These days it seems everyone around is “going green.” When it comes to eating, being green means going organic and largely local in food choices. While you may want to eat organic food for the sake of your health and the environment, your pocketbook may not be able to absorb the high cost of many organic products. Instead think about moving to organic food in a slower fashion. Taking these simple steps may be a better way to get yourself into the habit of eating organic.
Learn About Organic Farming
As many environmentalists will tell you, the word “organic” itself doesn’t have a universal meeting. What it means to many who say “organic farming” is that the farmer used absolutely no pesticides, except for natural foods. For example, crushed eggshells will keep slugs off plants, and that is acceptable in organic gardening.
What those same environmentalists will share, too, is that the there’s nothing to regulate the use of the word stringently. The few government regulations that exist measure organic pretty loosely. Spend some time reading an organic gardening magazine or two and learning about organic products in your area to make sure you know what questions to ask when discussing a product’s organic origins.
Test out Organic Seeds
Even if you’ve never had a garden before, try to do a bit of organic gardening for yourself. Order organic seeds from somewhere such as Seeds of Change and plant a few crops in your yard or containers in your windowsill. Organic herbs are simple to grow as basic herbs tend to need little gardener intervention, and growing your own will require little investment of money.
Commit to Organic Products
Make a deal with yourself. Buy one additional organic product a week until you have made the transition. Perhaps this week splurging on the organic, free-range eggs at the local farmers’ market is acceptable. Pay $3 for this dozen rather than $1 for a dozen at the supermarket. While the hike for that item is high, most people will not notice the $2 additional they see in their overall budget. Move toward organic food this way until you have made the switch.
Buy Local and Organic
Use sites such as Local Harvest to find farmers local to your area who grow organic products. Reducing the transport costs of the fruits and veggies they sell will decrease your overall cost, and the farmer will make more per item this way. Moving into local shopping takes time and commitment, but if you check out one farm a month, you can make the transition gradually.
Buying organic products is a lifestyle commitment. It is one that takes time, effort, and money, but with a bit of creativity, you can make it work for your family so that you will be healthier in the long run.
