Going organic in a large family - advice needed!
I've been thinking more and more about trying to incorporate more organic foods and products into our diet. I've perused the organics aisle at my local store, although I know that in summer, I'll have access to farmstands and markets that will have fresher products too. The one thing I'm a bit freaky about is cost - I have a large family (five kids) and am the regular "go to place" for all their friends and hangers-on..... I do my best to keep our grocery bill reasonable by cooking from scratch as much as possible, using in season produce, and shopping sales. So, can I really "go organic"?
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11 Comments:
A good place to start is with those foods which, when conventionally grown, carry the most pesticide residue (like peaches and berries) - and skip those that carry the least (like bananas and avocados). Here are lists of both: http://www.living-foods.com/articles/twelvelist.html
And a downloadable wallet guide of the 43 fruits/vegs from worst pesticide load to best: http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php
Good luck!
producestories at 9:04AM on 03/18/08
I would love to go all organic, but find it much to costly. :(
jeang at 11:56AM on 03/18/08
I'd start by buying organic milk. If you use soy milk, buying organic soy products is especially important as conventional soy beans carry a lot of pesticides. Any fruit where you eat the peel, I'd buy organic. However, I find organic bananas are much tastier. I like to buy organic meats, too, as the producers don't use hormones, but this can be very expensive. If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, you can find tremendous deals on organics there, however.
Kelly
Kelly Spitzer at 12:07PM on 03/18/08
We do organic as much as possible, but we are on a budget, too.
I'm finding more and more organic products at Costco. Their organic milk is very good, organic produce--not all of it is organic, but what they have (mesclun, baby spinach, carrots, there's more, I just don't remember all of 'em) is way less expensive than the conventional grocers. They have begun offering organic meats as well, way cheaper than my local grocery store.
And I agree with Kelly above, Trader Joe's has really good deals on organic stuff.
Bottom line, it will cost more to buy the organic stuff, but in the long run the benefit to you and your family will be worth it.
wookie at 12:27PM on 03/18/08
One thing to keep in mind is that the organic label is as much about legal stuff as it is about growing methods. Part of the reason organic food is more expensive is that the government inspection process is expensive.
Where I live, there are a number of farms that adhere to the same rules as organic farms, but choose not to go through the inspection process. If you talk to some of the farmers at your local farmers markets, you might find some like that in your area.
At one farm in particular, I asked why they didn't go after the organic label, and they explained that it's a long process (seven years, I think) and that while they plan on keeping the vegetables on their farm strictly organic, they can't afford to have a pest wipe out a whole crop of other things they grow, so they want to option to spray other areas of the farm, if they need to. They haven't yet, but if they did, and they were seeking the organic label, they'd have to start over as far as the seven years. They also said that the inspection process and all the legal stuff is expensive and they thought there were enough organic farms in the area competing for that market.
Needless to say, their veggies are always cheaper than the ones with the organic labels, but it's still organic, even though it doesn't have the government seal of approval..
Needless to day, when you're buying at the grocery store, you can't ask those sorts of questions, but at that point, I guess you need to decide what it is about organic farming that's important to you. If it's political, that's one thing, but if you're just trying to stay away from pesticides, you can worry a lot less about produce that will be peeled or where the skin/shell isn't eaten. Next, if you can scrub the veggies vigorously, there's less worry than something that's more delicate. Like the difference between potatoes and lettuce, for example.
dbcurrie at 2:39PM on 03/18/08
Oh man! I have four little sous chefs and all their hangers-on also. I feel your pain. I'm sure what your money situation is like but going all organic might be a little insane price wise. I go through 4 gallons of milk a week. If I went organic we'd be homeless. Let's use some common sense. Trader Joes has good prices but what I'm finding out is shop locally, befriend all the farmers at the farmers market. They can help you on quest to feed your family and stay away from high fructose corn syrup. Don't worry if you are not going totally organic. If you are feeding your children homecooked meals and seasonal produce, you are doing a good job. No matter what anyone says.
http://www.evilchefmom.blogspot.com
evilchefmom at 2:51PM on 03/18/08
When I must rely on our local market, I sometimes blanch at the price of, say, a head of cauliflower. Then I try to adjust my attitude. I think about the price, per pound, of meat. I think about the cost of a bottle of wine or a pound of cheese. I think about how much of our income we in this country are prepared to spend for food compared to others in the world. I think about the cost of the health care system. Etc. I usually end up buying the organic and skip or buy less of things from the center of the store or elsewhere.
islandexile at 3:28PM on 03/18/08
I'd say if you have a CSA(community supported agriculture) nearby then join that. Then you wont feel miserable about paying extra, you pay per quarter then get a surprise package every week of wonderful veggies and fruit. I've got to love mine more and more.
jennywenny at 6:50PM on 03/18/08
Yup - just coming here to say the same thing. Investigate the local CSAs in your area. Some may even have a workshare program, where you put in some money and volunteer to pull weeds or plant seeds or whatever they need for X number of hours and you get a certain basket of produce every so many days or weeks or whatever.
I also support the local co-op market. As a member you get a discount on prices, and the produce is always better than the chain stores.
Nursie at 2:59AM on 03/19/08
One big consideration is where you live. I live in one of the largest extended metropolitan areas in the nation, in the country's largest agricultural state, yet getting edible organic produce is virtually impossible. (Hell, getting ANY edible produce usually requires Herculean effort.) Not only is it always it at LEAST twice as much as the "regular" stuff (usually more), but 90% of the time it is in pathetic condition. I'm not talking, "Oh, no pesticides and waxes mean it isn't as pretty looking." Uh-unh. I'm talking, I wouldn't use it for pig slop. Of course, I could go to Whole Foods or Mother's Market, but I'd have to spend about two hours driving 40-50 miles roundtrip, which is an $8-$10 add-on for the privilege of paying 30% more for my organic groceries, all while contributing to the area's already nightmarish traffic and pollution. Not cool.
I'm not big on the organic bandwagon, specifically. Local is good to the extent that's do-able. The larger umbrella of Sustainable Methods is my greater interest, to the extent those are practical. If something's available at a reasonable price (not necessarily the same price, just comparable), AND if the quality is as good or better, then naturally, I'll go with it. When it comes to packaged products marketed as organic, I'm a skeptic. There are so many loopholes, and you're often just trading one undesirable ingredient for another. As a rule, I buy based on taste, quality and value.
If getting this stuff means paying double for less than 1/2 the quality, my logical side says phooey.
LoCo at 10:16AM on 03/19/08
I use a lot of organic foods but due to the cost I do buy other things as well. One thing I feel is important is to try to get things with as little ingredients as possible. If you can't get all organic try for chips with just potatoes, oil and salt. Peanuts often have a lot of junk in them so find stuff with just peanuts, or peanuts and salt. Get rolled oats and unsweetened applesauce, juice concentrate with no added sugars and try to bake from scratch whenever you can. I use King Arthur flour , white flour yes, but it is one of the best nonorganic flours on the market and, personally, I don't like the taste of all the other flours. Plain and simple ingredients are the best , and figure out what is most important to have organic and spend the extra on that. There are products that are very good , better than most even if they are not specifically organic. I have noticed that buying in bulk at the health food store is a savings even over the conventional grocery stores . I get my spices from the bulk section and I think I get a lot more for my money than I would from the McCormick containers, and they are much stronger spice flavors because they are fresher. One other suggesting is to see if there are any surplus and salvage grocery stores in your area. I go to one near me that often carries organic products I can get for much cheaper than they would be at a healthfood store. Keep an eye on the dates on stuff though.
jomariac at 3:18PM on 03/27/08