My #1 Reason I Buy Organics

I just recently converted to buying organic fruits and veggies, exclusively when possible, if only for one reason, and that is to support locally grown foods, from local farms and farmers. Yes, organics are probably healthier for our bodies, but how long did we live without organics in our lives, and did we not have the option of good health before organics?

In 2005, when I started basing my diet on veggies, I bought alot of "convenient" already prepped veggies, like washed and bagged spinach and salad greens, and veggies that were fast and easy to prepare. Once I started to establish the habit of fresh veggies I expanded to include more and different ingredients. And because I shop the Flea Market regularly, where produce vendors also sell, and live near a Mexican and Asian market, I could buy fresh veggies for 1/2 the price as conventional Supermarkets, but they were not organic. Which never bothered me because I wasn't afraid of pestcides, afterall, we as a country had been eating this stuff for decades, and I thought organics were "high priced" and overrated. And then....

I read, or heard, somewhere, 2 things that made sense to me, and at that point I started buying organics, whenever possible....regardless of price. Now, I know there are many reasons to eat organics, but the 2 reasons that made the difference for me were, organics have more nutrient content than non-organics, and your body can absorb the nutrients from organics easier than non-organics. That was enough for me! As many fresh vegetables that I was already eating at the time, I figured I might as well optimize on it and go organic. So, those are the 2 reasons I started buying and eating organics, but they are not the my #1 reason I continue to chose organics.

As my diet has evolved, and my interest to constantly improve the quality and variety of my nutrition, I try and eat, organically, seasonally, and, locally. It drives me crazy to go into a market and see bell peppers from Holland, or broccoli from Chile! WHAT! How long can a vegetables' freshness last if it has to make a trip accross the world? Come on...where's the common sense? Not to mention, how much energy (fuel) does it takes to transport these foods for those distances? If you try and eat seasonally, you should be able to get fresh and local foods. Of course we can't always be perfect, and most of us don't live in California (like I do!), so in the winter the pickins' are slim, but we can try.


I buy my seasonal, fresh, local organic foods from a Whole Foods Market and the Farmers Markets near my home. And now I'm excited about a new service that not only provides the freshest fruits and vegetables outside your own garden (their words!), but delivers them weekly! For about $20-$26 a week two local Watsonville Organic Farms put together a box of produce and flowers, picked that day. Can it get any better? (For more info go to http://www.twosmallfarms.com/).

My friend, Jill, turned me on to a couple of monthly newsletters from these two, local, organic farms and that's when I was first aware of this service. But to be honest, it didn't appeal to me, at first, because I have plenty of time to shop, daily if I need to. But as I was reading the latest newsletter, a customer had pointed out that getting this "CSA box" (Community Supported Agriculture) that included some veggies that she had never bought or used before inspired her to try things she never might have purchased. Wow, what a great opportunity, I thought! New things, fresh things, more inspiration, more variety, more flavor.......what the heck, right? So starting in about 2 weeks time, I will be expanding my adventures in food and I couldn't be more excited!

Life is so good. Local foods are good....support local farming.