ALMOST ORGANIC: When close is good enough

  Everyone has to set their own standards on what they will let pass their lips. And while some people have appallingly low standards (Vienna Sausage? Really?), I find that most people don't fall strictly into a certain "food camp."  Sure, there are the rare few who insist they won't eat anything non-organic, non-GMO free, non-local, etc., but for my family there quite a bit of middle ground. And in the world of organics, there is plenty of middle ground, mostly made up of farms that are pesticide free, and using sustainable practices but not necessarily certified organic. Don't fool yourself. Becoming certified is very difficult and extremely expensive. Smaller farms often don't have the money or manpower to become certified, but are often much closer to the idyllic picture we have in our heads when we think of organic farming than their grocery store brand, certified organic counterparts.
  We've all been there. You find yourself shopping in the local grocery store and pick up a box of organic granola with a picturesque farm on the front. You feel pretty good about your purchase, right? But the utopic daydreams we have when we buy a box of Cascadian Farm and their ilk are often misplaced. I'm sure Cascadian Farm is a lovely place, full of rainbows and unicorns, but it is also owned by General Mills.

Wait, what?

Yep.

So before you feel too warm and fuzzy about your organic granola dollars going towards the Cascadian Farms Bunny and Butterfly Garden Endowment Fund, you might want to think outside the box (no pun intended). There is big money in that little "USDA Organic" label, and the big companies are taking notice. You might be surprised to find out who owns your favorite organic brand (Google it if you don't believe me).  And more importantly, if you purchase foods based solely on that label then you are missing out on a whole slew of local options that are right under your nose. There are a great deal of local farms that are producing high quality "almost organic" foods within an hours drive of Raleigh. The "almost organic" farmers are using many of the same practices as the certified organic farmers, they just aren't getting certified.

Below I've listed some local farms that are producing products that while perhaps not certified organic, are in my mind, close enough. I've also listed some certified organic farms. One of the benefits of buying locally is that if you are ever in doubt, most of these places allow farm tours. You can see where your food comes from, ask questions, and truly feel good about where your money is going. And visiting a farm can be a fun family outing, especially if they have animals. The appeal  of chickens and goats to a 2 year old is really amazing.

Contrarian Farms - Pittsboro, NC
Fox Hollow Farms- Apex, NC
Hilltop Farms - Willow Spring, NC
Old Millburnie Farm - Raleigh NC
Double T Farm - Garner, NC
Ray Family Farms - Louisburg, NC
Stone Wall Plantation - Raleigh ,NC
Btown Farm - Durham, NC
Bull City Farm - Bahama, NC
Vollmer Farm - Bunn, NC
Let It Grow Farm - Selma, NC
Possum Spring Farm - Wendell, NC

This is by no means a comprehensive list. Visit www.localharvest.org for full descriptions and more local farms. I will be trying to visit some of these in the upcoming months (bold farms are ones I have already been to and can give a stamp of approval).

THE ORGANIC JUNGLE: Wading through food labeling

If I ever win the lottery, I will start shopping 100 percent organic. Sure my grocery bill will triple, but what's money to me, a multi-millionaire? In reality, I buy as much organic as I can afford. By now everyone knows about the "Dirty Dozen" and the "Clean Fifteen". Our family pretty much follows these guidelines strictly. The items that fall in the middle? Well, that just depends on the budget and the price. But I definitely want to make sure I'm spending our money on the RIGHT products. Do my bananas need to be organic? What about rice? Does "all natural" mean anything or is it just a marketing ploy? It can be dizzying. Whole foods are pretty easy - they are either organic or they are not. Cut and dry. Packaged foods get a little tricky however. The standards of organic labeling are confusing to say the least. I read labels carefully, and even I get tricked occasionally. Recently, I saw this item on clearance at Harris Teeter for $1.89 each

Wow - what a great price for organic chicken stock, right? Read the label more closely (as I should have). What the hell is organic "chicken flavored" stock? Think reading the ingredients list will clear it up?

 

Oh, really? Organic chicken flavor is made of organic chicken flavor and salt? How enlightening. Honestly, I'm not sure I even want to know. Likely some kind of ground up chicken parts. But hey, its organic! Just goes to show that packaging can be misleading. You have to read carefully. For example, I was recently getting ready to put some organic cereal bars into my cart, when I noticed that the package actually said "made with organic ingredients." What's the difference? Well, as it turns out, a lot.  There are some foods that I'm perfectly OK with being just partially organic, because they don't contain any conventional "red flag items" (grains, meat, dairy and the dirty dozen). But this particular product while made of organic wheat, contained conventional strawberries. Strawberries are one of the DIRTIEST, so back on the shelf it went.
So for a little clarity on the matter, I visited www.organic.org . Here is what their Web site said.

"100% Organic—Foods bearing this label are made with 100% organic ingredients* and may display the USDA Organic seal.

Organic—These products contain at least 95–99% organic ingredients (by weight). The remaining ingredients are not available organically but have been approved by the NOP. These products may display the USDA Organic seal.

Made With Organic Ingredients—Food packaging that reads “Made With Organic Ingredients” must contain 70–94% organic ingredients. These products will not bear the USDA Organic seal; instead, they may list up to three ingredients on the front of the packaging.

Other—Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may only list organic ingredients on the information panel of the packaging. These products will not bear the USDA Organic seal."

I really try to not get bogged down in the minutia of it all, but sometimes reading labels is important. Now if I had to choose between a packaged treat full of GMOs and pesticides and something only "made with organic ingredients", the I'd go with the latter. But sometimes I find myself reading the label and finding a red flag, like the conventional strawberries. In that case I just choose another product entirely. Shopping organically on a budget means you have to be flexible and not necessarily have your heart set on 100% Organic Strawberry Cereal Bars, cause guess what? They don't exist.

And just in case you need the 2013 Dirty Dozen, Clean Fifteen list:

12 Most Contaminated

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (Imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce

15 Least Contaminated

• Onions
• Sweet corn (maybe technically low in pesticides, but I limit this due to GMO concern. Sweet corn used to be mostly non-GMO but has changed in the last few years. In a word: Monsanto)
• Pineapples
• Avocado
• Cabbage
• Sweet peas
• Asparagus
• Mangoes
• Eggplant
• Kiwi
• Cantaloupe (domestic)
• Sweet potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Papayas
• Mushrooms