s/o is it possible for organic and affordable to be in the same sentence? ;)

[PeacefulChaos]

I know the title sounds a little snarky, but that really is what I'm wondering. In a not snarky way. :D

We read all these things that talk about how bad all these different products are for us, but the fact of the matter is - or at least I think it is - that for the majority of people, it is about affordability.

I'm not just talking about cosmetics and the like here - though that is part of it. But even with food.

We live in a rural area with a WalMart, a horribly stocked Kroger, and a very overpriced Food Lion. So I go to WM. I buy groceries there, I buy toiletries there (with the exception of my foundation and cleanser, which I get off of ebay, about $50 2-3 times a year total), and I buy household items there. WM doesn't have a big selection of organic products. What they do offer is more expensive than the stuff I buy. I have no interest in driving an hour to a Whole Foods or Trader Joes for grocery shopping - I have no interest in driving from grocery store to grocery store to find things. I am a one stop shopper. I wouldn't mind groceries one place, household items/toiletries another, but here that is out of the question anyway because we have no options.

I guess what I'm wondering is, if you try to be 'organic', how do you do it? How much do you spend trying to be organic? (If you don't mind my asking). I'll admit that I spend about $100-$150 per week at WM - food, toiletries, etc. What I've seen of organic products, there is no way that would be possible. Would it?

[Tigger]

 

Eat Wild may be able to help you find resources in your area that are local and organic (farmer's markets, farms, etc.).

[Mergath]

When we buy organic, we first prioritize things for dd. We buy her organic shampoo and soap, and only use it for her, so it lasts longer than if dh and I were using it, too.

 

We also channel our resources toward the foods that dd eats or drinks more of. We buy organic milk and yogurt, for example, and get the better free-range meat when it's on sale, along with organic fruit when possible. We also try to buy organic the foods on the dirty dozen list, but don't bother with things on the clean fifteen (or whatever it is) list. I have copies of both in my homemaking binder. We basically figure that dh and I are SOL as far as keeping chemicals out of our bodies, but dd still has a chance. :tongue_smilie:

 

A lot of it does depend on where you live though, too. We're lucky enough to have three grocery stores, a store called the Grain Bin that's essentially a smaller Whole Foods, and a farmer's market from May to October, along with quite a few sources for free-range meat and eggs. If we didn't have all that, it would be quite a bit more difficult to get natural and organic stuff.

[fairfarmhand]

have you looked into buying a side of beef from a local farmer?

 

We cannot afford organic meat, but we can raise it ourselves!

 

These types of situations, I just do the best I can and trust to Lord to take care of us.

[tricia]

Going organic is not easy. Especially with a large family like ours. But, like anything I have found that you have to choose priorities. As in anything else in life. Choose wisely. So we buy organic in nearly everything. Our milk and eggs come from a local dairy so I don't have those to worry about in the market. Plus our milk is only 1.50 a gallon. But I find if I keep my meals and snacks simple then I can pull it off. I'll admit we do have the 'crap' foods from time to time. We are not anal at all but 95% of the time I try to feed them well. But I have to buy my grains whole and grind them, have a garden, bake everything from scratch, no dry cereals, make my own soups instead of buy them. We eat very simple meals here and that's why I can pull of organic most of the time. But again, we have to forego many other things to do it. Shop the thrift stores, heat with wood, eat oatmeal for breakfast most of the time! Just basically, we have to lead very boring, but happy lives in order to have the money for our diet. Look closely at what you can say no to know in your life and perhaps you may be able to swing a few more dollars at the grocer!

 

I have several meals listed on my blog that are simple and cheap!

 

Good luck,

Tricia

[Tigger]

I have no interest in driving an hour to a Whole Foods or Trader Joes for grocery shopping - I have no interest in driving from grocery store to grocery store to find things. I am a one stop shopper. I wouldn't mind groceries one place, household items/toiletries another, but here that is out of the question anyway because we have no options.

 

Sometimes the above is really your best option; while it can be inconvenient at first, once you get into a cycle, it isn't much different than the one-stop shopping....but will involve driving with a cooler and stocking up budgeting!

 

I guess what I'm wondering is, if you try to be 'organic', how do you do it?

 

Start small, on the things you're most concerned about or feel are most important. If it's meat, find a farmer and go in on a quarter of a cow, it's cheaper than the supermarket and will let you get your feet wet. if it's vegetables and fruits, start to eat seasonally and buy locally if you can find a farmer's market, CSA or other source that's local enough for your comfort - or buy what the stores have.

 

How much do you spend trying to be organic? (If you don't mind my asking). I'll admit that I spend about $100-$150 per week at WM - food, toiletries, etc. What I've seen of organic products, there is no way that would be possible. Would it?

 

We purchase our meat, poultry and game from local farmers, so it's huge amounts of money at one time, then no more until we need another order. On average, based on what I spend annually, out meats, poultry, game, eggs and cheese cost about $50 a week (family of 4 - one is an infant)

 

We do a CSA April-November, so that's another $35 a week delivered. In the off months, I shop the stores in our area and/or have stuff from in-season prepared and frozen for use during Nov-April.....so probably spend about $25-40 a week without the CSA.

 

When we have something like bread or rolls, I go to the local organic bakery we have in town. We don't consume much bread though, so I can't say that adds much to the weekly expense since we really only pick that up when we have company or guests over and I get it more for them than us.

 

The things we buy at the grocery store adds another $25-40 or so weekly to the average (condiments, etc.), just depends on what we need in any given week.

[MHowell]

Anything that gets peeled or grows underground we skip on organics. The Daily Green has 15 foods NOT to buy organic.

 

For shampoo, make your own. Here are 10 recipes for homemade shampoo.

 

As far as meat, look into local farms offering full and half, and find other families willing to split it with you.

[jenangelcat]

buy from farmers that you have built up a relationship with. certified organic has been taken over by big farms and doesn't always mean chemical free. lots of small farmers grow organically and can't afford to jump through the hoops of certification.

[LizzyBee]

In previous discussions on this topic, even pro-organic people have generally agreed that locally grown produce is more important than organic. Since it sounds like you live in the country, are there any farms where you can buy produce and/or meat directly from the farmer?

[FaithManor]

Certified organic is very, very expensive because it costs the farmer a boat load of money and mind-boggling hoop jumping in order to maintain the certification.

 

However, locally grown with basic organic practices but not certified is an excellent way to go. Many Amish and Mennonite farmers adhere to no pesticides/herbicides and no plant foods instead using only "homegrown manure" and since their animals are not eating commercial feed, the manure is pretty healthy. This is how we buy a lot of our produce and I preserve a bunch for in between the growing season so I do not have to purchase much at the store. It's labor and time-intesive doing all of this harvest and preservation. But, I've seen major health improvements in my family which makes the effort worth it.

 

I've paired down our cleaners to white vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, homemade laundry soap, and Dr. Bronner's soap. I have one stain remover for the laundry - Zout - and I use essential oils added to the Dr. Bronner's for additional disinfecting power. I buy my essential oils from Star of the West. A bunch of women banded together to get them and our ringleader signed up to be a "distributor" so that we could get the big discount. We don't sell. We just buy through her and split the cost of her distributorship. Star of the West is very easy going in this department and doesn't have minimums that she has to sell each year to maintain the discount. They have pharmaceutical grade oils and certified organic oils. I have beeswax, glycerin, steric acid, cocoa butter, and a few other ingredients that I keep around for making hand lotion, lip balm, moisturizer, and face wash. I use recipes from the book "Natural Beauty". We use the Dr. Bronner's for shampoo (it's an organic olive oil based soap) and I dilute it so that it goes a long ways. Dh still prefers commercial conditioner - he has mega fly away hair and nothing natural has worked well that also didn't make his hair look greasy. Not buying a lot of that kind of toiletry did cause our budget to plummet in that regard.

 

I use Southern Magnolia Minerals and Physician's Formula Organics for make-up. Since it's expensive, I generally only wear make-up a couple of days per week. This way it lasts a long time.

 

It has changed the way we eat...except nuts and popcorn, we have very little snack food in the house unless I'm in the baking mood, which isn't often. I do make a homemade granola for the kids to use as cereal.

 

Check and see if there is a Mennonite bulk food store in your area. We have one 20 minutes from here and 75% of my shopping is at that store. Simple facilities, simple business plan, and such means it's not as expensive. I get excellent prices on organic produce when I need, lots of choice of organic baking supplies and again probably close to 50% less than buying these same items from another store, and nitrates free lunchmeats.

 

It's not easy. For us, it has been absolutely necessary.

 

Faith

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I'm reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver right now, and it is helping to solidify in my mind about why I'm purchasing certain foods. The reason many organic foods are so expensive, is, like another poster said, that there are a lot of hoops to jump through to be certified. Also, conventional foods would be a lot more expensive, too, if they weren't so heavily subsidized by the government, and weren't controlled by four megasized, ultrapowerful corporations. That said, currently buying organics for most of our food, it does take up the majority of our disposable income. I have chosen to make good, healthy food a priority for my family, though, so the cost is worth it to me. The effort to find these foods and cook them is also worth it to me. Our local farmer's market offers lots of uncertified, but organically grown local produce. It's not cheap, either. You have to decide what is best and most doable for your family and do that without regrets. If trying to buy organics is too stressful to you now, maybe try buying local products. Change small things, and that will lead to big changes. Do what you can.

[Bluegoat]

To do this you have to know what about organic is important to you.

 

For us, the important issues are health, local food security and supporting local business and manufacturing, and sustainability. Not in any order really, I try in every purchase to maximize these things. This means too I am not interested in supporting factory organic agriculture any more than factory regular farming.

 

For meat we buy a freezer box a few times a year from a farm we really trust. Not certified, but totally organic with great management programs and an on-farm slaughterhouse. It isn't that close, but it is on the way to my dad's town so we can easily combine trips.

 

For veg I generally get a box in the winter through a CSA that offers winter produce, and in summer I use the farmer's market or grow my own. If I didn't have my own garden I would use a summer CSA as well. I have to drive to pick up the box but less than 10 min.

 

I also will buy some produce in the fall to freeze.

 

Prices for these are pretty good.

 

I can get shampoo and cleaners at the local grocery stores, and since I go to both on different weeks I can usually get what I want. It is more expensive, and if I wanted to bring down my costs I would make my own, especially cleaners. I'd also be strict about using too much shampoo and soap, and use baking soda for teeth.

[PeacefulChaos]

Ok, question: What does CSA mean? :)

Thanks everyone for the replies! I find the whole thing very interesting. I hadn't considered looking around local - I know we have some farmers at our church. Some do milk, eggs, and shares of cows (is that what it's called? lol) and some do vegetables and produce, etc. My mil has given me eggs but the thought of eggs straight from the chicken freaks me out a little. Do I need to do anything to them before I cook them or use them? Idk, I guess I just feel like I should disinfect somehow!! :lol:

As far as milk goes, is that something that is worth getting not from the store? Is it safe? I know I probably sound like a total nutjob, but I'm so serious, this is all so new to me! :D

My last question is, what health benefits have you personally seen in going organic? I just ask out of curiosity. There are some things that I'm wondering if we would clear up a little by changing what we have in our home. I don't know if I would switch just for that reason, or be disappointed if it didn't make a difference, but I'm just curious what can be positively affected, health wise.

Thanks!!

[Bluegoat]

CSA stands for community supported agriculture. Usually how it works is you pay a farmer in the spring an upfront price for a share of the harvest. He or she used the number of shares sold to plan and pay for his crops. Then, every week, you get a box of whatever is produced. Usually it is a mix of things, but to some extent you are sharing the risk with the farmer, so if it is a bad year your crops may be light, or not as much variety. (We are going to be getting a lot of leeks in our winter CSA, after a wet and cold spring.) Sometimes a few farmers may run a CSA together to give more variety.

 

Eggs are pretty easy - most people who sell them will wash them before giving them to you. You really don't need to wash them unless stuff is stuck to them, and it can actually be better to avoid washing them if you are not going to use them right away. Eggs are made to keep bad things out, and washing them strips away the protective coating and stuff can then more easily get through the egg.

 

With dairy it kind of depends on what you want. Some places offer raw milk, other places it is illegal, some can still offer raw milk cheese. It depends on your family what is suitable - raw milk has health benefits, but might not be great for someone with a compromised immune system. Often with dairy, it can easily be found locally, and organic may be imported, so that can be a problem to balance.

 

But if I were in the USA, I would probably spring for organic dairy. Here in Canada we have different regulations so I wouldn't think it was as important.

[myfunnybunch]

We grow our own, get a CSA share, and buy from the farmer's market. The farmer's market is more expensive, but the prices are comparable to the grocery store and I know the money is going to a local reputable farmer.

 

I spent about $30 on veggie starts for our garden, plus a little more on seeds and a new trowel (mine broke), and we got a huge return on that investment: Squash, tons of tomatoes, beans, strawberries, pumpkins, lots of basil, peas, some potatoes, lots of onions and leeks, and tons of greens--spinach, Swiss chard, kale, salad. I don't have a ton of room, so I try to take advantage of the space I do have by planting blueberries for landscaping bushes, planting beans to vine along the fence, putting pumpkins in my front yard, making long thin planters along the edges of the yard for strawberries and onions. My next garden purchase/project will be a cold frame so that we can continue to grow fresh greens in winter when the price at the grocery store climbs to $3.99 or more for a tiny bunch of kale.

 

Sometimes you can get good deals on seconds, especially fruit for preserving, by going to the orchard or farm stand for day-old berries (for freezing or jam), picking up peaches or apples that have fallen to the ground (windfall price= ~1/2 the price of the grocery prices), or buying buckets of cherries or boxes of pears that are misshapen or too small for commercial sale. You can freeze, sauce, can, dry the produce for winter. I save a lot of money every year by buying local organic fruits and veggies in season and preserving them. It's more work, but worth it in the winter when we're eating strawberries and canned pears and comparing the peak season prices to the winter grocery prices.

 

If you have some cool storage space, you can often find a farmer selling winter storage crops like squash, potatoes, garlic, onions for less than the grocery store. You can buy them in bulk and store them in the garage (in more temperate climates) or basement or a cool closet. We save a lot of money this way because we are buying them when they are highly available and therefore cheaper.

 

LOL about the eggs. :) You are FAR more likely to contract something icky from commercially processed eggs. Farm fresh eggs are so much more healthy and clean. They usually come straight from a clean straw nest to the farmer's sink to you. They should come to you washed, and you just cook and eat them and appreciate the super-nutritious and tasty bright orange yolks (as opposed to pale, washed-out store eggs).

 

I don't know if it was going more organic or just eating more fresh fruits and veggies in general, but I have more energy and feel better overall. My husband has lost weight.

 

:)

 

Cat

[ktgrok]

My Walmart has organic milk, cage free eggs, etc for a great price. For meat I used eatwild to find a local farmer I could buy direct from.

[Mergath]

Eggs are pretty easy - most people who sell them will wash them before giving them to you. You really don't need to wash them unless stuff is stuck to them, and it can actually be better to avoid washing them if you are not going to use them right away. Eggs are made to keep bad things out, and washing them strips away the protective coating and stuff can then more easily get through the egg.

 

With dairy it kind of depends on what you want. Some places offer raw milk, other places it is illegal, some can still offer raw milk cheese. It depends on your family what is suitable - raw milk has health benefits, but might not be great for someone with a compromised immune system. Often with dairy, it can easily be found locally, and organic may be imported, so that can be a problem to balance.

 

:iagree:We buy free range eggs from a local lady for two bucks a dozen during the spring and summer, and I've never washed them. None of us has ever gotten sick, and the taste is amazing compared to the grocery store. The yolks are much darker, too- like the color of a pumpkin. Much better for you.

 

We have no sources for raw milk anywhere around here, but if I was going to buy raw milk, I would want to find out quite a bit about their practices first. Raw milk is only better for you if the farmer runs a clean, safe dairy. Otherwise, it can kill you.

 

Also, one of our grocery stores here carries raw milk cheese. I don't know how, because I didn't think it was legal here, but they do. So it can pay to look around a bit.

[Enough]

Certified organic is very, very expensive because it costs the farmer a boat load of money and mind-boggling hoop jumping in order to maintain the certification.

 

However, locally grown with basic organic practices but not certified is an excellent way to go. Many Amish and Mennonite farmers adhere to no pesticides/herbicides and no plant foods instead using only "homegrown manure" and since their animals are not eating commercial feed, the manure is pretty healthy. This is how we buy a lot of our produce and I preserve a bunch for in between the growing season so I do not have to purchase much at the store. It's labor and time-intesive doing all of this harvest and preservation. But, I've seen major health improvements in my family which makes the effort worth it.

 

I've paired down our cleaners to white vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, homemade laundry soap, and Dr. Bronner's soap. I have one stain remover for the laundry - Zout - and I use essential oils added to the Dr. Bronner's for additional disinfecting power. I buy my essential oils from Star of the West. A bunch of women banded together to get them and our ringleader signed up to be a "distributor" so that we could get the big discount. We don't sell. We just buy through her and split the cost of her distributorship. Star of the West is very easy going in this department and doesn't have minimums that she has to sell each year to maintain the discount. They have pharmaceutical grade oils and certified organic oils. I have beeswax, glycerin, steric acid, cocoa butter, and a few other ingredients that I keep around for making hand lotion, lip balm, moisturizer, and face wash. I use recipes from the book "Natural Beauty". We use the Dr. Bronner's for shampoo (it's an organic olive oil based soap) and I dilute it so that it goes a long ways. Dh still prefers commercial conditioner - he has mega fly away hair and nothing natural has worked well that also didn't make his hair look greasy. Not buying a lot of that kind of toiletry did cause our budget to plummet in that regard.

 

I use Southern Magnolia Minerals and Physician's Formula Organics for make-up. Since it's expensive, I generally only wear make-up a couple of days per week. This way it lasts a long time.

 

It has changed the way we eat...except nuts and popcorn, we have very little snack food in the house unless I'm in the baking mood, which isn't often. I do make a homemade granola for the kids to use as cereal.

 

Check and see if there is a Mennonite bulk food store in your area. We have one 20 minutes from here and 75% of my shopping is at that store. Simple facilities, simple business plan, and such means it's not as expensive. I get excellent prices on organic produce when I need, lots of choice of organic baking supplies and again probably close to 50% less than buying these same items from another store, and nitrates free lunchmeats.

 

It's not easy. For us, it has been absolutely necessary.

 

Faith

 

:iagree:100%.

 

Organic (in the literal sense of the word, not the legal sense- i.e. "certified" organic) and affordable IS possible, but you have to think differently about what you eat, how you eat (we can't eat limitless amounts of organic meat, for example, not because we don't want to but because we can't afford to) and the products you consume.

 

Organic packaged food and products (i.e. shampoo, household cleaners) cost a FORTUNE, and can almost always either be eliminated and/or made at home for far cheaper. Bulk, whole, not-certified-but-organic-anyway food and bulk organic ingredients that can be made in virtually any sort of cleaner (either body or household) can absolutely be affordable.

[WishboneDawn]

 

Eggs are pretty easy - most people who sell them will wash them before giving them to you. You really don't need to wash them unless stuff is stuck to them, and it can actually be better to avoid washing them if you are not going to use them right away. Eggs are made to keep bad things out, and washing them strips away the protective coating and stuff can then more easily get through the egg.

 

I do wash mine but I sell them and there's a different standard of care there I feel. I don't know how people will store them and despite the fact that the egg inside may be safe because of the membrane the outside can still carry something that could contaminate other food if someone choose to just stick them in their fruit and vegetable drawer in the fridge for instance.

 

Unwashed are great for storing in a bowl on the counter but once washed you should refrigerate them.

[WeeBeaks]

I grow whatever I can, and I try to do stuff I eat raw and is heavily sprayed. So lettuce, kale, etc. We don't have a farm here. I live on a 1/5 acre city lot, totally urban. It is important enough to me that we ripped out most of our conventional landscaping and grow food. Pretty much every fruit tree in our yard (10+) is dwarf variety. I get creative.

 

In the store, I prioritize stuff heavily sprayed and stuff eaten with the skin. I use that little cheat sheet of the dirty dozen.

 

After that I look at what I can get at Costco. They have organic eggs, produce, grains. The local farm stand is in a warehouse back door on the same road as our Costco. I check there too for local "pesticide free" (ie. the grower doesn't spray but isn't certified). They have organic chicken at Costco.

 

Other people have covered natural cleansers. You don't necessarily need to buy organic body stuff - sometimes food grade stuff works fine and is simple (thinking coconut oil for lotions and so forth). What I do buy, I look for deals. Sometimes gallon jugs of Dr. Bronners goes on sale. Then for the kids I water it down in their pumps. A little goes farther that way since they use about 10 pumps every time they wash their hands. :glare:

 

And I forgive myself if I can't afford totally organic. Each year we have converted more. We don't eat grassfed beef for example, but we eat very little beef. Everything is a balance. I don't want to give up putting money in our retirement fund for example to convert to 100% organic. I try to be conscious in my spending and eating. And then I try not to obsess because I easily could.

[WishboneDawn]

You've gotten great advice. We're moving toward more ethical and local food. I don't really give a mosquito fart about organic but I'm finding that that's sort of happening anyway with some of our food because ethical and local tends to also encompass more organic practices.

[Jane in NC]

How often have you purchased grocery store produce only to find it is tasteless or it goes bad in a few days? My local farmers are usually less expensive than the grocery, but even if they are not, there is less waste. Food purchased directly from farmers lasts longer.

 

I think that another thing to do is tune in to your local seasons. Don't buy strawberries in February unless you live in Florida where they may be in season. Try new things. If your local farmer has an abundance of something, just try it.

 

I also find that a small quantity of good cheese goes farther than a large quantity of the cheap stuff in terms of flavor. I like to buy a small wedge of blue cheese, for example, from the food co-op. I'll whip up blue cheese dressing with a bit. The wedge lasts for a long time.

[Bluegoat]

I do wash mine but I sell them and there's a different standard of care there I feel. I don't know how people will store them and despite the fact that the egg inside may be safe because of the membrane the outside can still carry something that could contaminate other food if someone choose to just stick them in their fruit and vegetable drawer in the fridge for instance.

 

Unwashed are great for storing in a bowl on the counter but once washed you should refrigerate them.

 

Yeah, when I used to give away our eggs I washed them too, because people seem more comfortable with that. I hadn't thought of them cross-contaminating them though.

[WishboneDawn]

Yeah, when I used to give away our eggs I washed them too, because people seem more comfortable with that. I hadn't thought of them cross-contaminating them though.

 

My husband used to be a manager at a restaurant where food safety was THE priority. He's anal about it so I hear all about these things. I'm the kind of girl that would happily use unwashed eggs and leave the roast on the counter for hours so I sometimes get a little tired of it but he does have some good points and not everyone has my cast iron stomach. :D

[MSNative]

You've gotten great advice. We're moving toward more ethical and local food. I don't really give a mosquito fart about organic but I'm finding that that's sort of happening anyway with some of our food because ethical and local tends to also encompass more organic practices.

 

Where is the spitting diet coke on my laptop emoticon? :lol::lol:

[Ginevra]

Other than things we grow ourselves, I gave up on organic a few years ago. I think it may even be a racket. My view on it was this: if I'm eating organic apples, but not organic milk, is that good enough? If the lettuce is organic, but the bread is not, is that good enough? It is not possible for us to eat and use nothing but organics, so I started to think practically about where to draw the line. Honestly, once I started thinking about where to draw the line, it wasn't much of a leap to wonder why I should use organics at all (other than what we grow ourselves).

 

Also, I'm sure this will sound crass, but we are all in the process of dying. :tongue_smilie: I have yet to see evidence that strictly organic people are buying themselves many more years of healthy life, so even if I could afford it, I'm not sure it is an investment that makes sense.

[ksoika]

I skimmed other responses but saw lots of the same things we do: CSA for veggies and eggs, garden, buy meat sparingly, etc. We also scratch cook lots of things like beans and legumes, which make inexpensive and organic meals.

 

The area I find the most difficult is fruit. We live in a part of the country where lots of veggies grow but we have fewer options for fruit. Our family of fruit bats can't live on peaches, watermelons, and citrus alone.

 

-Kelli

[Jane in NC]

Other than things we grow ourselves, I gave up on organic a few years ago. I think it may even be a racket. My view on it was this: if I'm eating organic apples, but not organic milk, is that good enough? If the lettuce is organic, but the bread is not, is that good enough? It is not possible for us to eat and use nothing but organics, so I started to think practically about where to draw the line. Honestly, once I started thinking about where to draw the line, it wasn't much of a leap to wonder why I should use organics at all (other than what we grow ourselves).

 

 

Well, many of us are concerned with sustainable agricultural practices--organic plays into this. For example, I live near estuaries i.e. fish and shrimp hatcheries. Tropical storms are a fact of life. Run off of pesticides is not doing any favors for the seafood industry.

 

Then there is the whole industrial food thing which includes some purveyors of organic, something other posters noted. Local is my mantra.

[Jane in NC]

I skimmed other responses but saw lots of the same things we do: CSA for veggies and eggs, garden, buy meat sparingly, etc. We also scratch cook lots of things like beans and legumes, which make inexpensive and organic meals.

 

The area I find the most difficult is fruit. We live in a part of the country where lots of veggies grow but we have fewer options for fruit. Our family of fruit bats can't live on peaches, watermelons, and citrus alone.

 

-Kelli

 

Hi Kelli,

 

You are a relatively new poster, I see. Anyone who quotes The Four Quartets is a friend of mine.

 

:cheers2:

 

Jane

[Ginevra]

Well, many of us are concerned with sustainable agricultural practices--organic plays into this. For example, I live near estuaries i.e. fish and shrimp hatcheries. Tropical storms are a fact of life. Run off of pesticides is not doing any favors for the seafood industry.

 

Then there is the whole industrial food thing which includes some purveyors of organic, something other posters noted. Local is my mantra.

 

Yes, I agree; the issues that intertwine with organic are important, too. It is why I don't use pesticides on my own little patch of earth. It's just that I find the rabbit hole goes awfully deep and practical factors of time and budget do rear their ugly heads before long, do they not?

 

I feel a lot of agony over the coffee fair trade issue alone, but it's hard to keep those principles uppermost when this teensy bag of organic, f/t coffee is $9.36, while that big bag at Costco of national brand coffee is far cheaper per pound. Sometimes I wonder if I have a sticker on my forehead that says "SUCKER!" if I buy the F/T coffee. :tongue_smilie:

Edited November 1, 2011 by Quill
SV agreement - sorry

[Jane in NC]

 

I feel a lot of agony over the coffee fair trade issue alone, but it's hard to keep those principles uppermost when this teensy bag of organic, f/t coffee is $9.36, while that big bag at Costco of national brand coffee is far cheaper per pound. Sometimes I wonder if I have a sticker on my forehead that says "SUCKER!" if I buy the F/T coffee. :tongue_smilie:

 

Why do you feel like a sucker if you buy fair trade? Do you think that is a "racket" too?

[ksoika]

Hi Kelli,

 

You are a relatively new poster, I see. Anyone who quotes The Four Quartets is a friend of mine.

 

:cheers2:

 

Jane

 

Not fare well, fare forward!

:cheers2: