Organic Produce
July 13th, 2005 by Steve Pavlina
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I think one of the reasons people don’t eat enough healthy fruits and vegetables is that they buy cheap, low quality produce — i.e. the stuff you’ll typically find at mainstream grocery stores. Mass market produce might look OK, but in my opinion it’s very bland and flavorless compared to what else is available.
I remember the first time I tried an organically grown carrot. I never liked carrots much as a child, but when I finally tasted an organic carrot, I thought, “Wow. So this is what a carrot is supposed to taste like.” It was full of flavor and even sweet. After that experience I realized just how watery and flavorless non-organic carrots tasted. Now carrots are one of my favorite foods. In fact, one week I ate so many of them, mostly via juicing, that my skin actually began to turn orange, a condition known as hypercarotenemia (too much beta carotene). My skin color returned to normal once I backed off on the carrots.
Many years ago my wife and I stopped buying produce from mainstream stores and started shopping at Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and local farmers markets that carry organic produce. Organic produce usually costs a bit more, but in my opinion the price is well worth it. Aside from reducing your consumption of cancer-causing pesticides, you may find as I do that certain organic foods taste so much better. I’m naturally inclined to eat more fruits and vegetables when I know they’ll taste good. While I don’t notice much difference in the taste of some foods like bananas or broccoli, in other foods like apples, strawberries, pineapple, grapes, and celery, it’s like night and day. Organic Fuji apples are among my favorites, just the right balance of sweetness and tartness. Non-organic apples can’t compare.
All produce is not created equal. The next time you go food shopping, try buying some higher quality organic produce and give yourself a taste test. See if there are foods you previously disliked which now tempt your taste buds.
July 13th, 2005 at 5:43 am
Steve, I know I’m nitpicking, but I think the correct term is “hypercarotenemia”.
Look at this google search:
http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3Ahypercarotenemia
M.
July 13th, 2005 at 6:29 am
Thanks, fixed.
July 13th, 2005 at 7:31 am
It has been proven that organic produce (at least in India) actually costs *less* than the pesticide-infested agriculture produce. I am not complaining, if that means more profit to the organic farmer, so be it!
July 13th, 2005 at 9:23 am
As someone who grew up on a farm, I feel I have to add my 2c here:
There is a massive difference in flavour, but the reason isn’t due to the produce being ‘organic’. There’s a few factors at play:
1) Ripeness: Tomatos and other produce taste very different if they have been fully ripened on the vine, tree, etc. Most produce is picked slightly green because some ripening occurs in transit. Try a fresh tomato (I keep mentioning tomatos because this is one of the most dramatic examples) straight off the vine sometime, and you’ll see what I mean.
2) Freshness: When a fruit of vegetable is picked, it immediately starts to undergo changes. For example, peas start to become more starchy. This can massively change the flavour. To see the difference, taste some peas picked straight off the bush. The difference in flavour is astounding. Corn is similar, as are many other types of produce.
3) Variety: The specific variety of the produce makes a big difference. The varieties that you see in mainstream grocery stores are optimized for maximum shelf-life and ability to withstand shipping and handling (don’t bruise easily, etc). A classic example of this is strawberries - the varieties that you see in grocery stores are the blandest type available - they’ve been optimized for size and shelf life. On there other hand, there are varieties of strawberries that are so flavourful that it is absolutely stunning - if you think you like strawberries, wait until you try one of these bad boys… but be warned, you’ll never enjoy an ordinary strawberry again after that.
‘Organic’ produce is usually fresher because of shorter shelf-life and therefore needs to be supplied (relatively) locally.
July 13th, 2005 at 10:15 am
Hmm.. I too want to buy the exotic food from these places. But have you checked their price tags lately? I love the Whole Foods next door, but everytime, I’d spend at least 50 bucks just buying 2 day supplies. It’s almost like.. well.. everybody wants a piece of Bimmer because of its performance, but we are still driving our Hondas…
July 13th, 2005 at 12:15 pm
What about supermarkets with big organic sections? Are they generally on par with Whole Foods?
July 13th, 2005 at 1:48 pm
+1 on Rob’s comments. I also grew up on a farm and everything he said is absolutely correct. Not using pesticides is good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the main reason for the flavor difference you’re experiencing. Picking a big sun warmed juicy red fully ripe tomato directly off the vine with your own two hands and biting into it is an experience to die for. It’s so amazing to me that there seems to be a whole lot of people who have no idea how wonderful it is.
The time involved in shipping to far off locations totally eliminate the possibility of flavor. You must pick green (so they ship better and you don’t get things like tomato paste instead of tomatoes upon arrival) and you must grow varieties specifically developed to keep longer (as opposed to those optimized for flavor). This is true for “organically” and “non-organically” grown alike. The difference is that most organic producers are small and sell to their local stores or farmer’s markets; so you get the produce very quickly and shipping is not a factor.
The increased prices for organic foods are not due to increased costs or producing them. The cost of producing them is lower not higher. It is due to the current “in fashion” popularity of them. People are willing to pay more so they charge more. There are a group of farmers I remember in central Illinois who were growing corn, soybeans, wheat, etc. They converted over to completely organic methods over about a 5 year period utilizing crop rotation, ground covers and many other methods to control pests and provide good nutritional soil. It worked well and the result was that their production was just as high or higher then traditional methods and their costs were lower. However, during the 5 year period of transition, they lost money which is a big reason why more farmers don’t do it.
If you don’t like the prices but like the organic approach, just plant a garden. I mean a vegetable garden of course. For those of you who live in an apartment in the middle of a concrete city, I don’t know, maybe a big window box? You could at least get some lettuce, carrots, and onions. Highly recommended.
July 13th, 2005 at 2:09 pm
English is not my native language so I apologize in advance for any mistakes I may make.
I am sure my post contains mistakes and it’s hard to understand because I don’t know the proper English terms, and I’m not sure where to look it up.
Organic grown vegetables and fruits = vegetables and fruits grown on clean soil (soil that has not been poluted or chemically treated), without fertilizer or with natural healthy fertilizers.
The vegetables taste very good.
Unfortunately they are 2x more expensive than the products of “modern” agriculture.
“Modern” agriculture = instead of soil, you use “mineral wool” - a wool-like substance made of minerals. On that wool you put a special product made of cocos tree which is very cheap, and then chemically treat it.
You grow plants on it, and while growing, you analyse the contents of the “artificial soil” periodically, enter the results into a computer program, and add chemicals according to the computer program.
This method is 2-3 times more productive than the organic (natural) method.
But the resulting vegetables and fruits are almost tasteless.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming
July 13th, 2005 at 2:32 pm
Only mildy related, but are you vegetarian, Steve? Or have you considered it. If not, give it a go!
July 13th, 2005 at 3:13 pm
@Chris: I’ve been vegetarian since 1993 and vegan since 1997. My wife and kids are vegan too, and my wife runs http://www.VegFamily.com, a popular veg site.
My father has been into gardening for decades. When I was very young, we had a huge backyard and grew all sorts of fruits and vegetables. I especially remember corn, strawberries, and tomatoes. I agree that garden-fresh food is much better than what you get in the grocery store.
I’m not sure if I could grow anything in my backyard though. It’s 113 degrees outside right now. It’s been said that the only crop that grows in Las Vegas is houses.
July 13th, 2005 at 5:09 pm
Wow I’m impressed, on all account.
July 13th, 2005 at 5:10 pm
*ack* .. on all accounts. It should read, sorry.
July 13th, 2005 at 10:02 pm
Steve,
Try growing out of normal season, experiment with different types of vegetables.
You can also create a micro-climate by shading a part of the garden, add a pond next to it with an artificial stream to cool the area.
It can also improve the decoration.
Ami
July 14th, 2005 at 4:56 am
hello there:
i successfully grew vegetables (cauliflower and tomatoes) in plastic (grocery) bags and also got published
article: http://www.yougrowgirl.com/grow/bagit.php
my site with pictures:
http://www.poojyum.com/pics/veggie
it was all done organically. let me know what you think!
July 17th, 2005 at 12:51 am
I eat a lot of organic food. Its true that it is a bit more expensive than the processed supermarket stuff, but to be honest, I don’t mind paying a fair bit of money for food, Of all the products you spend your money on, food is the only one that is physically going to become part of you. People are happy to spend over the odds on a four wheel drive high power car (especially here in the UK) even though at the end of the day its just a means of going from A to B, but they will always sek out the cheapest food they can. I’d rather cut corners on my motoring expenses than my food expenses.
Also, farmers markets are great, the variety, the quality of food and the atmosphere is way better than some tedious concrete warehouse which most supermarkets represent.