Organic recipes

[sankum]

I know organic food is very good for health but the thing is I do not know how to prepare them at home. Can anyone help me out plz? btw I do know that I get organic veg and fruits out in the market ...dont think I am kinda crazy ..Is organic recipe done just by using these organic vegies or is it prepared in a spl way? Just wanna know...

[kuan]

Use the same recipes. There's no difference in the way you slice an organic cucumber and a non organic one.

[sankum]

Thanks....

[Anneke]

Originally Posted by sankum

I know organic food is very good for health

This has yet to be proven.

A more accurate statement would be that organic food SHOULD be less damaging to your health...

[bubbamom]

I'm no expert, but it would seem to me that if you are using organic product, if your preparation doesn't contain all organic ingredients, aren't you defeating the purpose?

I shopped in an "all natural and organic products" type food market last week and while I can't argue that there may be a health benefit (and possibly a taste benefit) in using organic, the prices were considerably higher than at my regular stores and farmer's markets. And unfortunately, price is often a consideration these days!

[KYHeirloomer]

"Organic" refers to how things are grown, not to what is grown. That is, in terms of how you use things, there is no difference between an organic and non-organic one. Tomatoes, cukes, chickens, whatever.

However, in the U.S. there is a federal certification program. If you are not certified you cannot (with a minor exception) use the term "organic." Unfortunatley, the protocols were, for all intents and purposes, written by the agri-giants. Which means, among other things, that most true organic growers cannot afford either the time nor the cost of getting certified.

It's important, too, that you know the source of anything you buy that is labeled organic. The organics sold in supermarkets, for instance, are grown by the organic divisions of huge factory farms, and, rather than being stewards of the earth (as are real organic growers) they follow the same practices as they do with their conventional crops. That is, mono-culture, massive infusions of fertilizers, insecticides, etc., and choosing hybrid crops.

The distribution of these organic foodstuffs follows the same path as conventional produce. Tomatoes, for instance, are harvested green, kept in cold storage, then gassed just before delivery to give them color.

The only substantial difference between a conventional tomato, say, and an organic one, in the supermarket, is that they can charge higher prices for the organics and get away with it. But if they ever had to justify those prices they would not be able to do so.

[tralfaz]

I buy organic produce mainly to support small farms and to avoid pesticides. I'm lucky because my small town has several small produce farms nearby. Also, the organic producers are mostly responsible for bringing back all those nifty heirloom tomatoes, etc.

sankum- like others said, use the same recipes. I get eggs from a local farm. They have many times the flavor of the pale yolked grocery story type. When I make eggs I tend to use less seasoning and condiments because the eggs have so much flavor. The same goes for the nifty vine ripened heirloom tomatoes that won't show up here for 3 months. These are examples of well raised/grown things, not necessarily organic things.

[KYHeirloomer]

>Also, the organic producers are mostly responsible for bringing back all those nifty heirloom tomatoes, etc.<

You're treading on thin ice here, tralfaz.

Currently, because heirlooms are the hot ticket, organic growers have hopped on the bandwagon just like every other truck farmer.

Historically, however, the organic movement and the heirlooms movement were separate. In fact, when I first became an active member of the heirlooms community, more than 15 years ago, I was shocked to discover how few organic farmers were growing them. It seemed to me that the two philosophies were naturally linked. But they weren't.

And I agree you are indeed fortunate to have several small, diverse, organic farms nearby. Unfortunately, most of the population doesn't, and are unwitting pawns of the factory farms.

[RPMcMurphy]

sounds to me like someone drank the proverbial kool-aide.......

[shel]

Much of the organic produce we buy is grown, as KY said, on factory farms using monoculture techniques and factory farming little or no different than non-organic farming. Companies like Earthbound Farms, Del Cabo, Cascadian Farms, and others, often grow their produce in Mexico and other foreign countries, and use certain pesticides and sometimes even questionable water sources. Just because you’re buying the produce in an organic grocery doesn’t mean that you’re getting a high quality or healthier product. Many organic brands are owned by large corporations and are produced in ways that are not exactly environmentally friendly or which follow the original spirit of organic farming. BTW, just because the label says "USDA Organic" it doesn't mean that you're getting a 100% organic product.

Buying locally produced, in season produce is a better, healthier choice IMO. Most of the farmers’ markets here (and perhaps in other places) allow only locally raised crops, meat, and poultry, and the local producers are known to the purchasers of the products. Our farmers’ markets often offer better prices, greater variety, and always better quality than that which can be found in the markets - fresher, less traveled produce, for example, only locally produced eggs and poultry.
It’s important to know your suppliers - who are they, where do they grow and raise their goods, what is their reputation like?

Stay away as much as possible from "supermarket organics," especially those marketed by large, well-known brand names. Check out the farms that are producing the goods you want to buy (the internet is a great source of information). Buy locally produced products that are in season. The idea of buying unripe fruit from Chile or Argentina just doesn’t make sense to me. I’ll wait a few months and get the locally grown, tree ripened fruit that’s tastier and fresher. Whatever you do, make well-informed choices - don’t just buy the stuff because it’s on the shelf and it’s in an "organic" grocery store.

shel

[tralfaz]

I've been spanked.


My apologies KYHeirloomer, I made an overly simple statement. I don't know the history of heirloom produce or organic farming in Kentucky. I am aware that mega-chain grocery stores have been buying up factory farms here, Mexico and further south. Now they sell "organic" tomatoes in January and offer house label organic olive oil. I know a lot of shoppers don't pay attention to where their food comes from. I realize that most people in this country only see organic produce in chain supermarkets along with big name brand labels that offer some organic items.

I shouldn't have suggested that all heirloom produce is the same and all organic produce is the same or that one = the other. I've seen bland out of season factory farmed heirloom tomatoes at the mega-market.


The U.S. organic/heirloom/farmer's market explosion in the 90s happened at one time and doesn't have a single cause.


I live in a small rural town in Washington state. It's home to Abundant Life Seed Foundation About Abundant Life, a seed company that has been selling rare/forgotten (organic) seed varieties since 1975. Down in Oregon is Territorial Seed Co. Territorial Seed - Vegetable and Flower Seeds at Territorial Seed Company, selling rare (organic) seed varieties since 1982. Truck farms have been selling "heirloom" produce for a while here, regular and organic. In and around Seattle and where I live, the small organic farms are the ones growing heirloom varieties. If I walk into my small town mega-mart I'll see 4-5 varieties of non-organic Wash. state apples from the tree fruit growing region of the state, If I go to my food co-op, I'll see 10 varieties of organic apples, probably 20 over the course of the winter. Although we Northwesterners don't like to talk about it, I'm sure the California restaurant trends of the 70s and 80s created a lot of pressure(interest) on us for both rare/heirloom and organic produce.

Many heirloom varieties were salvaged and grown by people who had no interest in organic farming methods. Still, Rodale's magazine "Organic Gardening" and books have encouraged farmers and gardeners to grow obscure, rare and forgotten vegetable and fruit varieties since the 70s and before.

Small organic farms didn't invent the demand heirloom produce. They sure did help, though.