Eat Well and Support Your Local Farmer

Okay, you know the health benefits of eating organic, but have you thought about the environmental and economic impacts of grocery store organics? Where do they come from? How many miles have they travelled?

The freshest and healthiest organic food is that which is grown closest to you. Many farms sell their produce and meat via a subscription service known as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Simply put, a CSA is a financial arrangement between a farmer and a consumer. You become a part-owner, like a shareholder in the farm. Your investment yields you a bag of fresh food weekly or bi-weekly.

Other benefits of a CSA subscription are that you get to try new things that you might not otherwise buy. Many farms also let you visit at least once during the growing season. Farmers naturally benefit from the financial support, but CSAs also help them market their farm to local communities.

Things you should know:
Don't expect all your produce to come from the CSA
Most CSAs cannot provide families with enough fruit to meet their usual intake. Many don't provide any fruit at all, be sure to ask what to expect. You may also need to supplement the vegetables, especially staples like onions, garlic, and carrots.

Eating seasonally can take some getting used to
Because grocery store chains purchase food from around the world you can have nearly anything you want at any time. CSAs will provide seasonal foods. It may surprise you to see your winter box full of hard squash or that tomatoes are virtually unavailable until late summer.

Not all CSAs are equal.
CSAs are gaining in popularity all across the nation. There are about 16 CSA serving the Front Range. Before signing up with a CSA it helps to do a little research. Ask your friends and family if they’ve had any experience with CSAs. Also be sure that you understand all policies before signing up such as: vacation holds, pickups or delivery, missed pickups, etc. Also, some CSAs offer more than just fruits and vegetables, some also offer organic meats, coffee and may run specials that are acquired from other farms.

Use these links to find out more about CSAs:
Local Harvest
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Options in Colorado

Buying Organic on a Budget

For nearly everything you buy there is an organic version. But with tightening budgets and rising grocery costs, can you afford to only buy organic? To help you stay within budget it might be best to focus on the foods for which the organic label really matter.



These are known as the Dirty Dozen and whenever possible you should purchase organic.

1. Peaches


2. Apples


3. Sweet Bell Peppers


4. Celery


5. Nectarines


6. Strawberries


7. Cherries


8. Pears


9. Grapes (Imported)


10. Spinach


11. Lettuce


12. Potatoes

The following dozen are less dirty and okay to purchase the conventionally grown:

1. Onions


2. Avocado


3. Sweet Corn (Frozen)


4. Pineapples


5. Mango


6. Asparagus


7. Sweet Peas (Frozen)


8. Kiwi Fruit


9. Bananas


10. Cabbage


11. Broccoli


12. Papaya

Of course the benefits of organically grow food go beyond your table. They are better for our soil and water. But if to keep your budget in tact you may need to focus on the dirty dozen.

And since I can never remember this short list of items I find this wallet size guide from the Environmental Working Group quite handy.

The Cost of Drinking Organic

The following is a Friday Encore of a post that originally ran July 10, 2008.

I was just reading this article by Smart Money entitled "Top 5 Green Products Not to Buy". Most of it wasn't very surprising, but #5 Wine and Spirits was one that I had to question. The article correctly points out that distilling, fermenting and filtering remove any pesticides. I also agree that just because something can pass the USDA regulations for "Organic" doesn't mean that it's good for you. Yeah, I think anyone can figure out that just because your vodka is organic doesn't mean you should drink more.

But Smart Money misses the point of organic. It isn't only about what we put into our bodies. It's also about what we do to our earth. It's not just a marketing tactic to sell higher priced wine. The amount of pesticides used to grow the grapes equals a hefty cost to the environment.

An article by Salon.com explains "organic" quite simply:

"Wine labeled organic means that at least 95 percent of the grapes used were never sprayed with pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Such chemical purity is ensured by 40-foot buffer zones from farms that spray specific chemicals, loads of paperwork and on-site visits from third-party certifiers. Organic grapes then go to a certified organic winery that doesn't use chemical cleansers or add any preservatives like sulfur dioxide, an antioxidant that gives wine a significant life span."

Anyone who is really into wine and knows something about it will ponder not whether it's worth an additional cost--but is it drinkable? Many people feel that organic wine doesn't taste as good. They are partially right. Some of the flavor in wine comes from the added sulfites. Sulfites are added for preservation, holding off the natural process of turning to vinegar. But sulfites do not meet the government definitions of "organic" because often they are not naturally produced. Therefore organic wine cannot contain sulfites.

photo by sarahfelicity

So, organic wine will taste different than what we are accustomed to. It will also go bad quicker. This means that you need to refrigerate that wine right away, no matter what color it is. As a bonus, organic wine is good news for people with sensitivities to sulfites.

There is a comprimise. Some wine producers are opting for the label "organically grown grapes". This wine will be a more environmentally friendly choice, but is unlikely to be produced by a certified organic winery, therefore it does include sulfites. It may pollute the environment just not as much.

I'm sorry Smart Money, but I have to disagree that organic wine is not worth the cost of putting less pesticides into our water. Yes, companies are jumping on the band wagon of organics, but there's a lot of jumping before they can actually ride. Certified organic products must meet specific standards it's not just a nicely designed marketing label with an inflated price.

The Cost of Organic Drinking

I was just reading this article by Smart Money entitled "Top 5 Green Products Not to Buy". Most of it wasn't very surprising, but #5 Wine and Spirits was one that I had to question. The article correctly points out that distilling, fermenting and filtering remove any pesticides. I also agree that just because something can pass the USDA regulations for "Organic" doesn't mean that it's good for you. Yeah, I think anyone can figure out that just because your vodka is organic doesn't mean you should drink more.

But Smart Money misses the point of organic. It isn't only about what we put into our bodies. It's also about what we do to our earth. It's not just a marketing tactic to sell higher priced wine. The amount of pesticides used to grow the grapes equals a hefty cost to the environment.

An article by Salon.com explains "organic" quite simply:

"Wine labeled organic means that at least 95 percent of the grapes used were never sprayed with pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Such chemical purity is ensured by 40-foot buffer zones from farms that spray specific chemicals, loads of paperwork and on-site visits from third-party certifiers. Organic grapes then go to a certified organic winery that doesn't use chemical cleansers or add any preservatives like sulfur dioxide, an antioxidant that gives wine a significant life span."

Anyone who is really into wine and knows something about it will ponder not whether it's worth an additional cost--but is it drinkable? Many people feel that organic wine doesn't taste as good. They are partially right. Some of the flavor in wine comes from the added sulfites. Sulfites are added for preservation, holding off the natural process of turning to vinegar. But sulfites do not meet the government definitions of "organic" because often they are not naturally produced. Therefore organic wine cannot contain sulfites.

photo by sarahfelicity

So, organic wine will taste different than what we are accustomed to. It will also go bad quicker. This means that you need to refrigerate that wine right away, no matter what color it is. As a bonus, organic wine is good news for people with sensitivities to sulfites.

There is a comprimise. Some wine producers are opting for the label "organically grown grapes". This wine will be a more environmentally friendly choice, but is unlikely to be produced by a certified organic winery, therefore it does include sulfites. It may pollute the environment just not as much.

I'm sorry Smart Money, but I have to disagree that organic wine is not worth the cost of putting less pesticides into our water. Yes, companies are jumping on the band wagon of organics, but there's a lot of jumping before they can actually ride. Certified organic products must meet specific standards it's not just a nicely designed marketing label with an inflated price.

Are There Any Organic Fast Food Choices?

If you're watching calories there are all kinds of tricks you can use to reduce your fast food fat. But what if you just want to eat well, quickly and cheaply. I've done the prepared food stuff at Whole Foods plenty of times. But you've got to admit it's kinda pricey. And it gets a little dull going to the same spot over and over. (Okay, I know I should just go home and cook.)

A few months ago a new Starbucks drive-thru opened down the street from me. The space is built out for another type of drive-thru right next to it. That space remains empty and I dreamily wish that a fast-organic-vegetarian restaurant would move in. Hey, you've got your dreams, I've got mine.

There are two fast food restaurants that claim the natural food lane. Chipotle Mexican Grill and Good Times are migrating toward completely natural menus.

Before you get excited and go to Chipotle you should know that not all Chipotle's use all natural ingredients. Stores in California, Oregon and Washington, D.C. receive naturally raised chicken. The company is striving to migrate all stores to au naturale but for now it serves naturally raised chicken, pork, beef and organic beans at some of its restaurants. Chipotle says they are working to find organic and natural suppliers for its other restaurants. Nice business lead if you know any natural farmers.

Meanwhile Good Times has been using natural beef for quite some time. Recently they announced that their frozen custard is now being made with natural cream, eggs, and milk.

So if you're looking to eat up naturally, looks like Good Times burgers and custard might be your best bet.