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FOOD & WINE DISCUSSION

msmrw

POSTED: Sun, 05/17/2009 - 6:55pm

Does Anyone Buy All/Mostly Organic?

I don't buy organic exclusively. I do, however, like organic milk and half and half, and chicken. I also try to buy organic berries when I can, and certain veggies, such as carrots.

Naja

POSTED: Thu, 01/27/2011 - 7:40am Organic everything! Here in Greece we actually use the term "biological" more. I buy organic veggies, fruit (every Wednesday in my area there is an open market with producers from various parts of the country who sell their stuff: eggs, leeks, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, parsely, potatoes, carrots and much much more, always in season and so fresh that my car still smells of them hours later). I also buy organic meats, white or red. I feel stronger and healthier with this choice and I think I really am. I almost never catch colds, perhaps that's a proof of it.

jas	POSTED: Fri, 05/28/2010 - 3:32pm me too I buy mostly organic. I also grow a fair bit of my own veggies, and this year the fruit is coming in strong.

ella713

POSTED: Thu, 04/01/2010 - 1:42pm Dcoumentry I saw a documentry on the History Channel about GM Foods and all the science behind genetically modified foods. I have to admit, it scared me. So, I have been buying organic foods ever since. Yes, it costs a bit more, but I'll pay more for my safety and peace of mind.

Cecily

POSTED: Thu, 04/01/2010 - 1:49pm The economic downturn derailed me for a while... ...but I am back to buying organic again. I also try to buy things which are in season to cut costs a bit.

MrsKoller

POSTED: Fri, 05/28/2010 - 9:49am I go organic Yes, I agree, the economy de-railed me for a while, but I just adjusted my household budget and I am back. I grab what is better priced and create something with that. Yes, follow the seasons and the bill is a little smaller.

frenchy

POSTED: Sat, 05/29/2010 - 6:01am We are fortunate that our local grocery chain has a section of "Greenwise" products that are all organic and quite reasonably priced. They have everything from milk to honey to coffee and ketchup. Just about every product you use they have in organic. It really isn't much more than the other products and I have peace of mind when I buy them.

Gigi L - Georgine

POSTED: Thu, 01/07/2010 - 6:58pm Hi Jean! There was no reply button with your post regarding the video from daily motion...tried to view, however the page was not found. Could you help me with the name of the video so I can find it that way? Would like to view. Thanks! GiGi

Vintage1944

POSTED: Fri, 01/08/2010 - 9:05pm Hi GIGi Not sure what to do.my computer knowledge is sketchy.Anyone else help us ,please ?Jea

Cecily

POSTED: Thu, 01/07/2010 - 1:14pm Thoughts in a jumble about this. Organic farming methods seem to be more than an investment in ourselves: they nourish the soil, and keep the farm inhabitants--farmers and animals alike--safer. I just read how farmers who use pesticides on their crops are at greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease. But, all that said, when I shop, I consider a lot of things: the environmental impact of the packaging and transport of the food. How far I need to drive to buy it. Whether it's fresh. And, cost. So, with all those things factored into my decisions, I SOMETIMES buy organically grown food. As a vegan, I buy a LOT of fresh produce, but overall my budget is helped because dried organic whole grains, beans and legumes are inexpensive if bought from the bulk bins at the natural food store. So, a splurge in the produce department doesn't hurt as much. Also, to the extent possible, I avoid buying anything in a package. Some pre-packaged foods sold in natural food stores carry all sorts of alluring labels promising health benefits, but they are junk food just the same! Some of them are even labeled 'organic.' I try really hard to avoid those.

frenchy

POSTED: Sun, 12/20/2009 - 9:36am Here in Florida the Publix grocery store chain has their own GreenWise organic line of products and I buy those. They cost a bit more but not so much that it throws my shopping budget off. The meats are really great and they are farmed by Publix. Nice to know where your food is coming from.

violette

POSTED: Mon, 12/14/2009 - 11:29am Bonjour msmrw~~~~I'm with you Hi msmrw~ I'm with you in what you buy organic. To me, buying organic milk and chicken is the most important, as they put so many hormones in the cows, and the poor chickens, non-organic and free range are cramped in little cages pooping all over each other. OH....also organic eggs of course! As far the veggies, I really don't buy organic. The prices are cheaper at my local produce market. Cheers~

violette

POSTED: Mon, 12/14/2009 - 11:32am Whoops--I meant non-free range chickens...... OOps..I meant to say the non-free range chickens poop all over each other in their little cages....a reason all its own to only buy organic eggs and chicken..... Wish there was an edit feature here. I type so fast, sometimes I miss some errors......GASP

Vintage1944

POSTED: Mon, 12/14/2009 - 10:33am TO ONE AND ALL My friend in Paris sent me this.It is a must see and I would like to hear your opinions pro and con.Mireille,if you see this would you comment,also. Don't worry,it is in English.http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x66qcw_lyodre_moisi_du_codex_alimentarius_news

Aimee

POSTED: Sun, 06/14/2009 - 7:07am Organic We eat 95% organic. We are a family of 5 so it can get expensive. We grow our own veggies in the summer, so we usually have tomatoes all year through canning. In the winter we resort to buying many veggies from the store. This year we are putting together a root cellar to try and preserve more veggies through the winter. Actually I think the genetically modified seed that many farmers use scares me more than the pesticides.

St.TropezChic

POSTED: Sun, 06/14/2009 - 9:52am Bonjour, Aimee I learned a lot from your posts on the former website, and kind of thought of you as my fwdgf 'gardening buddy', so I'm especially glad to see you back at this time of year. :^) In the SF Bay Area (zone 9), I like to plant my root veggies in September, pray they don't bolt, and just pull them as needed in the colder months. I would love a root cellar as you're describing (garage for me), and also like to store winter squash and ripening pears and persimmons. Do you have any advice on how to keep vermin out? It's been an ongoing problem. Merci, Lorraine

Aimee

POSTED: Sun, 06/14/2009 - 10:54am Root cellar Lorraine, I have never had a root cellar before, this year will be my first, so I dont know what the rodent situation will be like yet. I am still researching. I will keep you posted though.

Viva la Diva

POSTED: Sun, 07/05/2009 - 9:13pm Root Cellar Hi, Would love to chat more about the root cellar. I am attending a workshop on it this Saturday and plan to start. I have been picking a lot & freeze as much as I can to last throughout the winter. I have been charting what I pick, the weight, the cost and what volume it ends up being once prepped and frozen. I know last year we ran out of blueberries in Feb. and that started my winter blues ;) So I thought this year it would be good to keep track of how much food we need to get through the winter. Plus I am curious how much food we eat by volume. The CSA we belong to covers us from May-Thansgiving with Cert. Organic produce, but then we are on our own. Hence the freezing and root cellar. This week I hope to get out to a farm that raises free range beef and makes their own cheese. A big step as a former vegan and cow afficionado! But I figure it is better for the growing teenage boy! Our home is over a hundred years old and has a cellar that was once a root cellar. The temp. is the same all year long. Looking forward to trying this out. Remember everyone, when it comes to Organic do as Mireille says, vote with your feet! Stop and Shop and some Aldi stores also carry organic.

me-barbie

POSTED: Fri, 08/07/2009 - 9:22pm Organic I buy organic, it is indeed hard on the pocketbook! C'est la vie...this year, a friend and I scored a plot in the community gardens. We had high hopes for tomatoes, cukes, beans, onions, squash, lettuce, carrots and peas...and since both of us know how to pickle and preserve, I was gleefully seeing grocery bills shrinking. Alas, the previous gardner had treated the soil with some sort of HORRIBLE herbicide. Which I do not believe in, that is why one weeds. Nothing has grown. Ah well, maybe next year.

jpayette

POSTED: Wed, 01/06/2010 - 12:44am Women vote with their wallets! Hi Barbie, How awful to have your garden sprayed like that! My front yard (organic for 7 years) was accidentally sprayed with Round-up 4D last summer so I really understand how you feel. My cat died two days later (though she was terminally ill, the exposure sped things up). I got in touch with the Rachel Carson Council, I terminated my contract with the not so organic yard company and found another person who would never ever apply anything but organic material on my yard. I knew he wouldn't, his sister died of cancer from pesticides and it breaks his heart. Cost makes it challenging to go organic, but I always remind myself that buying organic food is the one of the most powerful things I can do in the world... women vote with their wallets! My kids recently paid me the highest compliment in saying that they like my organic cooking better than store bought/restaurant food. This is so worth it when they go to school and their friends are eating lunchables or the what's on the tray today?? A couple of books I've found helpful recently: Fresh Choices by David Joachim-tips on safe foods to buy when you can't get organic. Artisan Bread in 5 minutes - easy to stop buying store bought bread. Don't Eat This Book! by Morgan Spurlock - revived my own child hood story of vacationing in Hawaii with my family in 1974. We had to eat Mc D's quarter pounders for breakfast, lunch and dinner the whole time. No kidding!, they were free with our car rental and my parents needed to save money. As awful as Spurlock's story is, it gave me quantum reserve to cook in my own kitchen!!!

jas	POSTED: Thu, 01/07/2010 - 10:15am compost Sometimes a very good layer of good compost can go quite far in healing land that has been damaged in any way. And it can't hurt to try to connect with the spirits of the land. J

Cecily

POSTED: Thu, 01/07/2010 - 1:03pm Interesting that you should bring this up! I have spent years grudgingly tending to our property (we have 4 acres of mostly wooded land). Let's put it this way: if I had the choice to clean toilets or rake leaves, the bathroom task would win every time. But, this fall, something clicked, and I found myself liking the yardwork. I cleaned out some overgrown flower beds, and have been giving thought to what I'll plant there in the spring. And, AMAZINGLY, I've been thinking about composting! Something is changing within me. I've been looking at books on gravel gardening (very French, I'm told). So much to learn!

annamey

POSTED: Wed, 08/12/2009 - 4:03pm community gardens I'm not sure how other areas do it, but our local community garden is organic, everyone has their own raised bed and there is a communal composter. It's in a small local park that is half forest, half meadow, and the meadow is given over to the gardens. I tried to start my own backyard garden this year, but started too late and was in too much of a rush for good soil preparation, so I have a patch of nettles and thistles. Now I know that I will have to start preparing in the fall, put in an overcrop of wheat, oats, or rye to add nutrients to the soil, and work in generous quantities of compost and manure come February/March (I am in Zone 8), probably some sand, too, as there is a lot of clay about 12 inches down. As far as buying organic, I would like to, but with 5 children, it just isn't practical, considering that organic milk is double the price of conventional. I do buy what produce I can from a local farm market which uses organic methods even if the produce isn't certified organic. Sometimes their certified produce is still cheaper than conventional at the supermarket. Anna M

St.TropezChic

POSTED: Wed, 08/12/2009 - 11:39pm Bonsoir, Anna M! It's great to see you! You have the right idea, taking care of business in the fall. Saves a lot of heartache in the spring. I'm not always as disciplined. I hear you re: the price of organic, which is why I'm only about 75% organic. At least, besides what I grow, I can get 'unsprayed', if not certified organic. Organic grains are inexpensive enough, but sadly, organic dairy products and eggs never seem to go on sale here, so I splurge on these. I'm very fortunate to get honey from a friend. I remember that you like to make preserves: anything interesting this summer? ;^) Lorraine

emartinrn

POSTED: Sun, 08/16/2009 - 10:12am King Corn Has anyone seen the movie King Corn?? It will really make you think before you go to the grocery store! I was really shocked to see how much corn affects everything! Erin

St.TropezChic

POSTED: Sun, 08/16/2009 - 7:46pm 'King Corn' I've read a lot of commentary on it. Makes me wonder how people with corn allergies are impacted. Some years, I have students with nut allergies and it is some serious investigation and scrutiny before they can put anything, particularly processed food, into their mouths. Lorraine

emartinrn

POSTED: Wed, 08/19/2009 - 9:11am It really is unbelievable - It really is unbelievable - high fructose corn syrup is in EVERYTHING!! Even stuff that isn't supposed to be sweet -like bread! Hubby teases me now when we go to the store because I look at the labels, but I think we will be sticking to natural foods! I have no doubt the rise in food allergies is due to all the crap and chemicals they putin the food supply! Erin

Vintage1944

POSTED: Wed, 08/19/2009 - 9:58am YES!! I agree.And there is now an idea that MSG ,which is in most foods we buy,is contributing to the Obesity Epidemic.Jean

FergieGirl

POSTED: Thu, 08/20/2009 - 6:10pm MSG, corn syrup and packaged foods It makes sense to try and buy as little packaged and processed food as possible. If you have the time to cook a meal from scratch, preferably with organic foods, it can only do you good. Lots of us don't have the time to cook each night, but realistically you could grill/broil a little steak or chicken breast, steam potatoes and greens and have the whole thing on the table in about 20 minutes. I don't think we use as much corn syrup here in Australia as you do in North America. I try not to buy processed foods but when I do I read the label and avoid things with corn syrup and trans fats. MSG is horrible stuff - so many cheap Chinese restaurants here use it and it leaves me thirsty and stuffy-nosed. It is one of the additives the Australian government is investigating for the amount used in processed foods (along with transfats). We are all being duped by the food companies. And we allow ourselves to be duped for convenience's sake. I mean how easy is it to buy a Sara Lee apple pie if you have friends coming over for dinner? Rather than make a dessert? I now buy a pack of frozen fresh berries, marinate them in Cointreau or Triple Sec and serve with yoghurt or cream. As long as you remember to take them out of the freezer in plenty of time they are ideal as a dessert (and you can always microwave them for a tiny amount of time to help the defrosting process). Cheers Fergie

Vintage1944

POSTED: Thu, 08/20/2009 - 7:22pm Hello Great to see you here.The additives in food,I think,are killing us.We are being duped.Some "research"was recently published about organic food and how it isn't any better for us than non-organic.They ,of course ,don't mention pesticides,antibiotics and hormones. The berries in Cointreau or Triple Sec idea 'has solved dessert problems for me forever.Jean

FergieGirl

POSTED: Thu, 08/20/2009 - 8:08pm Hi Jean Sorry I haven't posted much lately - have been flat out at work and after all day at the computer I've felt inclined to read in the evenings rather than get on the social networks. Must try harder to work like a French woman (ie take time for myself!) I think the big food companies may have sponsored that 'research', probably without any publicity. I cannot see how food contaminated with pesticides, antibiotics and hormones can be as good as organic food. Glad you liked the dessert idea - it's a real yummy winner in my house! Cheers, Fergie

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