Finding the Best Veggies
Finding the Best Veggies
How to get the best vegetables to your table
Seems like this should be a no-brainer, right? Just go to your supermarket and hit up the produce aisle – no problem. The truth, however, is that vegetable purchasing can actually be a bit more confusing than that. Do you buy standard produce or organic? Is organic more fresh? What about farmers’ markets, CSA and local growers? We’re answering all these questions and more to help you get the best vegetables possible on your plate.
What’s the deal with organic produce?
Organic food is officially defined as food, “that’s been grown and processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation.” Organic food growers undergo rigorous inspections of their practices to ensure that everything from the soil to any plant food used are natural. Cloning and genetic engineering are also strictly prohibited.9
It’s because of these strict guidelines and the cost involved with growing food organically that organic produce is typically more expensive that regular produce – sometimes up to double on the per pound cost. It’s for this reason that many families on a budget are better served just getting more fresh vegetables on the shopping trip than just a few organics for the same amount of money.
The key to understanding here is that organic produce is not “fresher” than the regular produce sitting next to it on the shelf. It’s a matter of how it’s grown, not when. In this light, organic is more about a personal choice of what you want touching the food you put in your body, instead of a question of how fresh or good the produce is. In many cases, things prevented by organic growing practices can actually be considered good, such as irradiation, which is used to kill bacteria in the produce. As mentioned above, organic farmers have to go through a more rigorous process to give the same result naturally.
How do I get fresher produce?
Depending on where you are in the country, the answer can vary. Almost anywhere you live however – even in more urban areas – you can find fresher produce alternatives to what you get in your supermarket. What you need to look for are farmers’ markets, local growers associations or CSA organizations in your local area.
Most people are familiar with farmers’ markets – where local farmers (usually family farms in the area) sell fresh produce and more at small stands in a public area. Some areas have farmer’s markets that last year-round, while others are only seasonal. Check with your local chamber of commerce or local community center, or you can search online as there are a number of websites that provide full lists of the markets held around the country.
In addition to farmers’ markets, many areas have local growers associations and/or community supported agriculture (CSA) programs. Both of these are similar in the service they provide – local farmers selling produce locally.
With local growers, the idea is akin to what happens at the market, you just don’t have a central buying location. You buy your produce directly from the farm, directly from the farmer. This means it’s not only fresher, but you have the added little boost that you’re helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint (local buying means no cross-country shipping) – and supporting local farmers!
CSA programs are along the same lines, but are a little more involved. In a community supported agriculture program, you buy “shares” of the farmer’s crop. These “shares” are then paid each week during harvest – typically in the form of an actual box of produce. You get fresh vegetables each week, while giving the farm a pre-harvest investment to contribute to the success of that year’s crop.
The nice thing about all of these fresh produce options is that you help your local growers, which is becoming increasingly imperative for the continued survival and success of their farms. It also reduces your carbon footprint, at the same time that you’re putting fresher produce on your family’s dinner plate. No matter how you purchase your vegetables, though, the important thing for your healthier diet is that you incorporate them.
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11http://www.localharvest.org/csa/