Should I Buy Organic?
ADVICE FOR THE FOODLORN
by Tom Steele
Do you general buy organic products? I want to do my part to help the planet, but organic stuff usually costs more and I’m on a budget. Thoughts?
Barry V., Madison, Wisconsin
Tom replies:
I do try to buy organic products whenever it’s possible: They’re good for you and good for the planet. And yes, they’re usually more expensive, but not by very much. I shop daily at Whole Foods and the Union Square Greenmarket in New York, both of which have a pretty ample supply of organic ingredients (though I have to say that most of the organic beef I’ve bought at the Greenmarket was too tough—in one case, I had to throw out most of a strip steak it was so chewy). I do draw the line at certain greens. I don’t like eating arugula full of little holes, demonstrating that any number of insects have already enjoyed it. But many studies have traced the ill effects (to put it mildly) of insecticides on our innards, so I keep a bottle of fruit-and-vegetable cleaner on hand, and use it liberally, then wash the fruits and vegetables and, in the case of greens, spin them dry in my trusty Salad Spinner, and I’m good to go.
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