Goodness Me!

[briguy]

natural food market, just opened up on locke St. here in Hamilton. I'm really pleased because I had been thinking I'd like to start eating better. I passed the store tonight on my way home and I can't wait to start shopping there tomorrow. I'm actually excited.

[paisley]

pretty expensive but worth it (shop around though, some things they sell you can get elsewhere cheaper)

ya are what you eat

[Jaimoe]

I've been eating as much organic food as possible for the last year now - I mostly buy grocs at The Big Carrot.

I find that fresh fruit and veggies are more expensive than the non-organic variety, but the prices are at least " in-the-ball-park " of acceptable.

Organic meats are alot more expensive, but they tend to be bigger and healthier tasting and looking than non-organic meats.

Just my two cents. Enjoy and look hard for bison sausages. They are delicious on homemade pizza.

Edited May 11, 2005 by Guest

[paisley]

I find once you factor in the flavor and energy gained from organic foods its worth the extra... think of wild raspberries compared to the ones in the little plastic boxes at the supermarket

I was just reading tonight about Plan B Organic Farms' basket plan... you pay about $400 for a weekly basket of organic vegetables you pick up different locations in town... its lots of vegies for 2 people each week (you can pay $700 for enough for 4 people)... you get whatever's ripe for 20 weeks through the summer

if nothing else it'd be a good reminder to eat more vegies

(for a treat from Goodness Me try the chocolate marble Rice Dream, exactly like ice cream but no dairy... you can't tell the difference besides you don't get the heavy cream crash after you eat it)

[Jaimoe]

Another thing to consider is that since organics are more expensive, you tend to let less food go to waste.

[bouche]

I think we found one in Hull. It was pretty big and the sign said... "Nature et Biologique" or something similarly french. we'll be checking that out this week too I think.

[MarcO]

I was just reading tonight about Plan B Organic Farms' basket plan... you pay about $400 for a weekly basket of organic vegetables you pick up different locations in town... its lots of vegies for 2 people each week (you can pay $700 for enough for 4 people)... you get whatever's ripe for 20 weeks through the summer)

Laurie and I just bought a Plan B share with another couple and we are really looking forward to a Summer's worth of healthy eating! As a meat eater, I figure that now the money has already been spent on the veggie portion of my diet for the Summer, I can now spend my weekly grocery surplus on purchasing organically fed free range meat from Cumbrae's in Dundas and try to do it up right.

I don't think I'll ever lose my taste for some crappy, comfort food (pizza, fast food burgers, gyros, etc) but if I can make things happen a little better at home and my daily lunches, it's a great start.

Whereabouts on Locke St is Goodness Me? I hadn't noticed it's arrival.

[Basher]

Green Earth Organics offers weekly deliveries as well. Three packages ranging from $36-60.

To see this weeks boxes, click here.

[TomFoolery]

Anyone in Ottawa should check this guy out. He's based in Aylmer but delivers anywhere in Ottawa, any day of the week - free delivery for purchases exceeding 20$ or something like that.

Prices are a bit high, but then again its organics and delivery.

http://www.emile-peloquin.com/fr/accueil.asp

[d_rawk]

Organics only seem more expensive if compared with other produce by volume; they're often actually a bargain if compared with other produce nutritionally. (makes it easier to justify shopping healthy-styles )

[briguy]

Whereabouts on Locke St is Goodness Me? I hadn't noticed it's arrival.

It's at 176 Locke St. South. Open 9-7, Monday to Saturday. It's near the Bar On Locke.

[\/\/illy]

I was just reading tonight about Plan B Organic Farms' basket plan... you pay about $400 for a weekly basket of organic vegetables you pick up different locations in town... its lots of vegies for 2 people each week (you can pay $700 for enough for 4 people)... you get whatever's ripe for 20 weeks through the summer

Do you have any more detail on this? Is there a web-site or something? I'd be very interested.

Laurie and I just bought a Plan B share with another couple and we are really looking forward to a Summer's worth of healthy eating!

I'm pretty curious about this as well. How does it work? How much space do you get? How much did it cost?

We're trying to figure out where to grow vegetables in our backyard but space is pretty limited.

[paisley]

plan b Organic Farms - reserve a share

that link should explain whats up... MarcO and I are talking about the same thing

[MarcO]

http://www.greenventure.ca/gv.asp?ID=137

[AdamH]

The organic farmer's market in Ottawa is decent if you don't mind buying farm produce behind a Canadian Tire (Bank, North of Heron I think?). We've thought about doing the foodshare thing but I sort of enjoy picking what I want from the farmer's market which, although not organic, is at peak season when you get it. If anyone knows of other options in O-Town I'm all ears

I disagree with the statement below:

Organics only seem more expensive if compared with other produce by volume; they're often actually a bargain if compared with other produce nutritionally. (makes it easier to justify shopping healthy-styles

There's simply no evidence that organic food is more nutritious than conventional produce. There's also scant evidence that pesticide residues are present on most food that reaches the grocery store. The true selling point of organic food isn't what it does or doesn't do to the consumers, but what it DOES for the soil in which it's grown. As for taste and flavour no question there's a difference there, but it's also present when buying conventional produce from a farmer's market rather than a grocery store.

If you do nothing else, buy local.

[Kaidy Mae]

Organics are also not GMOs. To me, this is VERY important. Just start reading about those sickos at Monsanto and their "suicide seeds" and you will have more than enough reason to buy organic.

Ask around at your farmer's market in Ottawa for organic, local growers. You will most likely find one. We have two in Orillia (only one has been certified) and that's a city of only 28,000. You can't beat buying local and organic.

Also, Polkaroo, you mentioned that there is no solid evidence to support the benefits of organic foods. I was just curious as to where you have been reading. I'm only asking as I have read several articles and studies that claim the exact opposite. It would be nice to read another side of the argument. However, you do acknowledge that pesticides and their effects on soil contamination, etc. is the real reason to buy organic. These chemicals not only damage the earth, but the xenoestrogens that are being pumped into our air are contributing to increased incidence of cancer (namely breast cancer). There are studies going on at Sunnybrook right now on this very issue. It's not as simple as problems with soil. These chemicals are literally killing us.

[timouse]

for the west of toronto crowd, Whole Circle Farm does an organic produce box for the summer, i don't think they're on line but canada4111 them for a phone number. Happy meat can be had in Guelph from Rowe Farm Meats, niffermouse and i are satisfied customers...

[d_rawk]

There's simply no evidence that organic food is more nutritious than conventional produce. There's also scant evidence that pesticide residues are present on most food that reaches the grocery store. The true selling point of organic food isn't what it does or doesn't do to the consumers, but what it DOES for the soil in which it's grown.

I agree that the environmental and socio-political benefits of organic and locally grown food are ample reasons to justify buying them. There is conflicting evidence as to the nutritional edge of organics, but I wouldn't say that is the same as no evidence. It often comes down to what is being looked at, under what conditions, and by whom.

If you aren't concerned about pesticides, are skeptical that pasteurization and excessive chlorination renders foods essentially useless, or believe that nutrient rich produce can result from dead and sterile soil, it is a lot easier to make the case for there being only a neglible nutritional benefit from sanely harvested foods.

Pesticides are enough of a concern for many people that the skins of products are routinely discarded. The ability to eat the - often more nutritionally dense - skins without fear of toxic accumulation is valuable. If you are swayed by studies from the industry side that claim pesticide residues aren't worth worrying about, then this won't be important to you.

The benefits to the soil can be a benefit to us, as well. Sterile, or near sterile, soil doesn't provide us with all those organisms beneficial to the digestion and processing of foods. You aren't what you eat, but what you can assimilate. The increasing reliance on chemical based agriculture compounds this problem, regardless of what remains on the food by the time it reaches the grocery store shelves. The broad spectrum of beneficial trace minerals is also missing from overworked soil, which isn't obvious from industry apologist studies that compare macronutrients. We have a situation where people are presenting in increasing numbers with iodine, selenium, lithium, etc.. deficiencies. These only need be taken in in small amounts, but need to present in the soil to be taken in at all. The studies I've seen poo-pooing the benefits of eating organics don't look in this direction at all. Brazil nuts were once the highest nutritional source of selenium -- now it is barely present in most brazil nuts at all. Nor do such studies bother to assess levels of say lycopene in organically grown tomatos versus non-organically grown ones (picked green and ripened chemically), resveratrol in organically harvested grapes versus non-organically grown ones, etc.. Other studies have, and the results haven't been favourable to the stock variety found in the average grocery store. (and lest this sounds esoteric, the benefits of both lycopene and resveratrol have been touted so much in recent years that they've been regular features of mainstrem news broadcasts ... the heart benefits of a glass of wine a day, etc..)

There is also the issue of nitrates/nitrites, hormones & antibiotics in livestock, and other factors that present a reasonable risk of health complications.

But yes, the environmental benefits are significant on their own, and there are benefits to simply buying local in its own regard. Organic farming also has the added bonus of protecting farmers from exposure to the pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides they would otherwise need to subject themselves to in order to sustain a living.

But now there's a big ass wasp circling my head, and I don't trust him ...

[Im going home Donny]

Mike you guys should check out Saslovs meat deli in Westboro for Organic meats...hmm mabey I've allready told yas about this place...not sure.

My mom loves it!

When I was eating meat again for a bit I ate their chicken and Turkey....it was pretty darn good!

[SaggyBalls]

darren - i don't trust wasps either...capitalized or otherwise.

[bouche]

howls,

we've been going there as much as we can think about it. a few weeks ago, I picked up an organic 6 oz Filet Mignon for about 12 bucks. It was DAMN good!

oh, and the place in Hull does sell mostly organic products. THe meat is all frozen, but I did see Organic Caribou Tortierres! We just made some of that canned spicy vegan organic chili and tossed in some of that organic tofu. Organic mango salad (organic mangos, organic corriander, organice etc...)

(inspires new signature)

[shainhouse]

Nice... an organic food market on the street I live on (pretty much). Now if I can only afford to eat organic...

it's a paradox of life. It's so expensive to be healthy while you can slowly kill yourself by gorging on crap for cheap.

Edited May 12, 2005 by Guest