The Truth about Organic Produce

Many grumble about the ascension of organic food, but few know the truth. The popularity of eating organic food has exploded over the last decade or so. You are probably well aware that there are, or at least people say there are, benefits to choosing organic food over the alternative. However, you are perhaps confused as to what constitutes organic food and why it is better for you. You also may have questions about how organic is made and why this process, in turn, raises the prices for organic goods. Josh is here to illuminate the issue and explain everything you will need to know about organic.

First let us dive in and look at the definition of organic. According the United States Department of Agriculture, certified organic vegetables and fruits must be produced without the utilization of conventional pesticides, ionizing radiation, bioengineering, synthetically produced fertilizers, or sewage sludge. The requirements for meat are a little different, but we will leave that for another day. Let’s just focus on organic produce here.

Organic Produce - Farmer's MarketResearch has supported the notion that this organic produce his healthier and better for you than the alternative. Specifically, certified organ food has been found to possess a higher level of mineral, vitamin, and phytochemical content as well as being more nutritive in general. Put simply, organic produce has higher levels of the really great stuff, and far less of the potentially detrimental things for your body.

The downside of organic food, as many would point out, is that it will most likely carry a higher cost if you are shopping at a regular supermarket. The difference between standard vegetables and fruits and the organic variety can be steep. The solution is quite simple, however. When shopping for organic food, avoid your regular grocery store. Instead, you will want to purchase a “share” of a season’s harvest at a farm located near you. These are referred to as community supported agriculture or CSA. You will be on the receiving end of more fresh organic produce than you know what to do with. In order to discover a communist supported agriculture farm in your area, you can visit localharvest.org

Another route to procuring fresh and cheap organic foods is to simply visit your town’s farmer market.