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MarilynW
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As I am trying to figure out how to be frugal and still healthy, I am streamlining my organic/natural buying. The items I really do not want to compromise on (and keep buying organic or natural) if we can afford it are:
- milk
- butter
- yogurt
- beef (grassfed natural)
- eggs
- raisins
- apples
- pears
- chicken (natural - no antibiotics/hormones)
But I was a little discouraged when I went on my fact finding trip to Costco and noticed the huge price differentials between organic/non-organic on items such as butter and ground beef.
What do you consider essential to buy organic/natural? How do you manage to eat healthy food/support sustainable agriculture on a budget?
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Mackfam
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If I had to pare it down to absolute essentials, Marilyn, here's what I would focus on...
**grassfed beef
**milk
**yogurt
**apples
**pears
**potatoes
That's it.
If you're looking at cutting out some of your expenses, try to keep the core of your shopping lists healthy and from the outside of the store. Shop at the farmer's market if you can for local and fresh. I try to buy apples, pears, and potatoes organic because we eat the skins of those items.
Purchasing organic chicken will *sometimes* ensure a more humane environment for the chicken, but all chicken is required to be hormone and antibiotic free...all chicken. I'd let that one go and buy a bag of breasts from Costco (if you keep your membership). Same with eggs. Your best bet is to buy local if you can. If you can find a local farmer with chickens that roam, buy his eggs. Otherwise, just buy the regular eggs in the store. Those are staples of the diet and would save a ton of $$ if you don't buy free-range from the store.
I'd probably look into some grain purchases - oatmeal, wheat, etc. - from a co-op like Nissa's. That would be a good route for organic at an affordable price and you'd be buying in bulk.
I think if you do your best to cut out as much "convenience" stuff as possible and shop the outer aisles, you can do this pretty frugally. I know you've already considered or done that, Marilyn. Consider dessert only on Sundays. We do meatless on 3-4 nights a week substituting black beans or another bean for protein in many of our meals. That stretches the meat purchase for us! We cut out milk for everything but the bare minimum. There are other dietary ways to get calcium in, cutting back on milk was a big help for us. Making snack bars at home cuts out a lot of the convenience stuff for us.
And then, just do what you can do. If this doesn't fit in your budget, let it go. Feed your family with the same care and concern you always have used, but without organic. You can still avoid processed, bleached, and preservatives. You'll still be looking for the healthiest option.
Just my 2 cents.
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KackyK
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A great 2 cents Jen!
Please share the snack bar recipe!
Everything you said about the chickens is exactly what I was thinking.
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MarilynW
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Thanks Jen - I can always count on you!
I didn't know that about chicken - I have always ordered Amish chicken from our coop. I presume the same rule does not apply to beef? I have heard that lamb is generally pastured even if non-organic.
We too do very little milk - one gallon a week for our family - we are not milk drinkers.
We do very little convenience food - (except when I have hyperemesis  ) - bake most things at home etc. We too make granola bars at home. Kacky - I make my own granola (oats, olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla and raisins) and then use these to make Rachel Ray's bars which I like because all the other recipes I have require egg (and I have an egg allergic child)
I do buy oats, rice, kamut and flour in bulk from our coop.
Jen - what's your view on butter? I notice that 4lbs of regular butter in Costco is the same as 1lb of organic butter in Trader Joe's - aagh! We are butter eaters  - cooking, eating and baking - and it would help if we switched.
Dessert once a week - we do yogurt or fruit as "dessert" in the week - and "pudding" (ie sweet dessert on Sundays.
Fruit is a huge expense for us though - I don't really want to cut back. The baby who is going through a picky phase will eat any fruit. All the kids are fruit eaters - I have to figure this out. Maybe I just peel nonorganic fruit?
Thanks again
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Mackfam
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MarilynW wrote:
| I didn't know that about chicken - I have always ordered Amish chicken from our coop. I presume the same rule does not apply to beef? |
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No, the same rule does not apply to beef. We are very happy supporting and buying from a local farmer who raises pasture fed beef. If you have a local farmer that can supply you with chickens at a reasonable cost (I don't  ), and if that fits in your budget - I'd sure go for that. If you can't make that work for some reason, buying a bag of chicken breasts from Costco is still a fairly healthy option.
MarilynW wrote:
| Jen - what's your view on butter? |
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Well, I didn't include butter in my "must haves" for organic foods because I don't buy "certified organic" butter. I DO buy lots and lots of butter and I don't skimp on it. I buy Amish butter by the case from Whole Foods. You can get a better price if you buy a case from them (that's 12/2lb logs) and the Amish DO pasture feed their cows so all of the health benefits from a grass-munchin' cow pass to the butter! I use butter in everything, Marilyn...everything! We don't have a Whole Foods store around here, so when I go to my moms, we pass by, buy a case and we're off. One thing I've learned, the butter changes from seasons to season and grass to grass. It makes sense that if a cow is munching on a different pasture, in a different season, the butter will taste different. The richest tasting butter is the yellowest - though they're all a pale yellow (nothing is added to them to color them - the color is dependent on the grass). So, I've learned to grab the yellowest logs of butter. I can occassionally find Amish butter at my farmers market and the farmer who sells pasture fed beef to us also sells the Amish butter so it's available at places other than Whole Foods if you look around.
MarilynW wrote:
| Maybe I just peel nonorganic fruit? |
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You can do that. So sad when so much of the good fiber is in the peel. When I Vitamix a smoothie I usually throw in the peel, too because it's so good for you! A very good product for washing off most of the residue and pesticide as well is FIT vegetable wash. I use it on everything in my kitchen, and I love it. Soap and water is very effective, but FIT works better on leafy greens because you can prepare a solution and soak it and it gets in all of the out of the way places. This might be a good compromise for you, Marilyn...just buy the freshest and most local produce you can, wash it very well, and eat in peace, my friend!
HTH! 
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trish
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The only other things I might add are onions and bananas. Both potatoes and onions are sprayed with an anti-sprout chemical before they are harvested. Bananas are so sticky from spray residue. If you can't buy organic at least wash them before you peel them.
As for the butter what Jennifer said. Buy the yellowest butter you can find. (without colour of course) We don't scrimp on butter either and I'd sooner go with out milk first.
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Elizabeth
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Marilyn
I buy Amish butter through QUail Cove. It's grassfed, I'm pretty sure but the farm hasn't gone through the organic certifying process. I buy the Gerber chicken you do, but I'm sort of bothered by the fact that they're so proud to be "vegetarian fed." That means they're not free-range because free range chickens eat bugs and such. But they're also not factory birds. Compromise, I s'pose. I have ordered beef and pork from Polyface in bulk for several seasons. I've been disappointed in customer service. I think it's just growing pains, but they have had really long lines waiting to pick up and they've shorted my order for the last two years. They've always made it right but it's still way expensive. There's a huge difference in the quality and taste of free range pork.I want nothing to do with grocery store pork after our free range experience--it's a completely different meat. All that said, I'd love to find another supplier of all meat...
(And I'd love to find affordable, legal raw milk, too, but that's not going to happen in Virginia unless I buy a cow.)
I also buy eggs by the case from Quail Cove and I'm thrilled with the quality. My children are all screaming...'scuse me.
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KackyK wrote:
| Please share the snack bar recipe! |
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Well, I have been using the bar recipe from LLL's Whole Foods for the Whole Family for years because I can just vary my granola recipe according to the season and our taste...
Quote:
1 egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 T. honey
2 Cups granola
Combine egg, peanut butter, and honey in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in granolal Spread evenly in 8 x 8 dish. Chill until firm, cut into bars. Store in fridge. |
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Then, I saw one that Jodie makes that I want to try (substituting carob or chocolate chips for raisins)
JodieLyn wrote:
1/4 c oil
3/4 c apple sauce
1/2 c honey
1 t vanilla
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking pwd
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3 c. oats
1 c raisins (optional)
mix together and spread in a greased 9x11 cake pan. bake at 350 for 20 min |
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And, then I am a huge fan of King Arthur's Flour...if you have their Whole Grain Baking cookbook they include a number of really yummy bar recipes in there!
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TracyFD
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Organic coffee and chocolate are products for which I am willing to spend extra. This is from Ann Louise Gittleman: (sorry, I can't get the italics to work)
Even if you’ve "gone organic," you may not realize that the most toxic foods around are ones you may still be ingesting: coffee and chocolate. Both coffee and chocolate are loaded with pesticides because many xenohormonic pesticides [fat-soluble petrochemical toxins that accumulate over time and function like hormone disruptors] that are forbidden in this country are used in countries exporting their coffee and cocoa beans to us. For example, cocoa beans (used to make chocolate) are often dripping with pesticides like lindane, a pesticide the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] considers "probably carcinogenic." And so, if you are still addicted to chocolate, I urge you to at least search out brands that are certified organic. Coffee lovers might look for certified organic coffee as well as the words shade grown on the label to ensure that the coffee beans didn’t come in contact with the pesticides from the plantation-grown variety.
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Martha in VA
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Elizabeth wrote:
I buy Amish butter through QUail Cove.
I also buy eggs by the case from Quail Cove and I'm thrilled with the quality. |
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Oh why, oh WHY can't I get these folks to deliver to Charlottesville. I've tried. 
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Elizabeth wrote:
Marilyn
All that said, I'd love to find another supplier of all meat...
(And I'd love to find affordable, legal raw milk, too, but that's not going to happen in Virginia unless I buy a cow.)
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Elizabeth
I have a couple of other suppliers I have used for beef, lamb and pork. (I am on the Polyface list but have never done even though the Reston drop is 5 minutes away) We have a lovely family farm (homeschoolers) that we have always got beef from. I get my raw milk through a very good coop - nothing iffy - but I am a member of CARE. If you would like I can send all the information to your email - later today as I have some bridge repairing to do first For the raw milk I can only give you an email and refer you. The same coop does pork too - I have not bought but have heard it is very good.
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Sarah
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Here's my list:
All meat (at least farm-raised if not Organic)
milk
eggs
butter
coffee
green peppers (all peppers- highly sprayed)
celery (very highly sprayed)
carrots
salad
potatoes
sweet potatoes
flour
frozen berries (watch out for grown in China)
I try to buy but if not then we peel:
apples, pears, and other produce
I wish we could get everything organic cheaper and more easily.
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TracyFD
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I agree, Sarah! I think I spend way too much on organic food. Just think of organic food as "honestly priced". After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan my perspective of the agriculture industry was broadened. I realize more fully that conventionally grown food does not reflect the price of the ill effects on health and environment, government crop subsidies, etc.
Pollan visited the Polyface Farm and much of the book is about the responsible and sensible farming practices used there. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in organic food.
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MarilynW
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Thanks Jen and everyone for the responses. Lots of chew on (no pun intended)
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molly
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Actually, if you are buying yellow butter, there is color added to it. We make our own butter, from pasture fed cows and it is off white. Same color as every friend I have that makes their own.
To save on butter; if you can get raw milk, butter is super simple to make!
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8kids4me
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TracyFD wrote:
After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan my perspective of the agriculture industry was broadened. I realize more fully that conventionally grown food does not reflect the price of the ill effects on health and environment, government crop subsidies, etc.
Pollan visited the Polyface Farm and much of the book is about the responsible and sensible farming practices used there. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in organic food. |
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His new book, "In Defense of Food" is excellent as well. I also just read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. I'm trying to get my husband to read them now, though after having a burger made from local grass fed beef, I think he's sold!
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molly wrote:
| Actually, if you are buying yellow butter, there is color added to it. We make our own butter, from pasture fed cows and it is off white. Same color as every friend I have that makes their own. |
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I wonder if that has to do with the type grass your cows graze on, molly? I have seen Amish butter range from white to a deep yellow with most of the butter being a pale, creamy yellow color. The Amish don't use food coloring in their butter. There is a change in color that is dependent on grasses and seasons.
There is a wonderful article explaining the rich benefits of grass-fed butter at Grassfed Traditions. In particular, they say:
Grassfed Traditions wrote:
| Good butter from grass-fed cows is very distinct in its rich yellow color, due to high amounts of beta carotene. |
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Thus, the higher the beta-carotene in the grass consumed, the yellower the butter.
Just wanted to clarify.
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TracyFD
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Can anyone speak to the higher CLA found in butter and beef from grass-fed cows? I seem to remember something about these products not being carcinogenic like the corn-fed products.
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Tracy- the article I linked to above from Grassfed Traditions goes into conjugated linoleic acids and its proportional relationship with grass-fed cows and their resulting meat and butter. HTH! Google-ing will yield a thousand results as well.
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Elizabeth
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Marilyn,
I'd love your list of suppliers when you get a minute
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Organic food - which items are essential?
