Organic Food

[Leeroi]

haha I am from the US but travel a lot.It's funny, in Croatia the fresh produce is so fantastic,no chemicals or bug spray on them.In the NY times, a Croatian farmer was quoted as saying, "what you call organic,we call food." It's so true! the tomatoes,cherries,spinach,lettuce,oranges,everything is so much fresher and has better taste then here.

European and Australian standards of Food Products are far beyond American standards. They're the first ones to encourage free range farming that aren't given steroids and antibiotics, while in America the fat government complains about it. Organic farming is pretty much second nature to them while the US find it primitive and absurd.

About locally grown foods, it would be best if they were locally grown organic foods. Because I went to a strawberry picking field a few years ago and the lady said it was safe to eat and right after we did our thing some small airplane swooped down and sprayed all the strawberries with pesticides that kills any small animals such as birds. The lady graciously told us to come back next week for more strawberry picking, I guess they were going to let the chemicals get rained on before anyone else eats the strawberries.

 

[tullepen]

I couldn't find farmer's markets where I was in the Netherlands,but heard they are great.I worked on an organic farm so I picked tons of fresh produce there, arugula,green beans,asparagus,strawberries,tomatoes,and more.We didn't use anything on the produce, you could just dust a berry off and eat it.You could never do that for the most part in the US,I'd be scared of getting poisoned to death! not very "organic"!

 

[Leeroi]

I couldn't find farmer's markets where I was in the Netherlands,but heard they are great.I worked on an organic farm so I picked tons of fresh produce there, arugula,green beans,asparagus,strawberries,tomatoes,and more.We didn't use anything on the produce, you could just dust a berry off and eat it.You could never do that for the most part in the US,I'd be scared of getting poisoned to death! not very "organic"!

Yeah, because in the US, "organic" doesn't mean pesticide free. It just means the pesticides used were derived from plants or other naturally growing sources, not synthetically made, but they're much expensive than synthetically made pesticides so farmers usually try not to use them at all. So finding locally grown organic foods is much better. But if you can't find some that are reasonably priced, then it's not that far off to buy some from your local market.

 

[tullepen]

yeah I buy avocados,bananas,papayas,tomatoes,arugula,lettuce,basil from the market.But Yukon Gold potatoes and yams don't grow on my island,I think they are at least from CA.I read No Impact Man by Colin Bevan,he went for year buying only food with a few hundred mile radius,totally organic.It was really interesting to read.

 

[robertocavalli]

once again, thank you for answering! ive done so much research but i feel i have learned so much from all your answers. As i mentioned, no one in my radius eats organic and I needed some inside info.

The truth is, i've tried cutting meat - but being a student and all it just seems so hard to not eat it - I know, it is a bad excuse but it is true. Especially since I tend to not eat too much pasta or rice.

That's for the "dio" info! Ill look right into it.

By the way, what do you eat for desserts ? Like mentioned, the whole wheat chocolate cookies - but how does the chocolate differ from regular chocolate (Im such an amateur!)

 

[tullepen]

you could use frozen berries and oats and fake butter to make a "cobbler" I don't think you have that in Greece,but it's yummy.no sugar at all!
I bet you have great pastries there,like baklava.In Croatia they have fantastic strudels,they used part of the Austro-Hunagrian Empire so there is an influence on the food too.Great strudels, with apples! not so much sugar either.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I would agree that the major con is the price... Organic food is pricier, but IMO better in the long run. We try to buy fresh from the farmer's market where possible, and stick to organic groceries where we can. You will notice the taste different mostly in the fresh foods rather than the pre packaged foods. Organic fruit is SO delicious. There is a massive taste different to fruit that has been snap frozen and sold at a later date.

Agreed on the fruit ... the difference is most noticeable in fruits and vegetables with high water content, like strawberries and celery. When they're grown fast with synthetic fertilizers, they have significantly less flavor than their organic counterparts.

There's an organic consumers organization that has an online newsletter ... it will alert you to who is selling organic products but barely following the letter of the law (hello, Horizon).

As far as cost, I don't think it's higher because of a lack of demand, but because the people who want it are willing to pay more, and realize that producing food the right way costs more.

 

[fashionista-ta]

As you mentioned being organic is not being a vegan or a vegetarian. So, what signs should I be looking for so I know that something is organic? Particularly organic meat.

Organic meat is a bit hard to come by where I am ... but I buy bison from a herd that ranges across the country. Wild is good, grass-fed is good, no growth hormones, free range, uncured ... all good. Nieman Ranch is well known here for good practices ... you want to find out about the producer. Going to a good store is a good first step, and then you can talk to them or read their materials about their producers. Best case is wild, or an artisanal producer (IMO). A small farm is highly likely to be better for the animals than a big farm.

You can also taste the difference, of course ... I always buy a free range turkey for Thanksgiving, and the taste difference between that and Butterball I have to believe would be obvious to anyone. Some people think it's all labeling sleight of hand ... uh, no. Here you can also get heirloom turkey breeds from small farmers ... obviously that requires advance planning and some additional work. You really could make a fulltime job of the hunt for good food

Check out your local chapter of Slow Food, they can point you to all the good stuff ...

 

[tullepen]

I don't think I've ever even had turkey for Thanksgiving. my aunt and uncle go to an organic pick your own farm ,I am SO jealous. Seeing how your food grows is,not to mention contributing to the process,is something that should be remedial in elementary education.I'm so glad we had a compost patch and planted seeds and picked the produce at my school.

 

[ediewho]

Sometimes when i get my vegan food is organic... some organic products really taste as pure as they should and of course they are healthier although this world is polluted I guess they are less polluted...
I started to consume alot of organic products when i lived for a long while in London and i was soo into them... They were more expensive but it was well worth it... even the pasta tasted so much better or the ketchup... here in Spain are more popular at veggy shops than in regular supermarkets...

 

[robertocavalli]

It is definitely my new years resolution. I found a lot of organic products in Marks & Spencer. Also I have a locals market here so I'm sure I will manage.

 

[chanelandfur]

I eat all organic fruits and veggies, eggs, fish, pastas, cereals, nuts, and tea. I live next to Whole Foods so it's the only grocery store I go to. I do feel a bit healthier. I'm sure it's better for me then eating all that stuff that's loaded with chemicals and pesticides.

 

[Danhat Ward]

Most of the food I eat is organic, especially fruits, vegetables, soy milk and bread. Eggs are from our own hens and honey is from an uncle and both are also organic.
Organic food is important in my family so I grew up with it and it's just normal for me.

 

[nextnewface]

I'm so happy to see a thread on organic food here

In Quebec, it's slowly becoming "trendier" to eat organic. There's not a huge selection, but some of the more well-known supermarkets now have an organic section

I think it's so much healthier to eat organic. I read a book called "The End of Food" and it really changed my perspective on industrial agriculture. I suggest you pick it up if you can, it's quite informative.

I find it sad though that a lot of people scoff or mock people who try to eat better. Here, it seems that if you buy organic food, you're a "hippie", or one of those derogatory terms. I think it's stupid... you can be fashionable and normal, and yet eat organic...

After all, what is wrong with eating less pesticides that presumably end up causin cancer?

Is this kind of behaviour common elsewhere? I think it might regress a bit in the upcoming years because the trend is building up, but I find that people really aren't convinced about the benefits of organic food. I mean even my family mocks me (nicely) sometimes...

Oh, and what about GSM (is that what it's called in English? Or GMS?) ? I wish there were labels that said what has been genetically modified or not... I would definitely avoid these products. Does that kind of system exist elsewhere?

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I believe it's GMO ... there is some voluntary labeling, and organic must be non-GMO in the US. (This can be a problem due to cross-pollination in the fields ... but it gets tested and thrown out if it's GMO. Just another reason why organic farming costs more.)

That's interesting that Quebec is so far 'behind' ... I consider where I live a relative backwater in the US, and no one makes fun of organic here. And I love the hippies I see when I go to Whole Foods The grocery store I go to has their own organic line, as well as carrying many other organic products, and another major grocery has an organic private label as well. You can get organic milk almost anywhere here ... nothing strange about it. Often you will have a choice of brands.

I did see someone once at the store saying "Oh no, I don't want organic, just regular," like organic was something strange and fussy ... and I suspect I looked at him like he was super weird I wanted to say something, but I bit my tongue. (Yes, I do bite my tongue on occasion ) Why would you not take organic if it's sitting right there

 

[tullepen]

the Whole Foods is far from me and SO expensive.We have an organic store nearby and get most of the food there...except the broccoli which is shipped in and is always going yellow.You can really taste the difference in the food,especially kiwis and berries.
Sometimes organic food is considerably more expensive and that's why people won't buy it.But if they'd just trade in their beer and cheetos and walk/bike and use public transit instead of a gas guzzling car,maybe they could afford it...

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Not to mention downsize the crappy McMansion and the ginormous SUV/Hummer

 

[tullepen]

yeah,a Hummer almost hit me on my bicycle once.You can't trust the way people drive in Hawai'i...Ignorance prevails.
I love organic papayas,gluten free frozen waffles,Cascadian Farm blackberry jam(I went by there once,in WA state!), and there's these molasses ginger gluten free cookies I keep getting, and cajun sesame sticks.mmmm