In our household, I have an organic produce tester. It's fantastic - when I use it, I know if the produce has been sprayed with pesticides.
The downside?
Well, the organic produce tester cannot be purchased in stores. It isn't As Seen on TV either. It's actually my husband.
Yup, when I feed him certain produce that has come into contact with pesticides, his gums and mouth get irritated, start to swell, and he certainly doesn't finish eating it.
Hmmm, that pesticide stuff CAN"T be too good for you if that can happen.
Unfortunately, when I shop locally, I can usually only get very little (read NONE) organic produce. Oh, wait a minute, last week one of the grocery stores had bags of organic apples - but they were all rotting (literally) in the bags, so those didn't come home with me. I'm not sure if that's because they have been sitting on the shelf for so long?????
So, is it worth it to pay a bit more for organic produce? At our house, we would say definitely. Often we can't get it, but when I shop out of town (read OFF the Rock), I pick up as much as possible. Hubby won't/can't eat any kind of fruit that you don't peel - unless it is organic. Although, I must admit, when I first met him I always wondered if he was just using the whole "allergic reaction" thing to get out of eating his fruits and veggies.
There are also expensive washes for produce you can buy (and of course they come in plastic containers), but from reading that I have done, apparently washing with water and vinegar works very well to get rid of as much residue as possible.
There are many lists out there of produce that you should try and buy organic. The Environmental Working Group has a
downloadable guide that lists both the items that you SHOULD buy organic, and those that it isn't really necessary to pay the extra $$ for organic varieties (although it is still better for the environment to buy as many organics as possible).
In a nutshell, here are the top picks for buying organic - so you can avoid as many nasties as possible:
- Peaches
- Apples
- Bell peppers
- Celery
- Nectarine
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Grapes
- Carrots
- Pears
It may be a bit difficult to remember - and apparently this list, as well as the list of the Clean 15, are soon to be iPhone apps. For those of us living in the sticks who really have no need for an iPhone since we can't get service anyway, well, print it off or write it on a sticky note (which you can then put in your purse, and never be able to find it again when you need it).
Here is a quick mnemonic rundown to help you remember: Basically, all of the fruits and veggies that you normally buy on a regular basis is on the list - except for kale. Why the heck would they bother to put kale on the list? Who actually eats kale? I thought it was just for decoration in the center of big flower beds. Huh, who knew people actually bother to eat the stuff. Oh, and celery - if you want to save money, you could just quit buying celery - it has about the same nutritional value as paper, and I think it was just invented to use as a cheap filler in soups and stews. - so don't bother with that one either.
As for my organic produce tester - back off! Get your own allergy-ridden husband :-)
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I eat kale. It's not my favourite vegetable ever, but I do enjoy it and because it doesn't freeze as easily as most other greens it's a great way to extend the season for local produce.
ReplyDelete(I also love celery, especially raw - it may have zero nutritional value, but if I'm craving something crunchy it's probably better than potato chips. You can have the bell peppers, though.)
Actually both kale and celery are very nutritious. We've eaten lots of local kale from Loonsong Garden. Celery is one of the richest sources of flavones, which have antioxidant and anticancer properties.
ReplyDeleteActually much more important than eating organic is eating LOCAL food -- it's much better for both human and ecological health, and above all it tastes so much better! You can get it at the Farmers' Markets in season, and we've been eating local food all winter that we canned or froze last summer/fall. We do also buy some organic produce from the Valu-Mart in Little Current, though.
There's lots of good information on food and food systems on the Net if you know where to look. We have links to some on the Manitoulin Uprising blog.
Great info..and I definitely agree with the movement towards local food. I grew up with everything homegrown from our family farm, and wish my kids had the same opportunities. We are putting in our ownh gardens this year, and try to eat local as much as possible. Thanks for the links info - I will check them out and hopefully post about it.
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