Organic vs Locally Grown

I'm taking the kids to Daddy's scrimmage and then to the movies this morning so I gotta move (!), but I wanted to share some information with you that I recently learned regarding LOCALLY GROWN vs ORGANIC.

What's the difference?

Why does it matter?

Obviously, you want to be buying organic whenever possible.  Non-organic fruits & vegetables are grown using pesticides and chemical fertilizers.  The fruit is grown containing the actual pesticide and fertilizer inside of it.  It actually affects (and changes) the part you're eating so it isn't as if you can just wash it and pretend everything is okay.  (Obviously fruits with thicker skins (avocado, pineapple, mango, etc...) have less pesticide inside them because they have more protection.  However, they're still grown using chemical fertilizers.  Also, other foods such as asparagus, broccoli and cabbage do not attract as many pests therefore requiring less pesticide so they are slightly safer as well.  But, again, they're still grown using chemical fertilizers.)  (Go here to read about five common pesticides used on our food and why you would never want to ingest them.)

However, let's say you visit your local grocery and find organic apples on sale.  This is not unusual in the Fall and many conventional grocery stores (HEB, Randalls, etc...) will even carry organic apples for a few weeks in September/October.  You might think (as I did) that you were making a smart purchase and feeding your family well.  I mean, organic is the best choice for your family, right?  And who wouldn't want an apple straight from Washington?

Or, maybe you're like my friend at work who was told to buy her fruits and veggies from Mexico because they do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

I do not know what Mexico's laws say about growing food or how many times they use pesticides or fertilizers and frankly - I don't need to.

Here's why:  Our country's law demands that each and every vegetable imported from ANYWHERE outside the U.S. be sprayed with a pesticide.  This is incredibly WISE and incredibly STUPID all at the same time.  The logic behind the law is smart:  we obviously do not want to introduce any "pests" from other countries into the U.S.  However, the result is that we therefore cannot import any organic foods from other countries and thus would have to grow all of our own organic food.

Our country is big enough, that shouldn't be a problem right?  Wrong.

There's another law I wasn't familiar with.  Since each state is individually responsible for the fruits and vegetables grown within, any fruit or veggie that comes to our state from another U.S. state must be sprayed with a pesticide before it crosses the state line.  (Most of the time, this is done before the fruit is ever transported.)  The FARMER grows it organically.  However, if the farmer sells to largers corporations or grocers, the vegetable will be sprayed before it gets to your grocery store.  It has to be.  They are very concerned about introducing a pest from the north into the south or vice versa.

Washing an organically grown apple from Washington will be tremendously helpful, but obviously it won't rid the apple of all the pesticide as it was soaked in through the skin.

THIS IS WHY LOCALLY GROWN ORGANIC FOOD IS THE VERY BEST OPTION FOR US.

(I realize capslock means "yelling" when typed and while I'm not yelling I want to make sure you don't miss this.) 

LOCALLY GROWN ORGANIC FOOD IS THE VERY BEST OPTION.

When it is grown organically, you don't get the chemical fertilizers or pesticides and since it doesn't cross a border or a state line it is not sprayed.

Want to find organic, locally grown produce near you?  Go here and click on "Buy Local", google "farmers market" and your zip code, or look into starting your own garden with this "no fail" website that tells you step by step what to do and when to do it.  But, in the mean time find you a really good fruit and vegetable wash (like this one) and soak and scrub that produce before you take a bite!