Skip to main content

Eating safe produce

When my daughter visited last week from Boston, she noticed all of the changes I had made in food purchases since she last visited.  She was wondering if buying organic really makes a difference. 

YES, it does.

The Environmental Working Group  points out that if we eat the daily 5 servings of some fruits and vegetables (not organic) we could be consuming 10 pesticides a day.  Yikes! 

They put together a handy printout that you can keep with your grocery list when you are shopping for your produce.  It lists what produce is OK to buy that are not organic.  It also lists the top Dirty Dozen that you should avoid unless it is organic.  This will help you save money since organic produce is usually a bit more expensive than non-organic.

As with other foods, be sure to read the packages carefully.  Some packages claim to include organic ingredients, but that doesn't mean it is entirely organic.

Also, I've been finding that some at my local farmer's market, some farmers aren't selling their own produce - they're buying it from a distributor.  That's why I was finding produce there that wasn't in season yet.  Always ask about where the food came from and how it was grown.  Don't assume anything.

I was happily buying produce from my neighboring farmer who has an "honor system" cart at the end his driveway.  Every week, I would take my market basket and walk down to his cart and buy a few things - that is until the day a pineapple showed up on the cart - really?  Pineapples growing in Virginia?  That was my first clue that I wasn't buying what I thought I was buying.  He had been growing some produce but purchasing other stuff wholesale and reselling it.  Since then, I've found a different "local" farmer who is really local.

I'm finding that the only way I can be 100% sure of my food's safety is to grow it myself.  I wish I was a better farmer - I'm a slow learner, but I'm making some progress.

These are the things I've been learning about in the last 2 weeks.  I just wanted to share them with you.  Do some research for yourself and learn about what you are putting into your body.  You really will be surprised.

photo from this source
Labels:

Comments

  1. AlexiaJune 24, 2010 at 7:51 AM

    I love that printout - thanks!

    I am so wishing I was a better gardener myself, I've never been so great with plants LOL I think next year I'm going to make a planned effort to have an actual garden though. I just really like knowing where my food is coming from now!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Busy Honey BeeJune 24, 2010 at 1:08 PM

    What are your thoughts on Organic milk vs. raw milk...is it worth the $8 a gallon for raw? We drink about 2 gallons a week of regular milk!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tidy Brown WrenJune 24, 2010 at 7:05 PM

    I haven't made it far enough into my journey yet to make that decision. There is a good post on Kitchen Stewardship today about that very topic. You might want to check it out. The link is http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please feel free to leave ideas and comments.

Popular posts from this blog

How To Make Your Own Exercise Bike For Next To Nothing

Remember back in April when I had a kidney transplant?  Well, the kidney is doing great (thanks, Cathy , for taking such good care of it when you owned it).  There was one little glitch, however.  During surgery, the retractors they used caused some nerve damage in my right leg.  When I woke up from surgery, I couldn't move or feel my leg.  The docs felt like the feeling would come back but the paralysis had them stumped.  A visit to a neurologist ruled out a stroke and a CT scan showed some fluid which was pressing on L4 and L5 (medical talk which means I couldn't feel or move part of my leg).  The prognosis is good and I'm recovering pretty quickly.  In fact, I've left my cane behind and I'm walking freestyle without falling.  My next goal is to be able to drive. I've been itching to get back to exercising (physical therapy doesn't count) because my medication causes me to gain weight and I need to burn some calories.  Running? - nope.  Walking? - can&
45 comments
Read more

A Designer's Secret For A Taller Bed

  Several years ago Hubs and I spent almost a year looking for a bedroom set that we both loved.  He wanted clean lines and dark wood.  I wanted curves and a "tall" bed.  Of course, there was no perfect bedroom set but we were able to compromise on a set that we both liked.  My main wish was for a bed that I could "climb up into".  The problem with that wish was that most of the "tall" beds were four poster beds and Hubs was not in the mood for that.  We found a Thomasville bed on display at a local furniture store and it fit the clean lines that Hubs wanted and it was "tall"  enough to suit me.  The problem was that once we received the bed we ordered in our home, it wasn't as tall as I had remembered it being.  My heart sunk!  I went back to the furniture store to look at the display.  Their bed was much taller than our bed.  Hmmm. . . what was different? I got nosey and lifted up the comforter on the bed.  It revealed their secret
10 comments
Read more

Plans For A DIY Exercise Bike Stand

  Thank you to so many of you who emailed me about plans for the DIY Exercise Bike Stand .  I apologize that it has taken me so long to get the measurements to you, but they are finally here!   The wood was purchased at Home Depot and the bike pegs were purchased at Walmart in the bike section.    The bike we used for this project is a 24" 12 speed bike (I'm a shorty).  I used the hardest gear while riding, but this set-up does not allow you to really get much resistance (for building muscle).  It was great for getting my legs moving after some nerve damage.  I also wanted to burn calories and get my heart rate up and this did the trick.    If you have any questions, just shoot me an email.
40 comments
Read more