There is still quite a bit of low cost produce in September, and this time of year the price isn’t really much different whether you purchase conventionally grown produce, or organically grown, both are low cost when they’re in season and local.

I try my best to use organic, and local produce. I search for fruits and vegetables that are in season and local, or in my garden through the spring, summer, and fall. I’m not perfect about it, but I definitely make an attempt to support organic growers in our area.

Here are a few reasons why it’s good to buy organic when you can.

• It helps protect land fertility.
• Helps to reduce the use of toxic chemicals.
• My favorite reason? In many cases you’re supporting small local family farms (especially when you purchase your produce direct from the source)
• The flavor is usually better, because most small growers plant for flavor, not so their produce can be shipped in huge quantities and stay fresh for several days in transit. They grow produce with great flavors so their customers will come back for more.

Image (c) L Gerlach

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September Is National Organic Harvest Month

So I take my hats off to Dr. Greene, the 100 percent organic man, who has been eating only organic produce (including meat!) for 3 years, even when eating out! Contrary to expectations, eating purely organic food isn’t really that much more expensive, since he has cut his meat intake quite a bit, so it somehow just balances off. Is he better off eating organic? He says he gets sick less often now. But then that could have been to more complex, compounded reasons, rather than simply the switch to organic produce.

Do YOU have what it takes to go purely organic?

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100% Organic Diet for 3 Years

In his newly released book — The Truth About Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks, and the Bottom Line  — Jeff Gillman examines gardening practices and products to prompt gardeners and consumers alike to make informed, responsible, and effective choices.

Here are some examples of eye-openers you will encounter in the book:

• A big reason to choose organically grown food is a pronounced reduction in the amounts of synthetic pesticide residues on organic food. A common belief among people who eat organic food is that pesticides are never, or at least only rarely, used on these foods…it’s highly likely that organic produce, and especially organic produce from plant species that need to be sprayed a lot in conventional production systems—apples, pears, and peaches, among others—contains residues of organic pesticides that may be just as harmful as their synthetic cousins, or, as in the case of some toxins like rotenone, perhaps even more so.
• In truth, gardeners face very few situations where they need to apply a pesticide, especially if other methods of pest control are used. Growers, who depend on their crops for their livelihood, are a different story. If they lose their crops, they lose their livelihood. Certainly pesticides are poisons, but in the quantities found on food, especially if we clean it before we eat it, we just don’t have any reason to believe that they’ll cause problems. Washing fruits and vegetables, especially with hot water, can significantly reduce the amount of pesticides on them and is a good idea for anyone concerned about residues.
• Fruits, vegetables, and other foods that are grown organically are usually touted as being more nutritious than similar foods grown conventionally. More nutritious or not, these foods often do taste a heck of a lot better than foods grown conventionally simply because they’re usually grown locally, meaning that they can ripen on the plant before being picked. Data on the nutritional quality of organic foods isn’t so firmly in favor of organic as taste data is. Many factors are involved in the production of food and when it comes to the nutrient content of food, the factor of organic production versus conventional approaches insignificance compared to the mountain of other factors such as the cultivar of fruit that you’ve selected, the amount of sun the plant received prior to harvest, the climate the plant was growing in, and the amount of water the plants received.
• People who regularly purchase organic food will be aware of the fact that often, and especially with locally grown food, a certain amount of insect damage is found. This damage is the result of a few things inherent to organic growing systems, including less reliance on pesticides, lower efficacy of organic pesticides, and higher tolerance for damage on produce before pesticides are applied. Although it makes fruits and vegetables look less attractive, insect and disease damage might actually be a good thing: it signals the affected plant to produce chemicals to defend itself, and by and large these chemicals are the very antioxidants that are considered beneficial in human diets.
• If you’re worried about synthetic pesticide residues, selecting organic foods for your table is an option, but really that’s just trading one set of pesticides for another that’s been less intensively researched. If you’re really worried about pesticides on your food, you should research plants that are less likely to contain pesticides at all, such as onions, sweet corn, and sweet potatoes, select those for your dinner table, and wash your food well with hot water before eating it.

For more about organic farming and organic foods, get your copy of Jeff Gillman’s The Truth About Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks, and the Bottom Line (Timber Press 2008, $12.95).

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The Truth About Organic Farming

Their organic dried fruits (mango, pineapple, goldenberry, and mulberry) are wonderful for snacks, or as a yogurt topping for a better breakfast. But for me, the clear winner are the organic, fair trade dark chocolate-covered bananas, goji berries, mulberries, cacao nibs and espresso beans. Antioxidant boost!

Am sure these packets will cost a bit more than the regular stuff you get off the grocery shelf, but I think it’s all worth it.

Image from Kopali Organics

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The Ultimate Superfood Snack

Check out the reviews and feedback from those who already got a copy of this book at Amazon. It’s seems to be a great general cookbook to have around, whether you’re using organic ingredients or not.

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Cookbook Giveaway from EarthBound Farm

Take a Bite plunges into the heart of the debate with a powerful message: If we are serious about the crisis, we’ve got to talk about food.With nearly one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions coming from the food and agriculture sector, we at Take a Bite are here to help you learn about the connection between global warming and the food on your plate and what you can do about it.

Is there a tangible connection between ecologically-sound food choices and health? Yes! According to Take a Bite’s Six Climate-Friendly Diet Ideas, organic foods may also have higher levels of essential nutrients and antioxidants. And if you’ve been reading this blog, you should know that in a lot of cases, antioxidants are what lends superfoods the healing powers they have.

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New on the Blogroll: Take a Bite

1. Don’t be afraid of new foods, such as tempeh, tofu and seitan (wheat meat).

2. Make changes that work for you, so you don’t feel deprived.

3. Make it an adventure, and learn new things along the way.

Read more of Joy’s tips from Capessa.

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3 Steps to a Healthier Eating Habit

It seems that there’s one more reason to eat organic: it may be more nutritionally better than their conventionally-grown counterparts. In an article published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, chemists discovered that organic tomatoes have a higher flavonoid content — 79% more quercetin and 97% more kaempferol. These flavonoids have high antioxidant properties and have various beneficial effects on health, due to their antiviral, anti-allergic, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and antioxidant activities.

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More Antioxidants in Organic Tomatoes

The study, conducted by a team of student researchers in the Department of Rural Economy at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, showed that the greenhouse gas emitted when the produce is transported from great distances mitigates the environmental benefits of growing the food organically.

“If you’re buying ‘green’, you should consider the distance the food travels. If it’s travelling further, then some of the benefits of organic crops are cancelled out by extra environmental costs,” said researcher Vicki Burtt.

A better alternative? Buy locally grown produce!

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Organic Food, Not 100% Environmentally Friendly

So if chocolate is not an aphrodisiac, why not make it into one?

An array of organic chocolates bearing unusual names such as ‘Dreamy‘, ‘Beautiful‘, ‘Fantastic‘, ‘Lovely‘, ‘Sexy‘ and ‘Sensual‘ will be showcased at the International Speciality and Fine Foods Fair in London next week. The ‘Sexy‘ chocolate bar is made of Belgian chocolate laced with chili, which contains capsaicin, the compound that gives red chilli pepper its heat, and has been reported by several studies to boost heat generation by the body, and therefore boost metabolism. Aside from that it’s also supposed to act as an aphrodisiac, though I haven’t unearthed any publication that document such powers from chili.

Incidentally, I’ve had a taste of Lindt’s “Mexikanischer Gewürzzauber”, which was delightful–quite an experience, really– but sorry to report, did nothing perceptible to my sexual appetite.

Read more about this sexy chocolate from ConfectioneryNews. If you can’t make it to London for the fair, try whipping up your own sexy combo and try baking these Chocolate and Chili Bites. Your tastebuds will surely get tickled, if nothing else!

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Sexy Chocolate, Chili-Hot!