| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| StarMeadow |
Posted - Sep 20 2009 : 4:30:11 PM
I went shopping today. Nothing special...just groceries. I even bought the "generic organic" brands of most things and still spent almost double what I would have if I had chosen the regular store brand! Spaghetti...1.99$ instead of .79...mustard the same....milk...over 6$ a gallon...butter almost 5$ a pound!!! Even fruit was waaaay over priced today.. organic grape were $1.69 a pound. Organic chicken broth...2.39$ a qt and that was the store brand.
I tell ya...I really, really, want to eat organic but the cost is killing my budget! |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| StarMeadow |
Posted - Sep 28 2009 : 3:05:43 PM
Yes...I checked the bag on my organic apples for my apple butter....Washington! Now, MI is an apple STATE for crying out loud. I picked apples as a kid! What was I thinking? I took the peels off anyway...
And, is it really "harder" to let your critters run around or to NOT put chemicals on your food? And when I think about fish farms.... :-( |
| nubidane |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 4:53:37 PM
I choose locally grown over organic every time. THe organics in the grocery have travelled (at least here in OH) at least 1000 miles & I try to avoid the long distance food whenever I can. |
| CountryBorn |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 3:03:06 PM
I really would like to just get organic too. But my goodness, I looked at a little tiny organically raised whole chicken it was
$12.89 that is nuts. I am very pleased to have the grocery store we have it is called Wegmans and they actually are big time into the organic movement. They have their own organic farms (vegetables and chickens and other meats) and research centers. They have many things to choose from. I am hoping that as organic becomes more mainstream and gains popularity that the prices will stabilize to a more reasonable amount. There is no way a family of regular means could afford some of these prices.
MJ
There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. Freya Stark |
| Amie C. |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 06:02:11 AM
I buy all my fruits and veggies at a convenient farm market during the season that it's open. Most of this produce is not organic. I made buying local my priority over organic. The organic produce in my local stores is shockingly expensive. And what's worse, it always seems to be the oldest, most wilted stuff in the produce section (probably because it doesn't move as fast).
I think you have to pick your battles, as Alee said, and make the decision that's best for you.
I've got certain products that I buy every week at the store, and some are organic while others are not. Price is definitely a factor. I can't afford to buy the organic version of everything. But also, if I just plain don't like the organic product as much as the conventional one, I stick with my trusty conventional brand.
The two things I always, always buy organic are milk and eggs. And the markup on those is painful! $5.99 every week for organic milk, when the conventional milk is $1.99 or less on sale. But I have hopes, at least, that the animals producing these items are treated better in organic farming than in conventional farming. So I will pay the extra price for as long as I can afford to. |
| Annab |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 03:08:26 AM
Local also supports the people you may know personally rather than a nameless/faceless entity |
| harmonyfarm |
Posted - Sep 22 2009 : 10:50:47 AM
But you see the only way to make organic foods cost less is to make them more of a mainstream thing. If everyone bought organic, then all the producers would start raising food organically. There is a ripple effect here. If all of us bought just one organic item a week, multiplied by how ever many farmgirls there are that visit here, at the end of a year, that would be ALOT of organic food!But buying local if you can is a much better way to go anyway.
Debbie
"If you can't find the time to do it right...how will you find the time to do it over" |
| kpaints |
Posted - Sep 22 2009 : 07:44:34 AM
Here's a little list of some of the foods that are 'safe' to buy that are not organic: The Clean 15: Onion, cabbage, avocado, eggplant, sweet corn, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, mango, broccoli, asparagus, tomato, sweet peas, sweet potatoes, kiwi The Dirty Dozen: peaches, kale, apples, lettuce, bell peppers, grapes, celery, carrots, nectarines, strawberries, pears and cherries. Maybe this will help. Have you ever noticed how many double letters there are in fruits and vegtables? Funny!
Find your joy and live it. http://cheneybaglady.blogspot.com/http://www.kpaints.etsy.com http://www.thevintagebaglady.etsy.com FG #377 |
| Brenda Kay Groth |
Posted - Sep 22 2009 : 06:18:36 AM
you might find other sources besides the grocery stores for your organic items..you mentioned chicken broth..you can go to a farm and get a couple organic chickens, dressed, and bring them home and make your own organic broth for much less money and freeze or can it..and a lot of stores are buying only organic but not marking it as such. a lot of things marked organic really aren't..there are such iffy rules. This time of year farmers markets are full of good things and farmers will generally sell extra items from their own farms..such as eggs, milk, beef, pork, chicken, etc..as well as plant goods..this time of year apples, and other fruit is abundant.. also a lot of abandoned places have apples and pears and blackberries and such around here for the gathering..
that is the entire thing about farm girls..we can find things on farms..if not ours on other people's farms, and make use of them in unique ways that others would not...canning or freezing our own items rather than buying them at the store.
bloom where you are planted |
| paradiseplantation |
Posted - Sep 22 2009 : 04:59:09 AM
I would love to buy organic, but it is just cost prohibitive for us in most cases. Which is why I try to grow my own, buy from farmers markets, can and preserve as much as possible. I'm sorry -- I would love to be more 'green', but I feel like I do it in other ways every chance we can -- we use what we have as much as possible, rather than go to the big box stores and buy, and we're comfortable with that attempt. Just do what you can, T. Any little bit will help. And later on, when you can afford organic a little better, then go for it. That's how we handle it!
from the hearts of paradise... |
| Annab |
Posted - Sep 22 2009 : 03:38:14 AM
Local not only tastes fresher, you can almost guarantee it was picked at least a day or two ahead rather than WEEKS! Same for eggs.
I swear I'll never buy another store bought peach again.
Some of us were talking about something similar to this. As we have seen on this forum, lots of people hate what Wal Mart stands for. If Sam were still alive I bet it might be a bit different.
So we have also tried to boycot and buy groceries at another grocer, and even with coupons it nearly busts the bank.
There was one small independent grocer in our town a few years ago. They sold old, out of date items and the store reeked of rotting produce and BO. Now the place is under different management and is a rest stop for pottery shoppers.
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| Especially For You |
Posted - Sep 20 2009 : 7:52:47 PM
Sometimes when I can't afford organic I buy local. We have a famers market every Saturday morning.I have heard different things about local, some people think that local is better. I am starting to believe they are right.
Tina |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 20 2009 : 6:49:52 PM
One of the things that most experts recommend is choosing your battles so to speak. Even MaryJane has published a list of fruits and veggies that soak up the pesticides when grown conventionally. There are some things that aren't too hurt by conventional farming- though of course I think organic still tastes way better! Anyway, one way to look at it is if it has a thick or hard skin that you peel or take off before eating, than you will be taking off most if not all of the pesticides. Good washing practices also help. If it is soft and absorbs easily then it will be more affected by the levels of pesticides. http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/slowfoodorganiclocal/a/organicproduce_2.htm
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| AlyssaMarie |
Posted - Sep 20 2009 : 4:43:48 PM
I know how you feel! I lost my job and now make 1/3 the income I used to make. So our family is trying to stretch every penny. Then the guilt of not buying organic makes things even worse. But I've resolved myself to do what I can where I can and not feel guilty about the rest. And in some cases that means just trying to make the healthiest choices for our family. Cutting out manufactured, processed foods and buying in bulk and preparing more at home, trying to grow a small garden. No one is perfect. But I do believe that every step no matter how small still makes a difference.
AlyssaMarie @ Link'd Hearts Ranch
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