<p>Most Americans are getting a hell of alot more exposure to toxins (benzene, a known human carcinogen) by refilling their gas guzzlers at the pump than they could ever imagine getting by consuming conventionally grown produce.</p>
<p>I do love me some hyperbole with my morning tea.
:rolleyes:
Perhaps M’Ds shouldn’t worry so much?
[Beyond</a> Pesticides Daily News Blog Blog Archive McDonald?s Initiates Review to Reduce Pesticides in Potato Production](<a href=“http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=1532]Beyond”>http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=1532)</p>
<p>LongPrime - send those zucchinis please, mine has produced only leaves so far - huge and beautiful but I do not think one can eat them ;)</p>
<p>Our farmers market opened up two weeks ago - I go faithfully. There is also a small produce store close to my house that sells “local” whatever is in season. Corn is indeed divine if picked up early in the morning and eaten the same day. Try it :)</p>
<p>I am not obsessed with organic, buy it if it looks nice and I can afford it. I am much more interested in buying local. I buy local milk, readily available at my grocery store. My daughter is 12 an no breasts yet 
Eggs are bought from a coworker who keeps about 50 chickens in his backyard. I do not know what he feeds them, shells are a variety of colors :)</p>
<p>I very much believe in buying whatever is in season. When I was growing up lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes were only eaten from late May through August/September. In the winter the only fruit for me was apples, and veggies came ffrom preserves made by my mom (mostly pickles)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Can you link to something? It would be an interesting read…</p>
<p>EC4, you are kidding, right?
Inhaling gasoline fumes vs. eating conventionally grown food? Which would you choose?!</p>
<p>Pollutants are ubiquitous. You cannot escape them by eating organic foods. So yes, it’s about supporting local farmers and more sustainable farming practices.</p>
<p>However, I’ve tried growing fruit trees in the mid-Atlantic without chemical sprays, and have come to the conclusion it just isn’t cost effective without expert knowledge, heroic effort, and a lot of luck. Sure, there are natural products like Surround (Kaolin clay barrier) but they are expensive and must be applied quite frequently in well-timed applications. </p>
<p>The alternative may be to grow resistant varieties and tolerate blemished fruit. If a farmer had to charge the true cost of producing cosmetically perfect apples organically in my area, I doubt anyone would buy them. But it’s hard to get modern grocery shoppers to accept blemished produce, even if it is fresh and safe to eat. So for many varieties, if you buy organic and it looks beautiful, it is being trucked or flown in from a distant irrigated region. How green is that?</p>
<p>I taste my way through the farmer’s market every week, heading in from the entrance to the stalls at the very back. I purchase on the way out, based on taste. Some of the winners are certified organic, but not all. If it doesn’t taste as good, why bother buying it? LA Times food writer Russ Parsons does the same thing, wrote about it last week [‘Organic</a>’ label doesn’t guarantee quality or taste - Los Angeles Times](<a href=“http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-calcook1-2009jul01,0,2885942.story]'Organic”>'Organic' label doesn't guarantee quality or taste) and got a ton of replies both pro and con.</p>
<p>Environmental costs of hybrids vs SUV gas guzzlers: sounds like this comes from the infamous and widely discredited CNW Marketing Research “study” “Dust to Dust: The Energy Cost of New Vehicles from Concept to Disposal”.</p>
<p>Inhaling gasoline fumes vs. eating conventionally grown food? Which would you choose?!</p>
<p>Did’nt realize I was going to be forced to choose
;)</p>
<p>I drive less than 8,000 miles a year
saves me $$ spent on fuel , reduces exposure to fumes at the pump, I save $$ on auto ins and contributes to reduced traffic ( not to mention time looking for parking place)</p>
<p>Funny, another very interesting link from LA Times
[Behind</a> the organic label - Los Angeles Times](<a href=“Behind the organic label”>Behind the organic label)</p>
<p>If it doesn’t taste as good, why bother buying it?
because heavy metals are cumulative in body-and because I get an allergic reaction when I consume some chemicals</p>
<p>^Ah, forgot about that one. Not a noticeable issue for our family, so the taste issue weighs more heavily. </p>
<p>I read an article several years ago in New Scientist about how the pesticides used on bananas were causing infertility and other health problems for banana field workers. So I prefer to buy organic bananas, even though they’re more expensive and even though there’s no health benefit for us eating them versus conventionally grown bananas. However, the quality really varies. We prefer our 'nanas on the slightly green side, but the organic bananas seem to go from a tad too green straight to too brown. Buying produce that I’m going to toss is a waste. That’s why I end up buying some of each. Bananas will be extinct soon enough unless someone figures out how to save the Cavendish from that nasty banana disease that’s attacking the plants, and then I won’t be able to be a hypocrite on this particular issue. :)</p>
<p>radannie, it’s fair to note that that other LA Times link is 5 years old.</p>
<p>Don’t laugh, but I just bought Organic Ketchup by Heinz. Reason - looks like it does not contain high fructose corn syrup. On the ingredients it lists organic sugar. Am I correct to assume that it is not corn? Do they even make organic high fructose corn syrup???</p>
<p>I buy that too ^, I think it tastes better, but it is more watery.
Unfortunately- it looks like things in the nightshade family makes my arthritis worse, which is really a shame, because tomatoes are something I love to grow & I have my own potatoes for the first time as well- ( which taste way better than the ones at the market- don’t even add butter)</p>
<p>[An</a> Apparent Relation of Nightshades (Solanaceae) to Arthritis](<a href=“http://www.noarthritis.com/research.htm]An”>http://www.noarthritis.com/research.htm)</p>
<p>Kelowna, you are OK! No high fructose corn syrup in it.
Heinz Organic Ketchup is made from 100 percent certified organic vine-ripened tomatoes, as well as other certified organic and natural ingredients such as organic sugar, spices and onion powder.</p>
<p>Kelowna, I can assure you that plain old sugar (aka sucrose) is not made from corn; it is usually made from sugar cane or beets.</p>
<p>Thanks!
Will report on the taste once I open the bottle.
I am home today roasting a turkey, of all things :)</p>
<p>Interesting view on industrial farming. I’m a big fan of Michael Pollan. But it’s good to hear another side:</p>
<p>Free range turkeys anyone? </p>
<p>“Young turkeys aren’t smart enough to come in out of the rain, and will stand outside in a downpour, with beaks open and eyes skyward, until they drown”.</p>
<p>[The</a> Omnivore?s Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals — The American, A Magazine of Ideas](<a href=“http://www.american.com/archive/2009/july/the-omnivore2019s-delusion-against-the-agri-intellectuals]The”>http://www.american.com/archive/2009/july/the-omnivore2019s-delusion-against-the-agri-intellectuals)</p>
<p>The myth of high fructose corn syrup being dangerous. Too much sugar in any form is not too good–that’s all.</p>
<p>[Ad</a> Wars: Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup Really Good for You? - TIME](<a href=“http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1841910,00.html]Ad”>http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1841910,00.html)</p>
<p>Good link Barrons. It really is hard to figure all this out.</p>
<p>I’m off artificial sugars…which I feel pretty good about. But I found out recently that one of my substitues (blue agave syrup from TJs) is not all its cracked up to be. No better or worse than plain sugar really. No real studies to back up the low glycemic claims.<br>
So, yeah, I’m just trying to keep my sweet tooth at bay at this point. I look for added sugar in products so I know what I’m getting.<br>
I did buy that organic ketchup too. The kind without the dreaded HF Corn Syrup. I guess I’m a sucker…:)</p>
<p>I buy organic ketchup - store brand - because it’s organic, since tomatoes absorb pesticides, and it does taste better than regular old ketchup. The people who pick the tomatoes aren’t exposed to the harmful chemicals either.<br>
I buy organic free trade coffee because it help coffee workers live a better life, free from chemical and coporate greed.<br>
I’m not saving the world but I might be making a so ever small difference. That’s the least we should do. Try our best to do something to help our fellow earth dwellers. It doesn’t have to be all about us. I know I’m not always getting it right but I hope my heart is in the right place.</p>
<p>I buy organic free trade coffee because it help coffee workers live a better life, free from chemical and coporate greed</p>
<p>Nitpicker here.
Shade grown is more important IMO, than organic/free trade ( however, you can get all three)
[Shade</a> Grown Coffee - Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center - National Zoo| FONZ](<a href=“http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Coffee/default.cfm]Shade”>http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Coffee/default.cfm)</p>