A-Z Blogging Challenge - Organic Eating

I have been trying to eat healthier and luckily for me we recently had a healthy supermarket open close to home.  Close to my home means about a 15 minute drive.  They have lots of healthy organic foods.

I haven't been much of an organic shopper in the past, but I have purchased some recently.  My family has found the fruit to be much tastier than the fruit that I purchase at the regular supermarket.  Is taste and health worth the extra cost.  The fruit tastes much sweeter.  Maybe then we wouldn't feel the need for all the added sugar and sugary products.  One of my favorite bloggers Gwen at Sky n Surf wrote about organic foods yesterday.

I have bought things from the local farmers at the farm markets in the summer.  Several of the vendors at the local farm markets are certified as organic, but most of them use organic methods, they just haven't been certified.  The fruits and vegetables they sell are usually picked fresh that day or the day before.  You can't get much fresher than that. 

I have being doing a little research on organic products and why I should use them instead of chemically produced foods.

I think the biggest deterrent for my purchasing organic is cost.  In researching, I found one reason for the additional cost is that organic is more labor intensive.  Another big reason for organic's higher cost is that the government does not subsidize organic farmers.  This is something that needs to be changed.  We need to subsidize the farmers who are producing the healthier products!! 

According to my research there are some foods that should only be purchased as organic due to the large use of pesticides that remain on these foods.  The federal government tests the products and decide how much pesticide is allowed.  I don't like the idea of eating any pesticide.  How about you?

The following list are products that are high in pesticide.  They are termed the "Dirty Dozen".  In this case the list has 13 items.

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Peaches
5. Strawberries
6. Spinach
7. Nectarines (Imported)
8. Grapes
9. Green Beans
10. Lettuce
11. Cucumbers
12. Blueberries (Domestic)
13. Potatoes

I don't know about you, but reading about the amount of pesticides they are allowed to leave on foods scares me.  

I will probably purchase most of my produce from the local farm markets this summer, and I will grow my own tomatoes organically.  I wish I had the time, space, and motivation to grow more of my own food.  

The best deals in organic are the same as any other produce, you are going to get a better price if you buy items that are in season and plentiful.

I am going to make the choice to purchase more of my food that is produced organically.  How about you??