The Agrarian's Alcove

Howdy everybody! My last post on natural foods got a lot of views so I hope that you are enjoying my Savvy Shopper’s Guide series! Today’s post is over locally grown foods. Are you a locavore? This term applies to people who absolutely LOVE buying local foods! I know so many people who are locavores and love shopping at farmer’s markets for several reasons. Personally, I love the environment of my local farmer’s market. It makes me feel close to the actual production of the food I buy. For others it also makes them feel like the food is more natural and organic. It seems like the food could be healthier for you. It also makes you feel good about yourself for helping out your local farmers. I think that’s great! It is so important to support farmers. I want to cover a few myths about food produced locally and make sure you are being savvy shopping when you support your local farmers! First, I want to know what buying locally means to you, so take a moment and comment below. Tell...

Alright, let’s face it. It’s a new year. And if you’re in college in the US, then most of you are going back to school this week. But whether you’re a mom, a college kid, or a single adult, we ALL have to grocery shop. With the New Year I know many people have resolutions to eat healthier, cleaner, or maybe to just cut back on spending so much money on food! In 2013 people spent over $717 million on food **at home (no restaurants)** in the US alone. I imagine that with the trends in organic and natural foods rising, we will surpass $730 million mark if we haven’t already (find the charts here ). So, welcome to my second post in the series of The Savvy Shopper’s Guide series. You can read the first post here . Let me start by clearing up some confusion. I think people get confused by the labels “natural,” “naturally raised,” and “organic.” Some people I have spoken to, thought they were all very similar or meant the same thing. They are not the same thing. To be organic, produce...

Hey everyone! I am going to begin a 4 post series called the Savvy Shoppers Guide. It will include facts on organic, locally grown, all natural, and free range products that you buy. This way you will be able to make savvy shopping decisions when you purchase groceries! You will also be able to understand why we have conventional agriculture and why we need to continue with conventional ag even if you choose to opt for non-conventional. Today we will be covering organic food items. So first I would like to say that I do not believe that there are any food safety advantages that come from producing organic foods. In fact, in 2002 Alex Avery, research director for the Center of Global Food Issues stated that natural and organic foods are eight times more likely to be recalled than conventionally produced foods 1 . The USDA has found that drug residues in ALL beef, not just organic, to be virtually zero 2 . Of course all foods from animals naturally have hormones. While organicall...