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Why I don't always eat local or organic and why.

This is a post about why I don't.

Comments

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    i feel totally the opposite. a small local (even conventional) farm has a lot more at stake than a huge conventional operation. if you have a problem with somethings you bought at your market you can go yell at the person who grew it face to face. they have A LOT at stake if all their customers see you complaining.

    how would you express your dissatisfaction to Dole? they could care less if they had one more buyer. plus they own all the other companies with different names at the grocery store anyway, so even if you switched brands you’d still be buying from them!

    also, the salmonella scare from tomatoes, and the e coli scare from spinach were not from local growers…

    i SERIOUSLY encourage buying locally.

  • I agree with you pianissima. I try to buy locally whenEVER possible, even if that means not getting 100% organic produce. I get as much as I can from the few that say they are certified (but how do I really know they are? I just take their word for it) and everything else from those that say “no pesticides” but they use conventional fertilizers. I’d rather support local farmers and reduce the distance my food travels than save a few bucks at the grocery store or get 100% organic tomatoes from Mexico that come in a plastic container. I suppose it can be hard for some who don’t live in areas that are big on non-pesticide methods, or maybe your farmer’s market doesn’t have much of a selection. But at least you can buy it as often as possible. A little budgeting and planning ahead is all you need.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    i am not sure where you live but i know a lot of small farms just can’t afford the cost to become organic certified. at my farmer’s market 9/10 farmers who are not organic just can’t afford the label and are pesticide free. it is worth looking around your local area a bit more AND telling the farmer you wish they would consider organic or integrated pest management (IMP) which is a way of reducing pesticides. but if they are truly pesticide-happy farmers who do not want to change, i hear you and that is a tough situation you are in.

  • newbienewbie Raw Newbie

    if you’re not sure that you can find local organic farms near you, search the listing at: http://www.localharvest.org/

    You can find so many wonderful, local, organic producers of many things. I even found organic flowers that I sent to my mom for mother’s day (after I found out that most conventional flowers come all the way from Africa and are sprayed with highly toxic chemicals). Sometimes it just takes some searching to find what you’re looking for at a price that’s reasonable to you. good luck!

    Btw, I also purchased a CSA share this year. I put a deposit down early and paid in advance and saved an additional 10%. So, my weekly CSA bag costs around $28 and has included enough fresh, local, organic, greens and veggies to last nearly a week (I juice, so I’m heavy on greens and veggies). That’s a bargain.

    I have also found on the localharvest site where you can volunteer at some farms in exchange for the produce you help to grow. Since you’re a gardener, that might be right up your alley. Farmers are people too – try to negotiate an arrangement that is mutually beneficial.

    Always looking for positive solutions :-)

  • I totally hear what you guys are saying but maybe I should explain the situation a little more. Almost all of the growers in the local farmers market here are of the Asian culture from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. They are known to be very hard workers and nice people but culturally do not seem to be at odds with using lots of chemicals. They (at least some), are known to use human waste on food crops. While I in no way want to impede their enterprising spirit, I do want to protect myself as much as possible. Last time I went to FM I only counted 3 people selling that were not using chems. I have asked people there before, in this case someone selling apples, if they were sprayed, and the person got very angry, defensive and rude. I don

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    (shoot, I tried to edit my post and deleted it instead, grrr!!! This is what I had pasted when I tired to correct, sorry:)

    I understand how you feel, rosehebrew. I know it’s very much the thing to buy local, almost as though it’s a fad, and yet I am familiar with my local farmers’ method of heavy use of pesticides and chemicals, plus human waste. I would totally love to support my local farmers, but not if they’re going to extreme dangerous products. No way. My loyalty is to my health, not their pocketbooks.

    Some local folks do great, clean farming, but if I can’t find the food, I’ll buy food shipped in from another state. I can’t always get organic, either, although I much prefer it.

    ONe more thing, I simply don’t have a car and loads of gas to go tooling around from place to place buying from the right farmers. I think more of us need to realize that there is such a thing as reality.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    yes, not all of us are as lucky to live in places with high demand for organic. i currently am looking into local u-pick that is organic and it is slim pickings.

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    rosehebrew—let’s hope that local farmers in your area come around.

    alix—i live in a reality where huge corporations (owned by just a very few rich white men) are threatening to take over our entire food supply if we aren’t careful. i.e. codex alimentarius

    supporting our local farmers is a must, but if they are growing irresponsibly, then they are probably getting GMO seeds and pesticides from these same conglomerates anyway… not a real solution. have you checked localharvest.org to see if there is a CSA near you with a convenient weekly pick-up?

    anyway, i feel that the country is getting way savvier about all this and i’m sure in time it will be a lot easier.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Hi, pianissima. Yes, I agree with you! It scares the crap out of me to see how the big corps are snapping up the organic farms and companies and more depressing is the way those farms and companies are willing to sell out. I did check for local organic/pesticide free and although there are some organic farmers in my area, they are no where near close enough to grab a bus or two to get there. (I wish they were, because I LOVE to pick fruits and veggies!) I’ll keep checking on a regular basis.

    I hope the country gets savvier, too.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    I wish I had the money to start & run a huge organic farm – or 12! Any donors?

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie
    angie~ A few options to “grow” the “seed” money for that o-farm…
    • Start a community garden
    • Start a coop garden
    • Sell shares to investors or like a CSA to start the farm
    • If you have an organic farm near you, work there to learn the biz

    Happy playing in the dirt…

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