The "Organic" Trend - do you believe the hype?

[DBLIII]

I was going to comment, but I must have wandered in late. This thread is drifting way out from what I was initially expecting.
Please continue, and pardon my interruption.

 

[Lady Day]

I thought this thread was about organic foods. There IS a vegetarian/vegan thread somewhere in the aether.

LD

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I was going to comment, but I must have wandered in late. This thread is drifting way out from what I was initially expecting.
Please continue, and pardon my interruption.

Sorry. Please if you have something on topic do comment. Let's steer it back to where it was meant to be!

Personally, I stopped at a newly discovered farmer's market today and got some locally grown yams, onions, red potatoes, and apples. I found it to be cheaper than the grocery store. I can't wait to eat 'em!

 

[scotrace]

Is Ketchup still classified as a vegetable in the US..?


B
T

No. It is a spice.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

For me its not about believing in hype or not.

It is fairly common sensical to realise that chemicals in our food are probably not the best thing for us.

Using that as a base idea, in my brain, we each do what we think is best to limit things like that in our diets. We all fall short on this, to varying degrees and due to variations in how important we think certain things are.

So within my food budget, I start with the things I find more important to have be less tampered with.

I try to get my produce at the weekly farmers market in town, and buy organic milk because yes, it tastes different and better.

Beyond that, I make choices about what is important to me on the list of things....and I probably fail miserably at being 'green' or 'local' or any of the other labels that people slap on things to try and make them cool.

Instead I just make choices about what I think either tastes nicer or is an area where I can -rationally- see where pesticides or chemicals in it might have more an effect on me.

So no hype for me, just thinking.

 

[DerMann]

In short, no.

In long, noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

 

[DBLIII]

Sorry. Please if you have something on topic do comment. Let's steer it back to where it was meant to be!

Personally, I stopped at a newly discovered farmer's market today and got some locally grown yams, onions, red potatoes, and apples. I found it to be cheaper than the grocery store. I can't wait to eat 'em!

Thanks! My few cents worth - I think organically grown food tastes better, but unless (like you just did) I get by a farmer's market or run into someone who's gardening, I won't pay the much higher prices for it at a grocery store. I really don't have an opinion on mass-produced with chemicals foods, other than taste. But, without all the chemicals, much of the food would not be able to be transported long distances and move through the supply chain to the end consumer.
I am confident that with sufficient use of cigarettes and bourbon, my system will withstand any chemical "attack" anyway --

 

[LizzieMaine]

Any New Englander over a certain age will remember the radio jingle: "Brown Eggs Are Local Eggs -- And Local Eggs Are Fresh!"

Now that might just be New England Egg And Poultry Council hype, but I've always believed it to be true, and I wouldn't touch a white egg with a ten-foot fork. Local -- organic or not -- is always better than something that's been shipped in on a truck and sat in a warehouse for who knows how long.

 

[MEDIUMMYND]

Animal welfare is of the utmost importance so for me when it comes to meat organic but with fruit and veg etc to me its not so clear i don"t seem to be able to taste any diffierence,but with meat the difference is vast.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

For some products - you should look closer - the other day some of the organic products at our local store were in fact cheaper than the regular products. The organic pasta was 20 cents cheaper - than even the store brand "cheap" pasta!

On the point of organic - I think it would be fair to point out that not all large production companies have completely horrible growing styles. I am sure some regular food is not far off from the "organic standard" - simply because some companies do things in an "okay" way anyway!

But like I said - I think there is only great benefits from as natural as possible - and supporting local anything - veggies - chickens - pigs - oh my!

 

[DutchIndo]

I've worked for Trader Joe's for 20 years so I've seen all sorts of fads. Organic is what our chain of stores is noted for. There is a saying I have if it's organic mark it up a dollar. It's up to your personal philosophy on life I guess. Me I'll eat anything I figure no matter how well you eat a car can still hit you. I remember at one time Raw Milk was/is a big thing here. People years ago would have to go to a Pet Shop (no lie) and ask for Cat food. This was a way to get around the FDA. So we started to carry it (FDAs blessing)
geez what a hassle we'd have to pull it off sale because of this or that. People would get ill people and would return it for a fresher date. Then the light bulb would go off in everybody's head gee is that why it's Pasturized ?

 

[Foofoogal]

I've worked for Trader Joe's for 20 years so I've seen all sorts of fads. Organic is what our chain of stores is noted for. There is a saying I have if it's organic mark it up a dollar. It's up to your personal philosophy on life I guess. Me I'll eat anything I figure no matter how well you eat a car can still hit you. I remember at one time Raw Milk was/is a big thing here. People years ago would have to go to a Pet Shop (no lie) and ask for Cat food. This was a way to get around the FDA. So we started to carry it (FDAs blessing)
geez what a hassle we'd have to pull it off sale because of this or that. People would get ill people and would return it for a fresher date. Then the light bulb would go off in everybody's head gee is that why it's Pasturized ?

I know a person that raises goats for the milk to make cheeses and such. She doesn't pasteurize either but alot of people buy from her. I am not that brave. Did you mean the people were eating the cat food?

LizzieMaine, I used to raise Araucanas hens and the prettiest rooster you ever saw. They lay green blue eggs. They are supposed to be lowfat or good for your cholesterol. I sold these for a bit more in the local store than the brown or white eggs.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/

 

[Dexter'sDame]

Person with chemical sensitivites here

YES. I developed multiple chemical sensitivities (or rather, the effects of them became apparent) in my 30's and firmly believe that growing up in an agricultural area that was heavily sprayed with chemicals played a role. Since switching to organic produce and natural cleaning products my allergies are much better. To make it easier, I get my produce from an organic delivery service that supports small and local farms.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I know a person that raises goats for the milk to make cheeses and such. She doesn't pasteurize either but alot of people buy from her. I am not that brave. Did you mean the people were eating the cat food?

LizzieMaine, I used to raise Araucanas hens and the prettiest rooster you ever saw. They lay green blue eggs. They are supposed to be lowfat or good for your cholesterol. I sold these for a bit more in the local store than the brown or white eggs.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/

Cool! When I was very little (3) I lived in CA and my parents raised chickens in this big coop my dad had built. I used to run after them and terrorize them. So did foxes, but that was less often, since the coop and ard were completely enclosed.

We used to have wild tarantulas in the yard, too!

 

[DutchIndo]

Foofoogal no they weren't eating Friskies or 9 Lives. Raw Milk is called Cat Food because it was not cleared for Human Consumption. It was/is considered safe for Cats to drink. Considering Cats drink Anti-Freeze and die doesn't make sense either though.

 

[Rachael]

here's how I see it; organic is vintage because chemical additives are modern. My grandmother was confounded by the fact that people got so excited to buy things that were the only option in her day. Ugly apples? Sure! Bread that actually looks like bread? Why not! Day-glo orange cheese food would not be missed by me.

So buying food produced locally with minimal intervention (hormones, pesticides, etc) goes nicely with the vintage lifestyle. Now, would I pay twice as much for condensation-only bottled water? not really. Everything in moderation.

 

[Miss Sis]

A friend of ours works for Organic Farmers and Growers here in the UK. She recommended that if you only bought certain things organic, they should be dairy products and carrots. She said they are the products that 'soak up' the most chemicals.

I try to buy as much organic as possible, but it depends on what's about when I get to the supermarket, which isn't very often! For example, I went yesterday and there were no organic carrots so I had to buy non - organic this time.

Also I agree with the comment that organic milk doesn't go off as quickly as non - organic. And I do think it tastes better too.

 

[Akubra Man]

I like free range beef. We have a beef producer up here that opened his own butcher shop to sell his own raised free range beef. He has been open for the last 5 years ... must be enough of a demand for the product. His prices are competitive to other butcher shops.

 

[just_me]

A friend of ours works for Organic Farmers and Growers here in the UK. She recommended that if you only bought certain things organic, they should be dairy products and carrots. She said they are the products that 'soak up' the most chemicals.

I have a friend who's a biologist and she said that peppers and tomatoes soak up the chemicals.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Non-pasteurized milk has a chance of making people sick yes - BUT if you know anything about milk it is simply more likely to turn into curds and whey and become a different food product. Most people are totally duped into thinking pasteurization is the end all beat all to "fixing" our food. If they did not pasteurize milk - there would be no such thing as lactose intolerance. The process kills the enzyme (lactase - I believe) required to digest milk properly - most of us just get lucky that we manage to digest anyway. I am a strong advocate of the raw milk movement - I think we should be allowed to have a choice at least. (Raw milk is literally - illegal - in most states. Unless, you are lucky enough to know a cow.) People freak out at our house all the time because we leave yogurt out over night - butter milk out on the counter for days, etc. We have never been ill. Dairy is not nearly the volatile product they want you to believe it is. Let me just finish by saying - if you do get sick from something - it is probably because you didn't use your nose.