So, we do try do our part some of the time. Here is part I in a series of posts of what we do to reduce our carbon footprint.
Buy Local and Organic.
Buying local I think is more important than buying organic and I wish I could buy local more often, but when the local melons, peaches, apricots, apples come around, I am excited! I can't rationalize the 25 mile drive on a Saturday to Springdale to buy local produce at the Farmer's Market. But I am growing my own tomatoes, peppers, basil, cilantro, and parsley. I wish we could buy farm shares (CSAs) here. If we ever move to a town where that is an option, I will be the first in line to buy a share.
But thanks to Costco, I do buy a lot more organic food. Has anyone else noticed how many organic groceries Costco now carries? Luckily, they have made it easy and cheap for me to buy organic. Here are a few of the yummy organics I love from Costco:
- Harvest Medley Wild Rice (Really yummy rice with great texture and flavor. And much better for you than plain white rice. Make it with onion soup mix and some fresh herbs.)
- Kirkland Soy Milk (I prefer the plain, tom and the kids like the vanilla. Even James loves it. We started to buy it as food storage since it is shelf stable, but then we discovered we love it. We drink it by choice now. Tom even uses it on his cereal regularly.).
- Garofalo Whole Wheat Pasta (This pasta has the best texture for 100% whole wheat. The best I have tasted)
- Disney Crackers (These are only an occasional treat. They are still pretty expensive).
- Tree Top Apple Sauce (I discovered last week that Costco's Tree Top apple sauce is now organic. That is in addition to being naturally sweetened.)
- Raisins (next time I need them I will give the organic ones a try)
What is better: local or organic?
6 comments:
I really like local better because that means I am picking it off of my sister's tree, which is also organic. But if it weren't local, the organic wouldn't do me any good.
You are better than I am. I only eat those Winnie the Pooh Costco cookies because I like them and not because they are organic. I need to worry about stuff like that more, but I just try to buy the cheapest stuff out there and I still can't keep under budget. Isn't organic super expensive? But hopefully my tomatoes didn't die in the frost we had 2 days ago UGH!
we're doing a CSA this year and I'm so excited. the farm is also organic, so I guess it's the best of both worlds!
we've also started doing a local food co-op, which isn't really necessarily organic nor local per se, but it does promote community which is something I fully support. and the food is a lot cheaper. it's a win, win.
organic is becoming so much more reasonable. that is my point. i am the biggest cheapskate, but i can still afford to buy quite a bit of organic at costco. for example i think the whole wheat past turned out to be about 1 dollar for a pound bag and the soy milk is 1 dollar a quart, barely more than regular milk.
This is a fun website about reducing your carbon footprint. If you would like to sign up for the "Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Challenge" make sure you do so under the "Zion National Park" group.
www.doyourpartparks.org
Hi Dansies! Thanks for the Costco tip, I had no idea. I am just starting to ease in to organic foods (the price gets me too).
Here are two favorites: Stonyfield Farms Organic Yogurt and Pam oraganic Olive Oil spray (both at wal-mart). We like yogurt but the standard issue brands are loaded with sugar. Now we mix in fresh or frozen berries and at iny bit of powdered sugar (still significantly less sugar than regular flavored yogurt) with the organic yogurt and have a much better snack. I don't know if you can use non-stick pan spray and healthy in the same sentence but I recently discovered Pam's organic oilve oil version and it helps me sleep a little better.
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