local organic farmer in your area and build a relationship with them so that you can meet your families need for health and well-being. The USDA is strictly about cash profit, and it has proven abundantly over a half a century that that is it's greatest priority, far above and beyond the safety and endurance of the human race.
june2 at 8:07PM on 03/16/07
Why is it that the left wing wants to apply what they call "science" to every discussion possible--the origin of life, global warming, etc.--but when it comes to food and the great benefits that pesticides, genetic engineering, crop yield increases et al have brought to the world, suddenly the scientific facts are out the window?
FACT: Less people are hungry, and more people are living longer than ever before because of these means of production. So give me a plate of foie gras and send the e. coli organic salad to the liberals at the four-top.
Big___Al at 10:25AM on 03/17/07
Can't stress this enough, if your going to grow your own get a soil sample tested. Find a place that will do a soil analysis of your garden. I did one and it showed what I had to work with, it also will tell you God forbid if there is anything dangerous in your soil. I posted way back a tale of my genetically based tomato growing obsession. I never ever use chemicals and have used just plain old marigolds as bug repellant. I fertilize with crushed egg shells. Of course this is what my soil needs. Every veggie has a PH that is best for its growth, you should do the research and find out what that is so you can balance out your soil with your own compost.
I also buy local, especially at cannng time and to fill my freezer.
Growing your own food teaches you many things. It teaches you responsibility, agriculture, patience, pride and joy.
I cannot tell you how much joy there is in taking my tomatoes and making a pasta sauce that everyone fusses over. I just smile from ear to ear.
I do a small Barbara Steisand; I selected the seeds, I grew the tomatoes, I canned them, I cooked them and now I am serving them. Eveyone nods their head and says not a word while shoving pasta in their mouth, the silence is golden.
From the ground to your table. It is a miracle and a blessing.
JerzeeTomato at 5:56AM on 03/18/07
I agree with Jerzee...there are economical ways to garden at home.
The local cooperative extension will usually test your soil for free. I compost all of my vegetable scraps & use that with egg shells & shrimp shells for fertiziler. Plain old chicken wire works great to keep the critters out, and doesn't cost a whole lot. For containers I use whatever I happen to have around...including an old wash tub, and plastic tubs I got from the local grocery store that they get their sausage casings in. All I had to do was rinse them, and fill them with dirt!
Once you eat that first homegrown tomato, you will have the bug! :-)
mepolo at 1:10PM on 03/19/07