What organic foods do you buy?

[tenspeed]

Here's a link to the previous discussion about EWG and the dirty dozen. I learned a lot about organic food from the posts and the linked articles, and worth a read for those interested in the topic.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f26/the-deception-of-the-dirty-dozen-pesticide-residues-on-vegetables-and-fruits-95526-3.html#post1462944

Edit: I couldn't get the link to work after posting, but if you search for EWG it's near the top - last post of 4/15/2016, in the Off Topic forum.

 

[GotGarlic]

I'm with you on the buying organic if it tastes better, Casey.

We buy organic bananas, carrots, potatoes, milk, eggs, and a few other things simply because they taste better. And no, GG, it's not in my head. We also buy non-organically grown stuff when that's all that's available. Every once in a while I'll notice something tastes really good; better than usual, and I'll sometimes check to see what brand it is, or where my wife bought it so I might try to remember to ask her buy it again since she does most of the food shopping. It is then I often discover that it is organic.

OK, so, that might also have to do with smaller production practices, or freshness, or some factors that go along with organic foods, but if it tastes better, I'm good to go. The few extra dollars we spend for it is of no real matter to me. If I skip one lunch at work in a month and eat leftovers, that can cover any extra cost if it's ever an issue.

I've made it clear over the many discussions here on this topic that people are free to buy and eat whatever they want for whatever reasons they want. When people ask a question, I answer it honestly. When people have misconceptions, I give them the information I have. Then, as grownups, people decide what they want to do.

What I don't like is giving people with limited resources the impression that they are not providing healthful food to their families if they don't buy organic, which is the marketing message of the organic food industry. There is absolutely no evidence that organic food is safer than conventional.

Studies have shown that people doing a side-by-side taste test of conventional and organic food can't tell which is which.

A lot of organic farms have been bought by large industrial food producers, so the romantic image of an individual farmer lovingly tending his fields and animals using ancient techniques is a marketing ploy. It's rare and can't provide enough food to feed the nation, much less other parts of the world. Such is life in the 21st century.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

The FDA says that eggs are good for up to 5 weeks after the best by date on the carton.

Organic eggs contain a yolk and albumen, while non-organic eggs have silly putty inside!

All the food I buy is organic. I got so sick of fiberglass, asphalt, foam rubber or concrete for dinner, and wax fruit and plaster vegetables just never hit the spot.

+1 all food is organic, the difference is if they use inorganic or organic pesticides and herbicides on them.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

+1 all food is organic, the difference is if they use inorganic or organic pesticides and herbicides on them.

Inorganic egg:

It has also been determined that there is no difference in the nutritional value of so called organic fruits and vegetables and those that people with normal incomes can afford.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

eggs? today they look like brains of the typical shopper

 

[jennyema]

At the supermarket I deliberately buy

Organic milk -- I also think it tastes better. I'm an adult that loves to drink milk and it's almost always organic for me

Organic, free range eggs -- they taste better and the free range is an absolute necessity for me since chickens are raised in such disgusting i humane conditions

I won't pay extra at a supermarket for organic produce

But from May to Oct my vegetables come from the farmers market or my garden which are beautiful, fresh and organic

I will never buy fresh tomatoes from a supermarket ....

 

[caseydog]

I'm with you on the buying organic if it tastes better, Casey.

We buy organic bananas, carrots, potatoes, milk, eggs, and a few other things simply because they taste better. And no, GG, it's not in my head. We also buy non-organically grown stuff when that's all that's available. Every once in a while I'll notice something tastes really good; better than usual, and I'll sometimes check to see what brand it is, or where my wife bought it so I might try to remember to ask her buy it again since she does most of the food shopping. It is then I often discover that it is organic.

OK, so, that might also have to do with smaller production practices, or freshness, or some factors that go along with organic foods, but if it tastes better, I'm good to go. The few extra dollars we spend for it is of no real matter to me. If I skip one lunch at work in a month and eat leftovers, that can cover any extra cost if it's ever an issue.

As far as arguments go, some people use passive aggressiveness to continually make their point, or appear "right", or better than you. (This pretty much describes several of my new neighbors.)
I can't stand people who do that intentionally, but I wonder sometimes if others even realize that they are doing it.


Anyway, getting back to good food, I'm often reminded of what Sparrowgrass said about the labeling of free range chicken. Many "factory" raised chickens are kept in giant buildings, and once or twice a week a few doors are opened and some of the chickens get to wander out onto a poop covered patio for a bit, then they are brought back in and the doors closed again. So much for free range being a wonderful thing. Still, you can buy really free range foods if you do your homework and learn if it's real or not.


And guess what: it'll probably taste better.


Also, when you die, if you get reincarnated as a chicken, try to get a seat by the door...

I'm hoping to get reincarnated as a poodle in Beverly Hills.

We are on the same page. In addition to a few organic foods, I pay extra for San Marzano canned tomatoes. They just taste better.

If I buy an organic product, or any product with a premium price, and it isn't better, then I don't buy it again.

I'm allergic to bananas, unless they are cooked, and don't like carrots, but thanks for the suggestions. The dislike of carrots is a mental thing. My mom has terrible eyesight, so she fed us carrots by the truckload. I even got carrot cake for my birthday. Now, I don't even want them in my house. LOL

CD

 

[caseydog]

What I don't like is giving people with limited resources the impression that they are not providing healthful food to their families if they don't buy organic, which is the marketing message of the organic food industry. There is absolutely no evidence that organic food is safer than conventional.

I buy organic milk for two reasons, and only two reasons. One, it has a much longer shelf life. The half-gallon I bought yesterday has a use-by date of May 19. Two, I like the taste better. Yes, that is subjective. Taste is, by nature, subjective.

I thought I made that clear in my very first post.

My question to people was, are there organic foods that you buy? A very simple question you could have answered with a simple, "No."
CD

 

[caseydog]

I told you you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

CD

 

[buckytom]

Oh, you missed all the fun, Casey.

But you know what's funny is that carrots are not especially or necessarily good for your eyesight. It was a myth created and perpetuated by the British during WWII to explain how their pilots were able to locate the invading German warplanes. It was a simply a cover story for the invention and application of radar, their chain home low system. Tney said their pilots ate a lot of carrots which gave them superior eyesight. Funny how that myth continues today.

However, I do get giant biceps with battleship tattoos on them when I eats my spinachk...

 

[caseydog]

Oh, you missed all the fun, Casey.

But you know what's funny is that carrots are not especially or necessarily good for your eyesight. It was a myth created and perpetuated by the British during WWII to explain how their pilots were able to locate the invading German warplanes. It was a simply a cover story for the invention of radar. Tney said their pilots ate a lot of carrots which gave them superior eyesight. Funny how that continues today.

However, I do get giant biceps with battleship tattoos on them when I eats my spinachk...

Yeah, I know. I was pretty ticked when I found out all those carrots my mom made me eat did nothing for my eyes. I got my dad's eyes, not my mom's. At 55, I only wear reading glasses to see up close. I couldn't find arm extenders. My dad didn't start wearing glasses full-time until well into his 60s. Same with his dad.

CD

 

[Andy M.]

Yeah, I know. I was pretty ticked when I found out all those carrots my mom made me eat did nothing for my eyes. I got my dad's eyes, not my mom's. At 55, I only wear reading glasses to see up close. I couldn't find arm extenders. My dad didn't start wearing glasses full-time until well into his 60s. Same with his dad.

CD

I'm in a similar situation. 72 YO and all I need is reading glasses. I buy off the shelf reading glasses at different strengths based on their specific uses. Works great for me.

 

[GotGarlic]

I buy organic milk for two reasons, and only two reasons. One, it has a much longer shelf life. The half-gallon I bought yesterday has a use-by date of May 19. Two, I like the taste better. Yes, that is subjective. Taste is, by nature, subjective.

I thought I made that clear in my very first post...

My post was not directed to you.

 

[buckytom]

But the rest was... Lol.

I'm sorry, PF. I truly am.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I guess I don't really buy many foods labeled "organic" but I do buy a lot of meat, produce, and eggs from local sources when I can. As far as produce, some of them use pesticides, but others don't. One of the Asian farmers I've talked to at the farmers market (or rather, one of his English speaking kids) says his family doesn't trust commercial chemical fertilizers, so they don't use them at their farm. I don't know if that means they use something else or nothing at all. What I do know is that their produce is some of the best I've bought.

I live in a small town and sometimes buy eggs from a little meat market here that gets them from a family owned farm. I really like their eggs, and I know for a fact that those chickens are pastured and get off their plump little behinds to forage on their own for a bit every day. Are the eggs organic? No. But the chickens live the way chickens are intended to live, and not wing-to-wing in some enormous factory building.

One more point I'll add. I used to grow wine grapes, and one of the things I learned along the way is that commercial insecticides/fungicides have a tendency to make the plants less resistant to pests and disease. The literature put out by the local growers association mentions the proliferation of powdery mildew and botrytis, and says you should use product x and y on a schedule and after heavy rains. What I found over the last 15 years is that when you wean the vines off those things, they will build up resistance of their own. Obviously there are things you simply have to protect against (Asian Lady Beetles are the biggest problem here, but not every single year), but I'm a firm believer in letting the plants do the heavy lifting when it comes to protecting themselves. Again, not organic, because I did have to spray once in a while, but they were about as naturally grown as you could get.

I don't generally like government-defined labels like "organic," because as soon as you put a strict definition on something like that, there are herds of corporate lawyers who will swoop in and look for loopholes that allow companies to do the minimum they can get away with and still be allowed to display the label.

 

[GotGarlic]

My question to people was, are there organic foods that you buy? A very simple question you could have answered with a simple, "No."
CD

Actually, your question was, what organic foods do you buy, which assumes that we all buy organic food. Then you described why you buy certain ones, inviting responses to describe why they don't. And thus a discussion was born [emoji38]

 

[GotGarlic]

I guess I don't really buy many foods labeled "organic" but I do buy a lot of meat, produce, and eggs from local sources when I can. As far as produce, some of them use pesticides, but others don't. One of the Asian farmers I've talked to at the farmers market (or rather, one of his English speaking kids) says his family doesn't trust commercial chemical fertilizers, so they don't use them at their farm. I don't know if that means they use something else or nothing at all. What I do know is that their produce is some of the best I've bought.

I live in a small town and sometimes buy eggs from a little meat market here that gets them from a family owned farm. I really like their eggs, and I know for a fact that those chickens are pastured and get off their plump little behinds to forage on their own for a bit every day. Are the eggs organic? No. But the chickens live the way chickens are intended to live, and not wing-to-wing in some enormous factory building.

One more point I'll add. I used to grow wine grapes, and one of the things I learned along the way is that commercial insecticides/fungicides have a tendency to make the plants less resistant to pests and disease. The literature put out by the local growers association mentions the proliferation of powdery mildew and botrytis, and says you should use product x and y on a schedule and after heavy rains. What I found over the last 15 years is that when you wean the vines off those things, they will build up resistance of their own. Obviously there are things you simply have to protect against (Asian Lady Beetles are the biggest problem here, but not every single year), but I'm a firm believer in letting the plants do the heavy lifting when it comes to protecting themselves. Again, not organic, because I did have to spray once in a while, but they were about as naturally grown as you could get.

I don't generally like government-defined labels like "organic," because as soon as you put a strict definition on something like that, there are herds of corporate lawyers who will swoop in and look for loopholes that allow companies to do the minimum they can get away with and still be allowed to display the label.

All of this is essentially what most farmers do today - they practice Integrated Pest Management, which I posted earlier. This is research-based information provided by University Cooperative Extension researchers to farmers and home gardeners. It includes six principles. From Penn State:

1. Cultural methods
Suppress pest problems by minimizing the conditions they need to live (water, shelter, food).*

2. Physical methods
Prevent pest access to the host or area, or, if the pests are already present, physically removing them by some means. For example, this could mean using barriers, traps, vacuuming, mowing or tillage, depending upon the pest and situation.

3. Genetic methods
Use pest-resistant plant varieties developed by classical plant breeding. Recently, this category has been expanded to include genetically engineered pest resistance, such as Bt corn or potatoes.

4. Biological methods
Use predators, parasites and diseases of pests in a targeted way to suppress pest populations.*

5. Chemical methods
There are many "chemicals" that are used in pest management situations, but not all chemicals are alike from the standpoint of their range of action, toxicity, or persistence in the environment.

6. Regulatory
Regulatory control refers to the role played by government agencies in trying to stop the entry or spread of pests into an area or into the country via inspection, quarantine, destruction of infested material, and other methods.

http://extension.psu.edu/pests/ipm/...ools/educators/curriculum/contents/sixtactics

 

[GotGarlic]

Btw, I don't know if their feed is organic, but I have become addicted to my sister master gardener's eggs from her backyard chickens. The yolks are noticeably yellower and richer in flavor (go ahead and slam me for saying that but that's my perception ) and worth the $4 a dozen she charges. I don't have children and DH doesn't like eggs, so if I had more people to feed, my calculus might be different.

And the problem with getting backyard eggs is that they aren't always available. They stop laying when it gets really hot or really cold (she has a coop for them, but it's unheated).

I also love the flavor of our own honey from our hives. It's not organic, though, because we live in an urban neighborhood and who knows where they're getting the nectar from?

 

[dragnlaw]

GG I kept chickens for quite a few years, I can almost name her breeds!

Their yolks are more yellow because they are free range and eat their greens! Just like Popeye!

I ate eggs almost everyday. Unfortunately I had to stop as I became very sensitive to them. After about a year and a half I have only just recently started eating them again, but only one, two max 3 a week else the belly starts roiling again. Had a hard boiled egg from my neighbours yesterday and nearly cried it tasted sooooooo good.

 

[GotGarlic]

GG I kept chickens for quite a few years, I can almost name her breeds!

Their yolks are more yellow because they are free range and eat their greens! Just like Popeye!

I ate eggs almost everyday. Unfortunately I had to stop as I became very sensitive to them. After about a year and a half I have only just recently started eating them again, but only one, two max 3 a week else the belly starts roiling again. Had a hard boiled egg from my neighbours yesterday and nearly cried it tasted sooooooo good.

I know that. I also know that she gives them chicken feed. She is also in an urban neighborhood with fairly small lots, so while they get to run around the yard, it's not big enough to sustain them. I wonder sometimes if she gives them marigold petals.