Natural Home : What's on Your Table

'We now eat food grown by unnatural processes which make use of a host of chemical substances: hormones, antibiotics, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides - of which residues are to be found in nearly all the food commercially available today.Edward Goldsmith, The Ecologist, Vol 30 No 7, October 2000

To Buy or Not to Buy

Based on mounting evidence, there seems to be little question that organic foods are superior to non-organic ones.

Organically grown food is your best way of reducing exposure to toxins used in conventional agricultural practices. These toxins include not only pesticides, many of which have been federally classified as potential cancer-causing agents, but also heavy metals such as lead and mercury and solvents like benzene and toluene.

Minimizing exposure to these toxins is of major benefit to your health. Heavy metals damage nerve function, contributing to diseases such as multiple sclerosis and lowering IQ, and also block hemoglobin production, causing anemia. Solvents damage white cells, lowering the immune system's ability to resist infections. In addition to significantly lessening your exposure to these health-robbing substances, organically grown foods have been shown to contain substantially higher levels of nutrients such as protein, vitamin C and many minerals.

However accessibility and cost are factors in any purchasing decisions. Let's clarify from the onset. Eating non-organic fruits and vegetables is better than eating none at all. It is also important to note that fresh, cleaned non-organic produce is better than organic produce that has wilted or gone past its prime.

If you must buy conventional produce, wash thoroughly but remember all pesticide residues cannot be removed by washing. To clean your vegetables, soak them in a sink full of water (ideally this should be filtered water, not tap. ) with 4 to 8 ounces of distilled vinegar for 30 minutes. Remove the outer layer of leaves. Peel produce when possible.

Once vegetables are picked they begin to lose nutrients. While there is no way to avoid this loss--other than growing the vegetables yourself and eating them right from the vine--you can easily increase the staying power of your vegetables by storing them properly.

The key is to keep as much air away from the vegetables as possible once you get them home. To do this, simply squeeze as much air as you can out of the bag that holds the vegetables and then seal it. The bag should look like it is vacuum-packed. To bleed the air out of the bag, hold it against your chest and running your arm over the bottom of the bag to the top. This will double or triple the normal storage life of the vegetables.

Adjust Your Eating Habits

Adjusting your eating habits can also lower your intake of pesticides. Buy organic produce selectively. Go to Environmental Working Group's FoodNews.org to determine which foods have lower amounts of presticides. They have a download of a report card you can place in your wallet which you can refer to when shopping.

Foods Which Should be Organic

Ideally, our entire diet should be made up of wholesome, healthy organic and clean foods. Key organic foods:
1. Produce that is commonly treated with chemicals, such as peaches, strawberries and animals;
2. Produce where you consume the leafy portion of the greens or broccoli. Theys are commonly sprayed.
3. Produce that you consume frequently, whereby you'll get higher accumulated exposure over time, as in apples or bananas.
4. Baby foods
5. Any genetically modified susceptible foods like corn, wheat and rice.
6. Spices, herbs derives from leafy forms such as basil, oregano and teas.

Save Your Dollars

Some other organically produced foods may not be worth the added cost. These are based on the concept that very hard shelled foods, of which the shell is not eaten, are safer. Another example is maple syrup. There is no incidence of pesticide use in woodlots. Also, wild crafted foods, or forest grown foods are without pesticides. Foods which come from sprouts, on which pesticides may not have been sprayed due to the quickness of food growth, as in asparagus.
Maple syrup
Nuts
Wild leeks
Wild mushrooms
Fiddleheads
Nettle shoots
Coffee

Who should you trust?

Yourself. Organic farmers go through a fairly challenging process to become certified, which can take up to three years. These standards include such items as improvement of soil quality; ethical treatment of animals; storage and marketing of food without exposure to contaminants; absolutely no use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides; no use of hormones or manure refeeding to animals; and no irradiation or genetically altered seed or stock. Become an educated consumer.

Where To Start

Buying local is important. This is probably one of the more difficult steps but by giving up your dependence on conventional supermarkets your options open up considerably. Limiting yourself to the organic section or natural foods section of your grocer is a great way to pay too much for your more wholesome food selections.

Do some research. These days there are tons of places to buy organic foods. Besides the supermarkets, you can find them in health food stores, specialty stores, co-ops, gourmet delis, farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture programs, convenience stores and even vending machines. If you navigate to the community section many of these farmers have been listed. Shop around. If you don't, there's a good chance you're paying too much for your organic food.

Find out what the terms mean. For example "whole" foods, refer to grain products where the whole grain is used. Don't confuse it with whole wheat. Free-range refers to poultry that has been raised not in a barn, but free to roam, with access to green grass, sunlight, natural ventilation and feed without antibiotics, growth promoters or meat byproducts.

Remember to ask questions. Make your supplier accountable. Whether you shop at a major chain or a farmers' market, if they can't answer where the produce comes from and how it's produced you should be careful about be buying it.

Buy a share in a community-supported agriculture program. Basically, you pay a portion of a local farm's operating expenses. In return, you receive weekly boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables in the upcoming harvest.

Join a co-op. A food cooperative is a member-owned business that provides groceries and other products to its members at a discount. Many of the products lining the shelves of co-ops are organic and much of the produce comes from local family farms.

Buy in season. The absolute best time to buy organic fruit or vegetables is at the peak of its growing season.

Prepare for off-season. Freeze or perserve.

Rethink your food budget. Free up more dollars for organic food by trimming the fat from your conventional food budget. Add up all the dollars you spend every month on food, including fast food meals, morning cups of coffee, bagels and even trips to vending machines.

A small change in your eating habits could free up the money you need to buy the organic foods that you really want.

Storing Organic Produce

Artichokes: Put in plastic bags with a little sprinkle of water (not too much water or the artichokes will get moldy,) and store them in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator so they won't dehydrate. If an artichoke looks a bit dehydrated just cut the brown part off the bottom of the stem and put the artichoke in a bowl of water. Artichokes will keep about a week in the high-humidity bin of your refrigerator.
Asparagus: Cut off an inch from the bottom, wrap the fresh-cut areas in wet paper toweling, place in a plastic bag or container and store in the

refrigerator crisper drawer. This will increase the storage life beyond the normal recommended storage time of three or four days, although the flavor will gradually deteriorate.
Bell Peppers: They like cool not cold temperatures, ideally about 45°F to 50°F with good humidity. Peppers are ethylene sensitive, so they should not be stored near ethylene-producing food such as pears or apples. Put peppers in plastic bags and they will keep up to five days in the refrigerator. Green peppers will keep slightly longer than the other, more ripe, varieties.
Broccoli: Store broccoli in the high-humidity vegetable crisper of your refrigerator for up to three days.
Cabbage: Head cabbage stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator's humid vegetable bin will last at least a week. Savoy and Napa cabbages should be consumed within three or four days. Kohlrabi globes will last a few weeks in the refrigerator, but the leaves are more perishable and should be used within a few days.
Carrots: Remove their green tops, rinse, drain, and put the carrots in plastic bags and store them in the coldest part of the refrigerator with the highest humidity. They'll last several months this way. To keep the carrots crisp and colorful add a little bit of water in the bottom of the plastic storage bag; this will keep the carrots hydrated. Carrots should be stored away from fruits such as apples and pears, which release the ethylene gas that cause carrots to become bitter.
Cauliflower: Place in a plastic bag and store in your refrigerator crisper. When stored properly, cauliflower will last up to five days; however, it is best when eaten within three days.
Celery: To store celery, trim the base and remove any leaves or ribs that are damaged or bruised. Rinse, place in a plastic bag and keep in the refrigerator's humid vegetable bin, and it will last about two weeks. Be sure to keep celery away from the coldest sections of your refrigerator (the back and side walls), since celery freezes easily. Frozen celery stalks will be limp and watery when thawed. As with carrots, sprinkle or add water to the plastic bag to maintain the freshness of the celery. Cut celery (unwashed), stored in well-sealed plastic bags, will last about three days. Celery can be stored refrigerated in a plastic bag for 7-10 days.
Corn: Refrigerate your corn in the high humidity storage bin as soon as you get home. It is best to refrigerate corn with the husks attached to keep it moist, but if the corn has already been husked, partially or fully, refrigerate it in a perforated plastic bag.
Cucumbers: Store in a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator at a temperature between 45°F and 50°F for up to a week.
Eggplant: Does not like severe cold, so the front part of the refrigerator where the temperature is around 46°F to 54°F is ideal for storage. Eggplant is ethylene sensitive, so store it away from ethylene-producing produce such as apples. If kept in a plastic bag (to retain moisture,) eggplants will last up to five days.
Green Onions: Store green onions/scallions & leeks away from odor-sensitive foods such as corn and mushrooms, which will absorb the odor of the onions. Remove any rubber bands and any damaged leaves and store in plastic bags in the crisper section of the refrigerator. They'll both last up to five days.
Green Beans: Place green beans in a perforated plastic bag and store them in the refrigerator crisper. Although they will keep longer, up to 5 days, enjoy them within 2-3 days.
Garlic: Stored under optimum conditions in a dark, cool, dry place with plenty of ventilation, garlic will last from several weeks to one year. Ideally, try to use fresh garlic within a few weeks and do not refrigerate unless the garlic has been peeled or chopped.
Mushrooms: Paper bags are commonly recommended for storing mushrooms. The paper bag will absorb moisture from the mushrooms, so consider putting the paper bag in a larger perforated plastic bag. This two-bag system will allow the mushrooms to breathe but not go dry. Store mushrooms on the refrigerator shelf, and not necessarily in the vegetable crisper drawer. Mushrooms absorb odors like a sponge, so keep them away from foods with strong aromas. Properly stored mushrooms should last several days. Don't clean or chop mushrooms until you're ready to use them.
Onions: Store in a cool, dry, well ventilated place, in single layers. Choose and store pearl and boiler onions in a similar fashion. If the onions at home show signs of sprouting, cut away the sprouts and use them immediately.
Potatoes: Potatoes like cool (45°F to 50°F) humid (but not wet) surroundings, but refrigeration can turn the starch in the potatoes to sugar and may tend to darken them when cooked. Store in burlap, brown paper, or perforated plastic bags away from light, in the coolest, non-refrigerated, and well-ventilated part of the house. Under ideal conditions they can last up to three months this way, but more realistically, figure three to five weeks. New potatoes should be used within one week of purchase. Don't store onions and potatoes together, as the gases they each give off, will cause the other to decay.
Radishes: When you buy radishes with the greens still intact, immediately separate the two when you get home. Radishes will last up to two weeks inside a plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator, but greens have a much shorter shelf life. only a few days. Keep both well chilled.
Salad Greens: Lettuce will perish quickly if not stored properly. Lettuces like moisture and cool temperatures, so store lettuce in perforated plastic bags wrapped in damp paper towels, and keep in the refrigerator vegetable crisper.
Spinach: When you get bunched spinach home, untie it, remove any blemished leaves, trim off the stems, and wash it thoroughly in cold water. Repeat if necessary until you're sure all the grit is gone. Spin dry in a salad spinner or drain well, then put into clean plastic bags very loosely wrapped with paper towels. It will last only two to three days, so plan on eating your rinsed spinach right away. Cold, moist surroundings, as low as 32°F and about 95% humidity are the best for storing spinach.
Summer Squash: Summer squash should be kept cool but not cold, about 41° F to 50° F with good humidity. Uncut melons in plastic bags will last several days in the refrigerator.
Sweet Potatoes: Store Sweet Potatoes between 55°F and 65°F in a dark, dry, cool place, for up to one month, or use within one week if stored at room temperature. If refrigerated, their natural sugar will turn to starch and ruin the flavor.
Tomatoes: Tomatoes should never be refrigerated until they (1) have been cooked, (2) have been cut or put into a raw dish like a salsa, or (3) are fully ripe and would spoil if left further at room temperature. Place tomatoes stem end up, and don't put them on a sunny windowsill to hasten ripening. Instead, put tomatoes in a sealed paper bag with or without ethylene-producing fruit such as bananas. Ripe tomatoes will hold at room temperature for two or three days. Ripe tomatoes you've refrigerated to keep from spoiling will taste better if you bring them to room temperature before eating.
Winter Squash: Winter squash should not be refrigerated unless cut. Stored at 50°F to 55°F away from light in a well ventilated spot with low humidity, it will keep for up to three months. Cut squash will keep about one week when wrapped tightly and refrigerated.

 

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