The story of organic fresh fruits and vegetables, as available to us as buyers through commercial channels, is at the same both hopeful and discouraging. On the one hand, more and more farmers are become aware of the long-term deleterious effects on their land of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and are swinging over to organic methods of farming; and these are not mere backyard gardeners but large-scale growers. This is great news for those of us who like our fruits and vegetables pure, fresh, and tasty, for it means that sky-high organic produce prices will gradually become lower and that there will be more things organic for everyone.
On the other hand, however, the picture is not so promising. As anyone who commonly buys organic produce is aware, the costs are easily twice as much as their non-organic counterparts. While some would say this is a small price to pay for health and safety, the fact remains that for many of us buying everything organic is simply not an option. Not everyone can afford to spend for a single artichoke. What to do about it? First, try to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season in the area where you live. They are more likely to be fresh-picked, and the prices of in-season produce are consistently lower than when trying to buy out of season. Also, the sources will probably be nearby, and you can visit them and satisfy yourself as to their integrity and quality. Of course, there are many items that we have grown accustomed to eating that can never be local – bananas, or citrus fruit, or avacados. In this case, it is even more important to purchase these items organically grown only, as many imported fruits and vegetables are contaminated with pesticides that are now outlawed that are known to cause cancer and nerve damage, both in those who ingest the pesticides and in the farmworkers who have to handle them.
One might well wonder whether in the end it is worth all the time and money to buy organic fruits and vegetables. Often the flavor of a well-grown tomato or orange is so superlative that it seems worth any amount of trouble and money to obtain it. Other times, however, you will find yourself with an organically raised bunch of spinach or celery that frankly just does not taste that much different from its chemically raised counterpart. And then the natural reaction is to quickly beat it back to the supermarket and its easier prices. En route, however, remember that you will then be feeding yourself and your family any one of some forty-two chemicals that the department of agriculture has deemed “safe” to a certain level of tolerance. Often this level is passed, but only occasionally are foods officially detected and recalled. Conventional produce is also likely to be gassed to hasten “ripening” to be dyed, soaked in antibiotic fluids to delay ripening, packed in wrappings treated with toxic materials to prevent rotting – in addition to all the pesticides that cannot be washed or peeled off, for they penetrate through the roots to the very heart of the matter.
Add to the risk of pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables the now hotly debated rise in GMO, or genetically modified organisms, foods to the marketplace, and we have a new reason to go rushing toward organically grown and non-GMO produce. Though it is true that gardeners, farmers, and scientists - have been creating “hybrid” plants for generations – crossing broccoli with cauliflower, for instance – this is not at all the same as crossing a gene from a totally unrelated species with the genetic material of another. Want some concrete examples of GMOs that are grown? Spider genes in goats. Fish genes in tomatoes. Rat and human genes in trout. Mouse and human genes in potatoes. So far, thirty countries have banned, or propose to ban GMO crops. Let us hope that the will power and the wisdom to do the same. In the meantime, be sure to buy organic and GMO-free corn, potato, and soy products, as there are increasingly grown from genetically modified seeds.
A last note on organically raised fresh produce: Take the occasional wormhole as evidence of a healthful upbringing. Do not demand chemically induced perfect appearance in organic fruits and vegetables; but do always insist on freshness. And remember, by buying organically grown, GMO-free produce, you are not only protecting your own health and the health of your family, but you are protecting the farmworkers, the people who live near the farms, the earth’s water supplies, and the very soil beneath your feet.
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