Last year, I noticed a link on a friend’s blog for a group called Your Health Source that appeared to be a local organic co-op. After a few months of hemming and hawing and having a baby, I signed up and haven’t looked back.
I’d been flirting with going the organic route for a few reasons:
1. Organic produce taste better. I’m sorry. You can say they don’t, but they do. I remember the first organic strawberry I ever had. My sister and I were eating Chicago dogs (mmmm) with fresh organic strawberries she’d found on sale and we both thought we’d died and gone to strawberry Heaven. Have you ever tasted a weird aftertaste on your apple? Not present in organic apples. Notice a waxy aftertaste on fresh spinach – try organic spinach.
2. Pesticides. I’m simply not satisfied with the lack of long-term research regarding the effect of pesticide use on the environment and people. I’m not a scientist, but I’m leery of consuming poison used to kill bugs. It makes me squeamish. Futhermore, did you know that the highest rates of Parkinson’s Disease in the country are found in the Nation’s Heartland and in the Northeast? Both places are known for the agriculture and metal processing. My mom has also suffered with PD for almost 20 years.
3. Apparently, I’m a conspiracy theorist when it comes to food. I don’t really like the way the food industry is going in our country. I feel like maybe the government is telling us we’re ok to eat GMOs and pesticides and fast food simply because they are in bed with lobbyists who want us to believe as such. I just don’t know and because I don’t know, I want the guys who farm organically to get my money.
Here’s the deal-I live in the middle of a big city, which obviously raises my risk for lung cancer. I have breast cancer in my family. I have familial high cholesterol and I could die in a car wreck tomorrow. I certainly walk a tight rope between knowing my days are numbered and wanting to make the most informed food decisions for my family. Choosing organics is a personal decision, which I will NEVER force on anyone.
I love Your Health Source for many reasons:
1. It’s easy. Every two weeks I drive 8 minutes from my home to Near Southside, pay $50, pick up two bags full of produce, and call it a shopping day. The produce is picked out for us, it varies each week, and if I don’t like something, (radishes) I trade it out for something I do like (avocados). However, I’ve been forced countless times to google vegetables and recipes I’d never heard of or tasted. And all but once (beets) I’ve liked the new veggie/fruit: plums, nectarines, bok choy, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, kale, etc.
2. Dirty Dozen, what? I know my family is not eating our poison (we might be BREATHING it) but we aren’t eating it.
3. It’s affordable. Our first year of marriage, I was serving applesauce as a side to everything and it wasn’t cutting it. My husband wanted his steak and VEGGIES. So I usually spent $100 a month on produce anyway. Now it’s $100 on organics, which is cheaper than I’d ever find at the grocery store.
In a city our size, there are so many options for affordable and organic shopping from Farmer’s Markets to CSA’s to organic co-ops. They are all good and it’s easy to find one that works for you, your family, and your budget!
Where do you buy your food?
I am definitely checking this out, Anna! I did a co-op once where the half-share could have fed my entire neighborhood and it had a LOT of crazy stuff in it. I love shopping at the Farmers Markets in town (but that doesn’t really give me all the produce I need), so I have started looking into Bountiful Baskets (which is right by my house). Their shares look to be a reasonable size and price. But I will also check out Your Health Source now!
I’m loving It’s Organic 2U. There is no commitment required. They deliver to your doorstep. You can also customize your delivery to exclude or receive additional items. Love that they offer different size boxes. I tried yourhealthsource.com but quickly became disillusioned by their annual mandatory “membership fee”. I much prefer itsorganic2u.com and their honest, straightforward approach.
We are also loving It’s Organic 2u…. We can customize our order online to get only what we want and they deliver to my door!!. We have tried Bountiful Baskets and others and can say from experience, they do not match up to It’s Organic 2u. We can order a different box each week if we wanted to. They have an all fruit box all veggie box and a mix box. The cost is below Greenling and you get more produce.