Organic in the news

So there's a new study out about organic foods.  Here's an article about it.  Is organic produce better?  This study states that Organic foods are not healthier than conventional food, in that they do not contain more antioxidants than conventionally grown food.  I never thought that they did.  I did think though, that when your body eats a conventionally grown carrot, it is possibly confused or distracted by the chemicals and pesticides that it may not get the full nutritional benefits of the carrot and its antioxidants.  

It makes sense that both the conventional carrot and organic carrot have the same amount of nutritional value and antioxidants.  But doesn't it also make sense that if you deep fry a carrot you are depleting it's nutritional value?  Same logic goes for adding pesticides.  

When I first heard of this new study, it was from some website that gave it about 2 paragraphs - not enough to get the full story.  The story ended by saying "don't buy organic."  Luckily this article mentions that there are still many good reasons to pay for organic.  Including environment protection, no pesticide residue, and just tasting better.  

I hope I have never made the claim that organic automatically means more antioxidants.  But I think the lack of pesticides makes it healthier, at least safer.  

By the way, I am writing this from my school cafeteria. Which has this awesome station called "500."  Every week they feature a different meal that is less than 500 calories and the produce is farmed less than 500 miles away.  I don't think any of it is organic, but at least they are doing their part.  

I have it about once a week, last week: BBQ portobello mushroom quesadilla, with organic greens and a parfait for dessert, pretty delicious. Today was AMAZING - stir fry edamame with artichoke and onion over crispy polenta, feta cheese and olives sprinkled on top.  Oh and applesauce for dessert.  The apples came from a farm 90 miles away.  

Love it!  

organic farmers forced to spray

It appears that an epidemic has hit the fruit growers of California! read here. The new pest called SWD is native to Japan and Asia but has spread out to the states.  These bugs are dangerous because they attack fruit on the trees and then lay eggs.  The pests don't make it to the top of the trees, but that means 1/2 the crop is dead. So what's a farmer to do?  Well how do they keep other pests away?  I guess whatever organic methods the farmers use don't work on these new pests.  So the article says "wash more thoroughly than ever before."  As we've discussed previously, if washing was really going to get off the pesticides then the farmers would have to re-spray after every rain.  We know that isn't happening.  Unfortunately,  the fruits that are most susceptible are thin-skinned fruits, which are also usually the ones on the dirty dozen, or have the highest pesticide content and require the most pesticides.  So what should we do?  Honestly, I'm sorry, a pesticide is a pesticide.  I know you, the organic farmer, hates to resort to them and wouldn't if you didn't, but that doesn't mean I have to resort to them.
The good news is that they are going to research these pests and see what can be done about them.  In about 10 years the SWD will be immune to the pesticide anyway so organic and conventional farmers will all be in the same boat.