I ran across an interesting article tonight. Thought I would share: Today's Food System: All Drugged Up. This interesting article shares a little info about the amount of antibiotics used in agriculture....speaking as nurse, who calls in prescription after prescription of heavy duty antibiotics, I was shocked.
I constantly have an internal debate about buying organic....Is it worth it?
Organic is funny to me - although it wasn't termed organic, and my family didn't put much thought into it, I feel like I grew up organic. Yes, we bought meat at the grocery store...veggies too...but a lot of what I grew up eating came from the garden, the local veggie stand, the local meat shop, and (prepare yourself) the hogs we killed once a year. Sausage anyone? Again, not organic by the todays standards but most definitely more healthy!
I will also say that while my father would most likely make fun of me if he heard me say organic (like he did when I refused to use well water for Payton's bottles), he most certainly grew up eating entirely organic...and now has free range honey bees making (organic) honey.
Just for my local Sherrills Ford readers...Butcher Boys is 100% Organic...right??? What about Jones Fish Camp? Fresh fish...right??? Are frog legs organic?
I keep wavering on what to buy for my family - I want a small container garden for our summer veggies but I never do all that well with container plants...of any kind. As for meat, geez...where to start! I almost bought organic chicken at the store last week...until I realized it was $17 for 2 chicken breast...I'll have to skip that for now. Or, maybe Uncle Hub will give Payton a few chickens for this birthday (yes, he did this for my younger cousin Connor...really!....yes, I'm a redneck!). What would the homeowners association think about us with "free range, hormone free, 100% Organic USDA Approved" chickens living in the back yard? The alligators would love it!
I could dig deeper, but not time for that tonight. Just wanted to share the article.
This blog is great too...The Family Dinner.
Eat up!
6 comments:
This is a big issue, and really hard. I just think about what I really, really want organic. I can skip on the organic granola bars or cereal and go for the organic veggies and meat. That's where I start. I feel like milk is the #1 think I always get organic no matter what - no compromises. Eggs, too. Then meat and veggies...but you do have to budget and spend more, but it seems worth it. I think about how easy it is to get good organic products of all kinds here in Asheville - we have amazing tailgate markets and Greenlife and Earthfare, and even our Ingles stocks tons of organic, but when I think about where my mom is...it's sad - you couldn't buy organic if you wanted to....anyway, just my two cents. Good post and food for thought. Love ya!
Ok - problem solved...the hayfield across from Meme & Pawpaw's is just waiting for your new house. Plenty of room there for your own chickens, cows, pigs, & veggies. Since Uncle Allen would be right next door....he might even share his garden or at least help you out! Oh yeah and if that isn't enough fresh meat - the friendly goats do come wondering through the neighborhood at least once per week. Allen wouldn't mind if you grilled them!
My bees are free range but my honey is'nt organic. Honey bees gather nectar and pollen within about a three mile range. Where in North Carolina or for the most part in the United States, except maybe around Coloroda, Wyoming, etc. can you find an area that big that has not been exposed to either pesticides, herbicides, or chemical ferterlizers? If someone tells you that they have "organic" honey produced in the eastern United States ask them how they did it.
As to growing up "organic", yes we grew a lot of our vegetables and meats but the garden had commercial ferterlizer and pesticides and the cows, chickens, and hogs were fed commercial feeds with suppliments, etc in them although on a much smaller scale than today.
So nice to see all the comments! Thanks! Just a little food for thought...it is worth thinking about though since we do consume a lot of food every single day...and now, my choices affect 2 other little bodies (and Chad I guess). Just hoping to make wise, reasonable choices to the best of my ability. I'll let you know how it goes! It is an interesting topic - as I learn more, I'll share!
I agree with Jenny. I try to buy organic milk and other dairy and pay attention to the dirty dozen list...I can lend you my copy of Real Food by Nina Planck next time I see you. It's an interesting read.
Chad's beef was organic because we ground our own chop from our own corn but it did have fertilizer on it! like Chandra said come to East Bend and maybe
we can grow our on food on the Webb farm!
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