Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In California, wild strawberries grow like weeds in people's backyards.
The main advantage of organic veggies is the absence of dangerous pesticides and herbicides. Organic chicken is the only kind not laced with arsenic. My doctor won't allow me to eat anything but organic food.
Also, pesticides get in through the ground and up into the veg or fruit. You can't wash that off, it's in the fruit/veg. I truly believe you will always get some sort of crap in your food unless you grow it yourself and are totally diligent.
In California, wild strawberries grow like weeds in people's backyards.
The main advantage of organic veggies is the absence of dangerous pesticides and herbicides. Organic chicken is the only kind not laced with arsenic. My doctor won't allow me to eat anything but organic food.
Organic farmers still use pesticides and herbicides. The source of those chemicals is what determines whether or not the food grown is organic, not whether or not the farmer uses them.
Synthetically-produced chemicals, or naturally-produced chemicals. It's still chemicals, and some of them are still dangerous, and some of them are still actually toxic. But if they came from natural sources, then the farmer is allowed to call the resulting food "organic."
I don't need to or want to check out anything actually. I buy from farmers down the road whom I know. I know my bee keeper and the people who grow many of the vegetables we eat. I know and buy from the farmer in Indiana that sells non genetically engineered corn. I am blessed to live in an area filled with small farms and farm stands - there is no agenda with these people. They are dedicated to farming in the way they believe it should be done - I've talked to them and they are people of integrity - they work hard and they don't make tons of money. I am happy to support them in their efforts and I'm very happy to include their products in my lifestyle. I'm also happy to let you make whatever choices you want to. I wish you would do the same for those of us who don't agree with you. You have made your point - you really don't need to keep beating a dead horse as my grandmother used to say.
My story and sources are very similar. I don't just willy nilly buy something because it says "organic" on it - nor do I consider mass producers of food to be inherently evil.
I do believe in supporting local businesses and farms rather than huge conglomerates when possible. I like knowing the people who raise the meat I eat - and knowing how that meat is raised. I love supporting local organic farmers who, as you said, are dedicated to farming in the way they believe it should be done.
Also, pesticides get in through the ground and up into the veg or fruit. You can't wash that off, it's in the fruit/veg. I truly believe you will always get some sort of crap in your food unless you grow it yourself and are totally diligent.
Study after study has shown that families who limit their fruit/veggie intake to organic vegetables have much lower rates of pesticides and chemicals in their bodies and in their urine.
That right there would be reason enough for me to stick with my organic sources, but on top of that, the produce tends to taste quite a bit better.
I also buy only locally raised/harvested honey, and locally raised, pasture raised meat.
I'll pick a wild strawberry from the side of the road, over any organically farmed strawberry, anywhere, in or out of season. Farmed strawberries are grown in soil that have had things done to them by farmers, such as - fertilizer from animals that don't actually live on the farm (or that would naturally live in the region where those food items normally grow wild), chemical nutrients that are extracted and isolated from natural substances (meaning, they're still just as chemical as the synthetic chemicals, they're just not grown in a lab), genetically altered, or grown from genetically altered seed.
Wild strawberries had no one planting them, no one fertilizing them, no one feeding them. No person had any input into their existence. And let me tell you - the taste difference is profound. Your organic strawberries might as well be processed in a lab, compared with the taste of a wild strawberry.
But go ahead and believe your organic berries are best. I'm sure ConAgra will thank you for supporting their "natural" subsidiaries.
Conagra? I try to avoid "big agriculture" and industrial organics for my organics completely. Occasionally, I might choose mass organics for a couple of products if there are no alternatives. But it is rare. I prioritize taste, miles traveled, then organic.
I buy my strawberries from my local farmers market or get them from my CSA. I know how they are farmed.
I agree the wild one is probably the best one, but harder to find! We need to be realistic for our modern life.
I buy around 70% local and seasonal (including grains, dairy, meat, produce, and even staples). And I eat in restaurants that use local products for about 60% of my meals out.
I have it easy, I live in CA, we can get basically everything local/seasonal.
Organic farmers still use pesticides and herbicides. The source of those chemicals is what determines whether or not the food grown is organic, not whether or not the farmer uses them.
Synthetically-produced chemicals, or naturally-produced chemicals. It's still chemicals, and some of them are still dangerous, and some of them are still actually toxic. But if they came from natural sources, then the farmer is allowed to call the resulting food "organic."
This is a recent phenomenon. Once big agriculture decided they want to jump on the organics bandwagon. They loosened the requirements.
This is true for "industrial" organics. But other farmers are not. This isn't 100% true. There is a whole movement for "beyond organic." Farms that can't afford to get the official certification, but have organic (or better) practices. I don't trust the organic label from any farm big enough to put stickers on their produce.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
