What is better--organic or local? page

[reallygravity]

When it comes to vegetables, it is better to buy locally grown (and not organic) or organic (but grown several thousand miles away)?

[JackieKessler]

I'd say locally grown; at least the produce hasn't been flash frozen and shipped. This doesn't include the dirty dozen; for these fruits and vegetables, I'd go organic over local. (Even though I don't see other berries on the list, I include them as well -- blueberries, raspberries, etc.)

That being said, organic local produce is the hands-down winner.

[Neckhammer]

Local...and wash the shit out of it. But like Jackie said there are certain things I primarily stick to organic.

[reallygravity]

Thanks JackieK, for your input!

[reallygravity]

And Neckhammer--thanks. Yes, my mom tells me all the time--to wash the sh*t out of the produce. I have to really put that into practice.

[BestBetter]

I vote for local - at the very least, it's unlikely that local has been irradiated. Plus, if you're buying from a local farmer at a farmers market, you can ask if anything is GMO, and you can ask about what and how often they spray. It's common that local small scale farmers do use some sprays, but significantly less than the factory farms, and often pesticides are only used on an as needed basis, vs. being used routinely as a preventative measure.

Plus, produce that has to be transported long distances still have to be treated in *some* way so that they can hold up. I grow raspberries, and they do not hold up well when I pick them in the morning and bring them on a long 6 hour drive, so I feel VERY suspicious every time i see these perfect Driscoll berries that are grown on the opposite coast. Organic or not, they're doing something to make them transportable, and I don't know that I trust it.

[JackieKessler]

Neckhammer is spot on -- you **must** wash produce, even if it's from your local farmers market. Last year, I bought a peck of apples from my FM, and they looked so good that I polished one on my shirt and ate it right there. It was delicious. And about 10 minutes later, I was slammed with a headache. It occurred to me as I reached for the Advil that I never asked the vendor if the apples were organic. Never assume that local = organic. And even if it is...wash it.

[Dr. Bork Bork]

local. Participate in a CSA if you can!

[McconnellSilva]

I have to really put that into practice.

[Artichoke]

BestBetter reading your post I was alarmed by the idea of my food having been zapped and I checked the Food Standards Agency and here in the EU irradiated food has to be labelled. As I've never seen it in UK, France or Portugal I would guess it's not common.

In the UK quite a lot of our food seems to come vast distances eg asparagus from Mexico and Peru, samphire from Israel, green beans from Kenya, garlic from China and Argentina, lamb and butter from NZ, hake from South Africa and prawns from Indonesia and Vietnam.

I've noticed that so far, everything organic I've bought is either from UK or EU. I have to think that's better in terms of freshness and food miles as well as fewer nasties.

The key word is provenance.