YOUR FOOD: Organic/Free Range and Locally Grown

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

So you've been known to occasionally spend extra on organic milk, mosey over to the free-range meat section, and make an effort to support your local farms by buying berries from a roadside fruit stand. Still, I'm betting the farm that if you're confused about when to go local, when you should go organic, and when it's all just baloney, you're not alone.

I reached out to two experts in the field for some solid answers. Joy Bauer, nutritionist extraordinaire, breaks down the musts and myths of organic and local, while Ryan Hardy, the fresh-market-obsessed chef at The Montagna in Aspen, provides five easy ways to include the best of both into our diets. I hope this helps you figure out the best ways to bring farm-fresh food closer to your home.

WHAT IS LOCALLY GROWN?
Locally grown means seasonal food from small farms. Some say it applies only to foods grown within a 100-mile radius; others stretch it to 250 miles.

MUSTS: Seasonal fruits, seasonal vegetables, milk and dairy. WHY? Local crops harvested at their peak of freshness and flavor offer superior nutrient density, and buying produce from local growers reduces the environmental impact and costs of transporting product.

MYTHS: Local food is not necessarily organically grown. However, there is truth to many local farmers' claims that they do not use pesticides. WHY? They just can't advertise themselves as certified organic unless they've gone through the certification process, which is lengthy and expensive.

WHAT'S ORGANIC?
For plants, organic means grown on certified organic land without synthetic fertilizers or chemicals (like pesticides). Genetic modification and irradiation are also off-limits. For animals, organic means access to the outdoors, only organic feed for at least a year, and no antibiotics or growth hormones.

MUSTS: Apples, cherries, grapes (especially if they're imported), nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes, and spinach. WHY? Because these fruits and veggies have been found to contain the most pesticide residue, even after being washed. IF YOU WANT TO GO THE EXTRA MILE...also buy your beef, poultry, and dairy organic. Organic meats and dairy are much more expensive than nonorganic, but they'll also reduce your exposure to toxins.

MYTHS: You don't need to worry about buying these organic: bananas, kiwi, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, onion, sweet peas, and seafood. WHY? Because these fruits and veggies tend not to carry pesticide residue, and seafood has no USDA organic certification standards (so "organic seafood" doesn't mean much).

FREE RANGE is a method of farming husbandry where the animals are permitted to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. The principle is to allow the animals as much freedom as possible, to live out their instinctual behaviours in a reasonably natural way, regardless of whether or not they are eventually killed for meat. One of the many benefits of free range animals is for some rudimentary insect population control in the free range area.

Free range may apply to meat, eggs or dairy farming.

In ranching, free range livestock are permitted to roam without being fenced in, as opposed to fenced-in pastures. In many of the agriculture based economies, free range livestock are quite common. Some animals like the goat will only thrive on a free range diet.

__________________________________________________ ___________

So with that, Do you guys prefer ORGANIC/FREE RANGE foods to NON ORGANIC/FREE RANGE ones?

~Kisses.

HTG

[Ecstatic]

Valid points on all counts, Hara. I answered 1 because it's my belief and I adhere to it whenever possible. OTOH, I perhaps should have answered 3 because I do each a mix, a) for those as you point out where there is no substantial health benefit and b) due to cost and availability.

However, I've long argued that the single most compelling reason to eat organic as much as possible (and, by extension, to wear organic cotton and other fabrics like hemp) is an indirect but very real health benefit: organics do no pollute the environment anywhere near as much as conventional farming techniques do. The effluvia from runoff of pesticides, herbicides, and other artificial products is stupendous.

Cotton alone has an enormous impact:

Cotton is a highly valued fiber that is grown on 76 million acres world-wide; this represents approximately 2.4% of global arable land. Between 40%-47% of the world’s textiles are made from cotton, making this a $ 334 billion industry in 2004. Cotton is grown in over 100 countries representing approximately 50 million farmers globally.

Cotton is grown in a variety of ways. The majority of cotton is grown on irrigated land representing 53% of cotton fields. Over 90% of cotton production involves the use of synthetic chemicals, with 20% using lower input practices (IP/CM – Integrated Pest/Crop Management). Worldwide, genetically modified organism (GMO) cotton is grown on an estimated 20% of acres worldwide, with an estimated 80% in the US. Certified organic cotton currently represents an estimated .1% of the cotton grown in the world.

The current conventional cotton production system is heavily dependent upon pesticides and fertilizers. Current data from USDA indicates that almost 6 pounds of pesticides are applied per acre.

That last figure, multiplied by 76 million cultivated acres, yields 456 million pounds of pesticides!

Likewise, organic farming for vegetables and other produce similiarly reduces the use of pesticides, harmful fertilizers, carbon production, fungicides, etc. So organic stems far beyond the spurious argument over whether a specific apple is more or less healthy or harmful; it affects our planet profoundly.

"Gimme dem ole cotton fields back home."

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

I agree with your views Esctatic. I chose 3 for the same reasons you've stated.

I just think having less or no pesticide gives us more health benefits in the long term and also a great way to avoid unneccessary diseases/illnesses of the body. :P

~Kisses.

HTG

[qeuqheeg222]

it is really interesting to see how the organic food industry has grown in the last ten to twenty years..i remember in the 70's and 80's goin to these little health food co-ops run by ordinary people..really crunchy hippy types and obsessive compulsives..(there was this bulimic mob daughter-another story)where organic soy milk by the quart box cost3.00 back then ..now you can get em for 1.20 at the whole paycheck market..but cotton,which i wear almost exclusively-miami is fuckin hot in the summer and nothin else will work-cotton is also a huge fresh water sponge using up tons of water necessary from growth,robbin precious aquafers that are gonna run dry someday.

[tgirlzoe]

FREE RANGE is a method of farming husbandry where the animals are permitted to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. The principle is to allow the animals as much freedom as possible, to live out their instinctual behaviours in a reasonably natural way, regardless of whether or not they are eventually killed for meat. One of the many benefits of free range animals is for some rudimentary insect population control in the free range area.

Free range may apply to meat, eggs or dairy farming.

In ranching, free range livestock are permitted to roam without being fenced in, as opposed to fenced-in pastures. In many of the agriculture based economies, free range livestock are quite common. Some animals like the goat will only thrive on a free range diet.

I'm going to have to take issue with your image of "free-range". While when I raised chickens when I was a kid, they just ran around the back yard catching bugs and playing, these chickens are considered "free-range" because they are not crammed into tiny cages -- just one big barn.

"Free-range" is far more unregulated than "organic". If you have any interest in eating animals who are not living in extremely cramped, brutal conditions, fed toxins and are diseased (and people wonder why there are so many chronic diseases these days when we eat chronically diseased animals), you should really actually know where your animals, dairy and eggs come from. Or you could just do the easy thing and stop eating them.

This also goes for any of you girls who take Premarin.

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

LOL Tgirlzoe, that's what Wiki gave me silly:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_range



~Kisses

HTG

[tgirlzoe]

LOL Tgirlzoe, that's what Wiki gave me silly:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_range



~Kisses

HTG

From the same article:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that chickens raised for their meat have access to the outdoors in order to receive the free-range certification. Free-range chicken eggs, however, have no legal definition in the United States. Likewise, free-range egg producers have no common standard on what the term means. Many egg farmers sell their eggs as free range merely because their cages are 2 or 3 inches above average size, or there is a window in the shed.

The USDA has no specific definition for "free-range" beef, pork, and other non-poultry products. All USDA definitions of "free-range" refer specifically to poultry. No other criteria-such as the size of the range or the amount of space given to each animal-are required before beef, lamb, and pork can be called "free-range". Claims and labeling using "free range" are therefore unregulated.

Like I said, particularly if you insist on eating animals, dairy or eggs, you should know where they come from. Of course, you should always try to buy food from farmer's markets as much as possible and grow what you can.

[latrix67]

Hi Haru,
Where I live in N.Ireland on the coast near Belfast, there is a abundence of farms & fishing ports.Sadly,within a 30 mile radius of me,the is one,yes ONE! fresh fish shop,3 farmers markets & some green grocers that sell local produce.90% of all the fresh fish caught around these shores is exported to Europe,mainly France & Spain.
The big 3 supermarkets stock some local produce but not much,Organic is very limeted.
I but my veg from a local shop in the next town over.They also have a great Deli with fresh Scampi,Irish Stew ect.My Butchers only sells tracable meat from local farms,home made sausages,black pudding.
I would never buy any meat from a supermarket anymore,Not after reading Hugh F-Whittingstalls Meat Book.

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

I agree. But first, I think we must discuss conventional and free range and see what the differences between the two meant and how they differ.

Conventional meat and poultry are fed conventional food, that usually being grain (such as GMO soy), as carbohydrates are just as effective at fattening animals as humans. The pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers in the grain are then stored as toxins in the fat of the animals. Because conventionally raised animals and poultry are often kept in very confined quarters day and night, and are not given space to roam, they do not get the exercise needed to keep them healthy. Between the poor quality food, the lack of exercise and the close quarters between animals, sickness is very common and spreads like wildfire through the barns. Consequently, antibiotics and other drugs are used on an ongoing basis in an attempt to keep the animals healthy. In the United States, recombinant bovine somatrotropin (rbst) under the drug name "Prosilac" is used in dairy cattle in order to increase milk production. This drug often results in very large, infected udders and consequently pus gets into the milk. Prosilac is banned in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the EU and in Japan. In meat cattle, five growth promoting hormones are used in Canada and the US, three of which occur naturally (estradiol, testosterone and progesterone) and two of which are synthetic (zeranol and trenbolone acetate). These hormones were banned in Europe in 1989.

Here's an animated illustration to further discuss the subject:

http://www.themeatrix1.com/

MORE:

http://www.themeatrix2.com/

http://www.moremeatrix.com/

http://www.themeatrix2.com/trailer.html

Certified organic meat, poultry, dairy and eggs have been fed certified organic food, and are not medicated. This immediately eliminates the risk of consuming the consolidated toxins found in the fat of the animals, and ingesting the residues of the antibiotics and steroid hormones that become a part of conventional meats, poultry, dairy and eggs. But "certified organic" does not mean that the animals were allowed to exercise, nor does it tell you what the animals were fed. Ask any five-year old what a cow is supposed to eat, and they will reply "grass", not grain. Ruminants get digestive distress on grain as their digestive systems are not meant to handle it, and they don't get the nutrition they need from grain. Look for "free-range" poultry, eggs, meat or dairy, or "pasture-fed" meats. Pasture-fed poultry and ruminants are healthier, happier, and have far more omega 3 and less omega 6 in their meat, dairy and eggs, which improves our omega 3/6 balance as well. So, look for certified organic, free-range meat, poultry, dairy and eggs, and you will know the animals were more humanely treated, and the food products are more healthy. And you know what? They taste better too!



GET INVOLVED!

http://www.sustainabletable.org/getinvolved/

~Kisses.

HTG

[CORVETTEDUDE]

HJT...The only thing free range or organic I want to chew on is YOU!!!