Buy organic for less

I love to shop and have been known to troll the grocery store for hours, reading labels and comparing prices. Now that I am eating organically my shopping trips have taken on a new challenge. How can I feed my household healthy foods without going to the poorhouse?

Despite recent news stories claiming that organic fruits and veggies are no better for you than conventional, it is still important to me to buy the healthiest foods possible. While organic produce may not contain more vitamins or nutrients than their conventionally grown counterparts, what matters is what you aren’t getting, namely a mouthful of pesticides and chemicals along with your salad.

By definition, organic fruits and veggies are grown and produced without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Organic meats and dairy come from animals that are not administered antibiotics or growth hormones of any kind.

The biggest complaint most people have about buying organic is the price. Organic certification is expensive for farms, and that cost is passed along to the consumer. There are, however, ways to reduce your grocery bill while eating healthfully.

Shop farmers markets. I go to the farmer’s market every week and have found it to be a big money saver. Not only are you getting locally grown produce that it in season, but it is often less expensive than buying the same items at the grocery store. Eating locally not only cuts down on your carbon footprint, since there is less shipping involved from farm to fork produce is often less expensive.

Today I bought all of the produce my household will consume in a week for $25. I bought corn, strawberries, celery, onions, peaches, and even splurged on a $10 pint of the world’s best blueberries. All of the produce was grown within 100 miles of where I live and the corn was picked just hours before I purchased it, which I think is pretty cool. Plus the farmers market is a fun place to hang out. You can grab a coffee, buy some freshly baked cookies, and chat up a farmer while you do your shopping.

Another tip: If you are on a really tight budget, shop the farmer’s market at the end of the day. The vendors will often give produce away for a song to avoid having to pack it back up.

Ask questions. Just because an item isn’t labeled organic doesn’t mean it is laden with pesticides. Becoming a “certified organic” farm is expensive and many small farms use organic practices but skip the certification. Anything labeled “spray-free” or “no spray” is a healthy option.

Learn the questions to ask at a farmers market here.

Join a CSA. A CSA — or community supported agriculture — is a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation making it, in essence, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. In a nutshell, you pay a monthly membership fee for a weekly delivery of produce. Some farms will also delver dairy products, eggs, and meat.

I belonged to a CSA for a year, and it was a terrific experience. After working a 40-hour week, I loved the convenience of having fruits and veggies delivered to my doorstep. I paid $25 per week (prices vary) and had a big box of fruits, veggies, and eggs delivered without having to physically go to the store. Convenience aside, I loved knowing that I had met the flock of chickens that produced my eggs and shaken the hand of the farmer who grew my apples.

While programs vary, my CSA did not allow recipients to choose what went into the boxes. You got what they had ripe that week. Personally, I liked the surprise each week, and the challenge of figuring out how to use turnips and beet greens broadened my stagnant kitchen repertoire.

To find a CSA in your area, check Local Harvest.

Know the Dirty Dozen. It isn’t imperative to buy all of your produce organic, so learn what the Environmental Working Group has dubbed the Dirty Dozen, or the crops that hang on to the most pesticides in the growing process. Strawberries, when grown conventionally, suck in pesticide like sponges, so spring for the organic variety. Avocados, on the other hand, are clean crops so buying conventional is fine.

The EWG will send you this hand guide to organic produce. I keep one on my fridge and do a refresher course every time I head out to the market.

Heather O’Neill is the founder of Eco to the People, a green living blog. You can email her at heather@ecotothepeople.com.

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