Anyone into Organic Food?

[Patrukas777]

For about the last year, the majority of the food I consume is organic. I must say, the fruits taste so much better. To me, they tend to taste more sweet. I mostly buy the following organic fruit: Apples (all kinds), strawberries, blueberries, and black berries. Most of the literature I've read says organic fruit has on average 20% more antioxidants.

I really like Organic Beef. If you haven't cooked organic beef before, make sure to cook using lower heat. Organic beef tends to cook a lot faster. It also has a sweeter taste than your standard beef, and it's not marbled with fat either. I buy a few pounds of organic Ribeye Steak a week...it's a little expensive ($14.99 lb), but it tastes very good.

I feel like I'm one of the few that buy organics..I imagine a lot of it has to do with the high cost of the meats. The prices of fruit and veggies aren't too bad.

Anyone else prefer organic?

 

[Whitey80]

I smoke some organic pipe tobaccos......is that considered healthier !?

 

[Patrukas777]

I smoke some organic pipe tobaccos......is that considered healthier !?

LOL...suuure

 

[its phillip]

Every once in awhile I buy organic stuff. Nothing you have to cook though, since I don't cook anything

 

[j_garcia]

We've been growing quite a bit of our own produce for years. Doesn't get more organic than straight from the back yard. You can easily taste the difference; no question.

Fat is what gives beef much of its flavor and all of its juciness. Organic beef really doesn't have any more or less of anything but steroids and hormones, and most likely corn. I don't notice a difference in "sweetness" at all, that sounds like BULL to me There is a difference in texture for sure, especially with grass fed beef, but it isn't like it is a night and day difference. Fat content has little to do with the quality of the meat.

Here in Northern California, organics are easy to get and are actually becoming the norm as opposed to what you get at the typical supermarket. I have been shopping a smaller stores that carry better quality food for over 20 years. Note that there is a pretty big difference in what you get at a supermarket that is called "organic" compared to true, certified organic foods.

 

[GranteedEV]

organic apples are nice and soft

 

[Patrukas777]

We've been growing quite a bit of our own produce for years. Doesn't get more organic than straight from the back yard. You can easily taste the difference; no question.

Fat is what gives beef much of its flavor and all of its juciness. Organic beef really doesn't have any more or less of anything but steroids and hormones, and most likely corn. I don't notice a difference in "sweetness" at all, that sounds like BULL to me There is a difference in texture for sure, especially with grass fed beef, but it isn't like it is a night and day difference. Fat content has little to do with the quality of the meat.

Here in Northern California, organics are easy to get and are actually becoming the norm as opposed to what you get at the typical supermarket. I have been shopping a smaller stores that carry better quality food for over 20 years. Note that there is a pretty big difference in what you get at a supermarket that is called "organic" compared to true, certified organic foods.

You can't taste a difference between organic beef and conventional? Have you ever compared the two in a taste test? I did and I can totally tell the difference. Some of the literature I read on organic meat says grass-fed beef tends to have less total fat, less cholesterol and higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than conventional beef. I tend to eat the trimmings of the grass-fed beef (which has more flavor). Maybe we should blind test the who types of meats lol I would say as far as I'm concerned, the fat content has a lot to do with the quality of the meat (for me, because I'm looking for leaner meat).

 

[jeffsg4mac]

You just have to be careful. I lot of the so-called organic stuff is really no better than anything else. As far as the fruit goes you may be just getting it when it is ripe. A vast majority of the fruit in big markets is sent to them green. Green picked fruit will never be ripe. My point is really just because something is labeled organic does not mean it is always better. Sometimes it is and sometimes it is not. I pick and choose.

 

[Chu Gai]

You can't taste a difference between organic beef and conventional? Have you ever compared the two in a taste test? I did and I can totally tell the difference. Some of the literature I read on organic meat says grass-fed beef tends to have less total fat, less cholesterol and higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than conventional beef. I tend to eat the trimmings of the grass-fed beef (which has more flavor). Maybe we should blind test the who types of meats lol I would say as far as I'm concerned, the fat content has a lot to do with the quality of the meat (for me, because I'm looking for leaner meat).

You'd need cows raised on the same farm but each according to whatever the gov't guidelines are. Like John said, the fat content or marbling is a strong factor in the overall taste, texture, and what not. Try some Kobe beef one day (about 10x more than you paid).

Nothing like home grown veggies though. I grew up on a farm and we used fungicides, herbicides, and a mixture of horse manure (overwintered and then spread in the spring) and conventional fertilizers. The taste of the vegetables was nothing short of spectacular. When we wanted corn for dinner, someone went out and picked it. Berries on the cereal? Same thing. It's the freshness of veggies as well as the type grown that's responsible for their taste.

 

[Patrukas777]

Nothing like home grown veggies though. I grew up on a farm and we used fungicides, herbicides, and a mixture of horse manure (overwintered and then spread in the spring) and conventional fertilizers. The taste of the vegetables was nothing short of spectacular. When we wanted corn for dinner, someone went out and picked it. Berries on the cereal? Same thing. It's the freshness of veggies as well as the type grown that's responsible for their taste.

Home grown is the best. I also grew up on a farm....nothing beats home grown veggies. The best tomatoes I've ever eaten, I grew. Right now I have a few fruit trees in my yard. I have an orange, lemon, avocado, peach, nectarine and blueberries (bush not tree). The fruit on the tree's tastes amazing.

BTW, I've never had Kobe beef.. I might have to try it. I eat all types of meat. My friend is a hunter and he always gives me a bunch of his meat. Ever have bear burgers? They are pretty good. He just gave me a bunch of deer meat and sausages...very tasty. I like buffalo meat too. Its pretty lean, but I like the taste.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I smoke some organic pipe tobaccos......is that considered healthier !?

But of course. You only get organic cancer.

 

[Chu Gai]

Home grown is the best. I also grew up on a farm....nothing beats home grown veggies. The best tomatoes I've ever eaten, I grew. Right now I have a few fruit trees in my yard. I have an orange, lemon, avocado, peach, nectarine and blueberries (bush not tree). The fruit on the tree's tastes amazing.

BTW, I've never had Kobe beef.. I might have to try it. I eat all types of meat. My friend is a hunter and he always gives me a bunch of his meat. Ever have bear burgers? They are pretty good. He just gave me a bunch of deer meat and sausages...very tasty. I like buffalo meat too. Its pretty lean, but I like the taste.

We had blueberries, raspberries, peaches, cherries, an apple tree that had everything grafted to it, melons and maybe a few others. It was too cold to grow oranges or avocados. Never had bear but a neighbor of mine says next time he gets some he'll toss me some.
Sometimes the difference between organic and not is trivial after all it's a matter of gov't specified terms. Hunt puts out tomato based products of both types. I know someone who worked in the food testing and labeling labs over at ConAgra. She said the difference was so small that to avoid having people be able to compare and contrast the two, they had the organic grown over in Israel. There are also many periodicals specific to farming and they show how farmers can comply with the organic designation for little cost and reap significant additional products.

 

[lsiberian]

Organic and Natural are the most ridiculous and misleading labels in the food industry. Spray on the hormones and pesticides if you want to grow some real food. Ants know the good stuff.

Seriously most stuff is exactly the same thing at a higher markup. Natural Peanut butter is different, but only because it's real peanut butter not that sweetened nonsense.

 

[Rickster71]

Funny coincidence, I just had a conversation about this last night.

A friend of mine has been in the wholesale meat business for 30 years, and he offered an interesting insight to this subject:

In order for milk and meat to qualify as USDA Organic, the animals must never be given antibiotics when they are sick or injured. On organic farms, animals with treatable illnesses such as infections, parasites, worms, and pneumonia are left to suffer and a higher percentage die off.
For example, if out of 100 head of cattle 20 of them die from lack of treatment, that financial loss is spread among the remaining 80 head.
Since the cattle ranch isn't going to take a loss, it's cost is simply passed on to the consumer. Then the consumer mistakenly rationalizes that, "since it costs more it must be better, and I deserve what's best."

He told me the bottom line was this: Since it wasn't scientifically proven that antibiotics in beef harmed humans; by subtly suggesting it did opened the door for organic products and another avenue for profit. (Very much in the way the bottled water industry started.) Kinda reminds me of fancy and expensive speaker wire too.

 

[Patrukas777]

Funny coincidence, I just had a conversation about this last night.

A friend of mine has been in the wholesale meat business for 30 years, and he offered an interesting insight to this subject:

In order for milk and meat to qualify as USDA Organic, the animals must never be given antibiotics when they are sick or injured. On organic farms, animals with treatable illnesses such as infections, parasites, worms, and pneumonia are left to suffer and a higher percentage die off.
For example, if out of 100 head of cattle 20 of them die from lack of treatment, that financial loss is spread among the remaining 80 head.
Since the cattle ranch isn't going to take a loss, it's cost is simply passed on to the consumer. Then the consumer mistakenly rationalizes that, "since it costs more it must be better, and I deserve what's best."

He told me the bottom line was this: Since it wasn't scientifically proven that antibiotics in beef harmed humans; by subtly suggesting it did opened the door for organic products and another avenue for profit. (Very much in the way the bottled water industry started.) Kinda reminds me of fancy and expensive speaker wire too.

I would agree except that certified organic meat for instance, is more lean, the fats consist more of Omega 3's (good fat) than that of conventional meant and they have lower cholesterol. If those 3 things didn't exist, then you would be correct.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I would agree except that certified organic meat for instance, is more lean, the fats consist more of Omega 3's (good fat) than that of conventional meant and they have lower cholesterol. If those 3 things didn't exist, then you would be correct.

Who did the testing and how much difference is there? How much does that difference affects humans?

CU had an article on this a while back. What was interesting is that the allowed pesticides were more dangerous than the ones used on non-organic farms.

 

[Chu Gai]

People are starving all over the world, what do you mean, "red meat will kill you"? Don't eat no red meat? No, don't eat no green meat … if you're one of the chosen few people in the world lucky enough to get your hands on a steak, bite the sh|t out of it!

Chris Rock

 

[ChrisFox]

Past few years I've really gotten more informed about what I eat. I've been growing more and more of my own food. There are a few good local farmer's markets around. Really been into a CSA for the last couple of years. Community Supported Agricultures let you buy your "share" of the years crop. You pay early in the year and get a basket of vegetables/fruit every week.