Organic fruits & vegetables

alexandra — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:05:58 +0000

When it comes to pesticides, not all fruits and vegetables are created equal. Apparently, if you make sure the following 12 fruits & veggies are organic, you can cut down your exposure to the nasty stuff by 90%:

Fruits

Peaches and nectarines
Strawberries and cherries
Apples and pears
Imported grapes

Veggies

Spinach and lettuce
Potatoes and celery
Sweet bell peppers

Green earth organics

alexandra — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:42:01 +0000

If there is one thing I believe in, it is that you are what you eat. Diet and health are intimately connected and many of our ailments can be linked to poor eating habits. I read a lot about nutrition and food in general, and have slowly moved away over the year from industrialized processed foods to making many things at home and favouring fresh, local products. Heck, I even make my own granola. So, needless to say, I devoured Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and have to say that much of what he said came as no surprise to me. I don’t like shopping in huge supermarkets like Loblaws or Costco and get most of my food from small local shops – I get fruits & veggies from a local Italian market on my street or an organic shop at Kensington, meats at Cumbrae’s, cheese and the cheese shop, and bread at the bakery (where else?). But while I like to cook and value my diet, I’m often so busy that I often forget to go shopping and end up not having enough food at home and giving in to the lure of local restaurants. Alan and I end up eating out too often for our own good (physical and monetary).

In order to force me to eat at home and ensure I eat a variety of good foods, I have decided to sign up for an organic fruits & vegetable delivery program. I chose Green Earth Organics. There are several to choose from in Toronto and the concept is quite simple – you pick the size of the box and they deliver it to you once a week. Some companies allow you to substitute some of the ingredients in the box (mine allows four substitutions), others are less flexible. The produce varies according to the seasons and what’s available at the moment. The box I chose is all organic with an emphasis on local produce. Tomorrow is the first delivery and I’ll let you know what it looks like. This is what they promised for this week:

April 28-May 2
ON Chives
.5lb ON Baby Bok Choy
1lb BC Russet Potatoes
ON Baby Bella Mushrooms
Zucchini
Arugula
.25lb ON Spinach
BC Tomato
3 BC Fuji Apples
3 Valencia Oranges
Mango
1.5lb Fair Trade Bananas

Can’t wait! I’ll definitely have to try the salad recipe on their website:

Mango & Arugula salad with creamy chive dressing

Makes 6 servings.
1 large Mango (you also can sub tomato)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons whipping cream [I'll substitute plain yogurt]
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives
12 cups (loosely packed) arugula (about 6 ounces)
Peel and thinly slice Mango. Place mango slices in large bowl. Add 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice; toss. Whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice and olive oil in small bowl. Whisk in cream, then chives. Season with salt and pepper. Add arugula to bowl with mango. Add dressing and toss. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.

Mató & Maple Syrup » Organics

Organic fruits & vegetables

Green earth organics