The "Organic" Trend - do you believe the hype?

[John in Covina]

LA Water

There are hundreds of wells supplying the drinking water for LA along with the Aquiduct that brings it down from up north. I have had pretty crummy water from the tap and some superb water such as in Alhambra and San Gabriel. The key is to use a filter like the Brita Water system. Use Brita and the water is fine.

Now in Las Vegas in the Casinos it seems the chlorine level is so high you'd swear they brought in a pitcher of pool water.

 

[jake_fink]

I had organic beer from England and it just wasn't up to par.

Totally Organic, man!

You need to taste this little jewel.

Deelish! But for the price it is a small measure and low alcohol content, so not really the right drink for a drinker like me.

If the organic ale you tried was St Peters, I couldn't disagree with you more. It is well and above par. It makes par an irrelevant grade.

This is my usual gin of choice these days. Also organic, also excellent. Makes great rosemary martinis, especially if you have the forethought to throw a sprig of rsemary into the gin the night before you mix the tinis.

 

[John in Covina]

The St Peters was fine stuff they had it a Trader Joes. The one I am talking about was some other brand, I don't rememeber the name but if I saw the label again I'd know it.

FYI, I am a certified AHA beer judge, and know my way around the brews.

Degustibus non est desputandum. You can't argue taste.

Actually it is the most fun thing to argue.

Favorite Brew? Depends on what we are doing.
Fullers ESB out of a pull tap.
Theakstons Old Peculiar out of a pull tap.
Poleeko Gold at the Anderson Valley Brewery was superb.
Guinness out of the nitrogen tap.
Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Anchor Porter.
Etc, Etc, Etc.

 

[jake_fink]

The St Peters was fine stuff they had it a Trader Joes. The one I am talking about was some other brand, I don't rememeber the name but if I saw the label again I'd know it.

FYI, I am a certified AHA beer judge, and know my way around the brews.

Degustibus non est desputandum. You can't argue taste.

Actually it is the most fun thing to argue.

Favorite Brew? Depends on what we are doing.
Fullers ESB out of a pull tap.
Theakstons Old Peculiar out of a pull tap.
Poleeko Gold at the Anderson Valley Brewery was superb.
Guinness out of the nitrogen tap.
Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Anchor Porter.
Etc, Etc, Etc.

Holy smokes! You have my dream job. Drinking beer!!

<(green for envy)

Cheers!

 

[John in Covina]

I wish it was a job! That would be heaven.

I did see a Huell Howser show on Sierra Nevada Brewing and their tasters, beer and a paycheck, wow!

I used to Judge the Homebrew contests, been out of the circuit for a while.

 

[GTguyzach]

I'm all for organics, I really like the concept but I would like see stricter standards put on what can be labeled "organic". I remember reading an article not too long ago about how lax the US's standards were on what could be labeled organic, especially when it came to meat products. I'll try to dig up the article so I can share that information with everyone else.

In the end, I try to eat healthy but my two primary food buying motivations are 1) taste and 2) price. Fortunately this leads to me buying fresher items in general and choosing to make my own vs. using store bought in most cases (plus I'm just a curious cook and like to try new things).

Oh one last thing, I value locally grown/raised items over organics shipped in from across the country. If given the choice I'll almost always choose local.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Incidentally, I've heard that organic red wines need not contain sulfites, which if true is great! Assuming the wine is drinkable of course.

 

[Story]

Assuming the wine is drinkable of course.

I'll drink to that.

 

[Paisley]

The water here is full of minerals. The old pipes are made of rusty steel. So to help improve the water I use, my father and I installed a whole-house water filter. It improved the taste and color of the water.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I'm finding it very hard to believe that any farmer would be able to get raw sewage, let alone dump it on his fields.
.

Well, when i was working a summer job at a grain plant (drying/storing grain) one of the farmers who supplied us with freshly harvested grain was receiving free human waste sludge from the local council - they are not allowed to dump it, so just have to store it or give it away. He pumped in under the ground of his fields. I have no idea what it did for his crops - good or bad - or for the runoff water, but i'm sure they're making sure this has been studied.

This is, of course, in no way "organic". It was simply free fertiliser (though a mutli-millionaire, he was a bit of a cheapskate) ...

bk

 

[Roger]

I take a practical approach to organics. It's fine if the consumer wants it and is willing to pay for it. Otherwise I don't see it as a way to feed the worlds population. There is not enough cows and horses defecating enough manure to fertilize every field in the world. Another thing about organics that I don't buy into is that it's more healthy, if it is/was then why was the life expectancy rate so low 100 years ago? Plus, with all that raw manure, surely there would be more flies, diseases etc. More of the food 100 years ago was "organic". I don't buy organic food, but I wouldn't stop someone from buying it.

Roger

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Another thing about organics that I don't buy into is that it's more healthy, if it is/was then why was the life expectancy rate so low 100 years ago?
Roger

I don't mean to be cute...but...I suspect the produce had less to do with it than the lack of vaccines and the number of deaths at childbirth (mother and baby).

 

[Tommy Fedora]

Organic shmorganic

I once had a college professor who was a former chemist with Mobil oil. His pet peeve was organic foods because he believed they were bogus. His logic was that a chemical is a chemical is a chemical. Plants that have chemicals sprayed on them have chemicals that enter the plant from the environment. Organic foods are grown in soil that has the chemicals added to it, and so enter the plant by being absorbed from the ground. Either way, its the same food with the same chemicals added, just added by different means. And whether a chemical is natural or synthetic, it has the same molecular structure either way.
Personally for me, taste rules !!

 

[Elaina]

One way to think about it, 100 years ago every fried everything in lard, didn't have iceboxes, and frequently had to eat meat that was half rotted. They didn't have medical care, worked until they dropped in their frelds (some times literally) and meat that could be purchased was tainted with whatever the cows had, they weren't all that picky (it it mooed it was a cow, too bad if someone fell into the sausage machine).

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Organic foods are grown in soil that has the chemicals added to it, and so enter the plant by being absorbed from the ground.

Surely this makes the plants thusly grown non-organic? Certainly in Britain, the rules say that to call your product organic, it cannot be treated in any way with any NPK-type fertilisers. (and incidentally, before the plants can be called organic, the land in which they are grown has to have been free of chemicals for a number of years - I forget how many.)

bk

 

[Elaina]

In Texas, there is no such regulations for organics. It's not regulated. (I know because I wrote a sci-fi story dealing with agriculture, and this topic came up. Why I'm not sure.) At least it was this way about 9 months ago.

It's just a list of certain chemicals that can't be used topically. The soil doesn't enter into it.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

As i thought. The "organic" label has been so watered down as to be meaningless. You don't even need accreditation, and there is little oversight. So what's the point, if you don't really know what you're getting? There are the savvy buyers out there (my wife being one) who check out each company for their farming practises before buying from them. But i suspect most purchasers of organic produce fail to take the trouble.

There was a great piece in The Atlantic a while ago about the Mega-organic farms that are appearing. A large part of the organic movement when it began (damn those hippies) was a stance that was anti-big-business, anti-global-marketplace. This has been lost to a large extent. So again, what's the point any more? The health benefits are only there if you're actually getting "Organic" produce (see first para. for rebuttal) so why bother?

bk

 

[Michaelson]

Organic. The 'buzz word' of the moment.

Sort of reminds me of the hype about 'free range chicken'. All that means is a chicken is allowed to run around and eat anything that crosses it's path.....which is exactly what FARM raised chickens do in chicken houses, with the exception that they get corn and feed added to their diet.....but when you add 'free range' to the name on the package or menu, the price doubles.lol

Same thing with 'organic' around my neck of the woods. You pay almost double for someone to supposedly NOT use chemicals or the like on what you're about to put in your face for supper.. sort or reminds me of the old 'protection racket' that the mobs had back int he 30's. 'Pay me this amount of money, and I might not put crud in your food!'

Regards! Michaelson

 

[mysterygal]

I don't buy into the 'organics' either. I am careful to wash off fruits and veggies which can't be peeled though. My thinking is this, as long as I get a good bowl of salad every day and make sure I eat lots of fruits including water....I'm doing good.

 

[Lady Day]

The term 'organic' has become a buzz word now and because standards of organic produce/foods have changed in the last years, that word does not hold as much truth as it use to.

Organic, for me, is an easy way to weed out GMO in my vittles since the US does not allow labeling of those foods/ingredients. Im not totally bought on the GMO thing either, but a lot of times we cant tell what we are eating, but its a gague, and that I appreciate.

I do most of my shopping for produce at farmers markets. Im luck, there is one 5 blocks from me twice a week. The stuff isnt as pretty, but its dirt cheap, good, and it supports local farmers.

LD