Organic food scene....? (Pittsburgh: house, prices, store)

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by 30STM

Trader joe's
over priced designer food

You sure you got the right place? Farmers markets in Pittsburgh often times have higher prices than TJ, and we dont have access to them year round.

[30STM]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

You sure you got the right place? Farmers markets in Pittsburgh often times have higher prices than TJ, and we dont have access to them year round.

you quote part of my post...when read in full it states a lot more\

orig. post

Trader joe's is not organic. TJ is over priced designer food with loads of ingredients that you can't even pronounce processed in foreign countries.........NOT ORGANIC AT ALL

try these links


the links i posted in my orig post have MANY options for organic LOCAL places to buy year round at great prices.


TJ ------- 99 percent of what they sell is not local or organic........THE ORIG poster is looking for LOCAL ORGANIC.

[30STM]

Mod cut - removed remark referring to deleted post.


The Eco-Myth of Trader Joe

and

http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/20/news...tune/index.htm

[greg42]

You come in here, drop an incorrect remark in a forum you've never posted in before. Pretty well definition of a troll. Someone responds, you post the same thing over again.

Your links go to the main home pages of Local Harvest and Happy Cow so you don't actually know how many local organic options there are here in this particular location or what they are.

Thus, you appear to simply be on an anti-Trader Joe's crusade. Should I pretend I can't see that? That is why I brought out the T-word.


FWIW, to give the benefit of the doubt for a sec:

The OP doesn't live here and is looking to have a discussion, not for any recs in particular.

I'm well aware there's nothing particularly eco about Trader Joe's, but to say they don't have anything organic is to be misinformed or intentionally distorting the reality. Organic does not imply local nor vice-versa for that matter. And a lot more than 1% of what's in there is organic, in my experience. Very little is local.

This is Pennsylvania. We have a shorter growing season, not all year. Even in season you can't get everything you need at farmer's markets, and with rare exception these are open from no earlier than April until no later than November. There are a few quasi-farm stands open all year but in winter they get produce from elsewhere, or the only thing left are stuff that stores like root veg, apples for a while, etc. These are all great things, no doubt. But you have to get other stuff somewhere.

Trader Joe's is in fact the wrong store to pick on for unpronounceable ingredients. Indeed, much of their packaged stuff has less of this than your typical supermarket. There's nothing with HFCS in the store, among other things. The store is not entirely processed foods though. Yes, they're not always forthcoming with their operations. If you can manage to buy everything you eat from places that are 100% organic, local and forthcoming, well, you're doing a great job and keep it up. Not many are that dedicated. Also, I suspect you're not doing that in this city. It would be quite difficult.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

You sure you got the right place? Farmers markets in Pittsburgh often times have higher prices than TJ, and we dont have access to them year round.

Check out a CSA: Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food

[greg42]

Originally Posted by jay5835

S/he's hardly a troll. S/he's someone posting in a thread about organic food with what looks like good information about How to Find Organic Food.

Dude. This statement "Trader joe's is not organic. TJ is over priced designer food with loads of ingredients that you can't even pronounce processed in foreign countries.........NOT ORGANIC AT ALL " is FALSE.

If you don't think that should color the post, that's fine. As soon as I read something FALSE I assume that there isn't much if any real info in the post(s), especially when the false information is REPEATED. That makes it all really suspect to me. There didn't appear to be any real motive of helpfulness in the post, just motive of crusade against certain retailer. If that is not the intent, well, it helps to not make sweeping exaggerations in the post.

[greg42]

And how about some real info on local organic stuff?

FWIW, I've actually been a member of one CSA in the area, Kretschmann's. We gave it up after a few years because while in the second year we improved at using everything, we regressed in the third year to too much wastage. They actually say that's the biggest reason people drop out. You don't get to pick what you want, but they will try to pay reasonable attention to your dislikes that you note. Great people.

The Kretschmann Organic Farm Delivery

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Just curious.

This seems to be an OREGON thing...a Pacific Northwest theme, where organic restaurants and organic foods are the big rage.

That being said, it seems like the kind of thing that COULD catch on in Pittsburgh. Possibly.

Just curious, if anyone has seen any signs of it...?

Back on topic please.

[gg]

Originally Posted by 30STM

TJ ------- 99 percent of what they sell is not local or organic........THE ORIG poster is looking for LOCAL ORGANIC.

99%? Considering I buy most organic foods there, I guess I am only buying the 1% left.

Farmer's markets many times are not "organic" and if they advertise as organic the prices are very high. I do go to the one in East Liberty though and enjoy the "corn lady" as well as some other produce. I would love to buy 100% local everything, but I am not rich enough to do that at this time. I think about it often and wish I could. I love the idea of farm to fork, but it isn't cheap in our area.

At TJ's, I buy lots of frozen organic veggies in the winter months at an amazing price. If you don't like TJ's that is fine, but there is no need to lie about them. 99% non-organic is a silly statement. I cannot afford to go to GE and buy their food on a regular basis and certainly can't afford GE organic. Same with Whole Foods. It is just out of my price range.

I felt I needed to reply to this, since it is really poor information. I will agree the TJ's isn't local at all. That is a downside, but GE isn't local at all either. Have you ever priced local beef? I have done it, but you need to buy a 1/2 cow to make the prices similar.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Have you ever priced local beef? I have done it, but you need to buy a 1/2 cow to make the prices similar.

I don't actually consume much meat at home, but anytime I see something like this I do feel compelled to suggest you watch Food, Inc. then see if you still want to buy all that beef and chicken from the likes of Tyson, etc. I can tell you I don't. It hasn't quite stopped me in my tracks from eating meat out from places that I'm sure don't have local, better quality sourcing, but it has made me consider it more.

I don't know about beef specifically, but I know I can get local chicken at what I would consider reasonable prices (sometimes on sale) at McGinnis Sisters. It's not organic, but it is free of antibiotics. The pork they carry is also local. McGinnis Sisters - Meat The beef is not local, most of the time (though it is from the US at least), nor is it grass-fed, but at least there are no antibiotics. They also get local produce when possible during the season.

BTW, here's a cool little organic restaurant I finally visited recently. It's in Harmony (next to Zelienople) and they serve...burgers! All local grass-fed beef in this place. Burgh'ers

I'm not made of $$, far from it! But I'll pay a little extra for quality local stuff when it's practical. Maybe it helps that there is at most two of us (and with meat/poultry, only one of us, me, actually eats it) At this point I'm not absolutely, positively going out of my way for it. But we get closer to that at each step.

And yeah, I think it was in the other thread, but canned tomatoes, hell yeah. In the winter, canned tomatoes are better than "fresh" ones shipped from someplace, organic or no. Local in summer or canned the rest of the time, that's the way to go. (Canning them yourself in the summer, for use later in the winter, is a great idea if you're so inclined.)