Can organic fruit and vegetables be cheap?
Many people believe organic fruit and vegetables to be more expensive than supermarket or high street, non-organic produce. On the face of it this may SEEM TO BE the case but, having been using fresh, organic produce myself, from Eden Farm, for the last 6 months, I can now explain how it is actually as economical as the supermarket food, if not cheaper.
How can I say this?
I shudder to think where supermarket food comes from, and how long so-called fresh?! supermarket food has been hanging around in warehouses and freezers, and what it has been sprayed with and has absorbed as it grows! Most of it is literally deteriorating (rotting) and dying – if not already dead, as you take it home! They radiate it to keep back the mildew and fungus rot!
Organic produce has a much longer shelf life. Wastage is virtually non-existent so you use and eat practically all you buy. Eden Farm’s organic food is so fresh, it is still alive when you buy it. You can have Eden Farm’s food hanging around in the fridge for a week, sometimes even longer, and it hardly changes. I had some spinach and mushrooms in my fridge recently for nearly 2 weeks and dreaded opening the bag to look inside – but was amazed when I did, the vegetables were fine and usable, and tasted delicious.
So, please do not be put off organic food, find a reliable local supplier – not the organic aisle in the supermarket which will be deliberately extortionate! Eden Farm supplies markets all over the place, and there are other organic farms around
A tip for soft fruit and other perishables. The key to preventing mouldy berries?
Vinegar! When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want, (though the mixture is so diluted I find you can't taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge.
The vinegar kills any mould spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting mouldy and soft.
Also, if you have a cool, dry place in your shed or garage buy a sack, or half sack of locally grown farm potatoes. They will last for ages and are much nicer and cheaper than buying a few pounds/kilos here and there from a supermarket. You could even try growing your own - in a container if you do not have much of a garden.
