[Summit] Food Tips

Wed May 18 18:10:54 UTC 2011

Denise,

I am not familiar with specific "pick your own" farms in the area.

My best advice if your kids love strawberries and grapes.

1.  Buy organic.  Even if prices seem high, compare them, 
per serving to buying Twinkies or other junk food, and its 
not so bad.  Also, watch for sales.  Note that Whole Foods
is sometimes actually cheaper than Stop & Shop.  Another
tip - East Side Market has a policy of charging the same
price for organic as for "conventional" (pesicided).  They 
don't always have the organic options for a particular fruit
or veggie, but it is worth checking.  There is an organic
section towards the back in the produce section.

There are also some good buys in organic food at Trader Joe's,
but they're not as convenient.

2.  Local farmers sometimes sell fruit or veggies which are 
grown "without chemicals" - that is, organically, but
without the government certification process.  It is true 
that there is no guarantee that they are telling the truth,
but I believe the vast majority are honest about that - 
they just can't afford the cost of being officially "Organic".
You can check these out at farmer's markets.

3.  There a good local sources for info about farms and
their produce, along with other useful info, in Rhode Island.
It is Farm Fresh RI:  www.farmfreshri.org  You can get good
info at their site, including some farms that indicate they
are organic, or chemical-free, or use integrated pest management.

Here are links to farm sources for strawberries and other fruit:
www.farmfresh.org/food/pickyourown.php?zip=02909&show=25&startrow=1&food=16 

You could also chat with the Farm Fresh folks at (401) 312-4250.
They might have some ideas about the best less-toxic sources.

In general, my philosophy is to Reduce exposure to pesticides,
but don't become overanxious about it.  It isn't possible to
avoid absolutely everything - and our bodies have a great
ability to detox.  It is just common sense to try not to 
overwhelm it.  So, eat organic where you can, especially 
the high-pesticide stuff - or stuff you eat a lot of, like
kids with peanut butter.  Also, note that Whole Foods has
some kind of system that evaluates pesticide residues and
keeps even the non-organic stuff they sell to low levels.

Hope this is helpful,

Blessings,

Liberty G
******************************************************

--- On Wed, 5/18/11, Denise Guad <dguad27 at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Denise Guad <dguad27 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Summit] Food Tips
To: "Hope for Health" <libertyliterary at yahoo.com>
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 1:03 PM

Liberty,

Thanks for your reply and the link to your website.  My fear and frustration came from the fact the my family (esp my 2 yo daughter) LOVE the fruit on your Villains list... esp the strawberrys and grapes!  I just heard the the gov approved another horrible pesticide for strawberrys.  

What do you think about these small, local farms who do "pick your own" produce?  They usually do not advertise themselves as "organic", but I would hope they don't douse their fruits and veggies in poisons for us to tromp through!

denise

On Mon, May 16, 2011 at 11:35 PM, Hope for Health <libertyliterary at yahoo.com> wrote:

Denise,

So sorry to depress you!  I really try with my organization to emphasize 
finding less toxic alternatives - and not worrying too much.  The good news 
is that although we can't be completely non-toxic, by reducing our exposure

to the most common or most hazardous chems, we can allow our bodies 
to handle the rest, and stay healthy.

Here are some practical tips on finding foods with less pesticides, taken 
from my booklet, "Food Facts & Fantasy"  (It is on my TIP website at: 

http://toxicsinfo.org/TIPS_house.htm

PESTICIDE RESIDUE AVOIDANCE: TIP’S LIST 
TAKEN FROM VARIOUS SOURCES

VILLAINS:  Strawberries, Apples, Mexican Cantaloupe, 

Green Beans, Cherries, Cucumbers, Imported Grapes, 

Mexican Pineapples, Peppers, Peaches, Peanuts, 

Pears, Potatoes, Raisins, Spinach, Squash.  

HEROES:  Asparagus, Avocados, Sprouts, Lentils, Onions, 

Pineapple Juice, Hawaiian Pineapples, Sunflower Seeds, 

Watermelon.  

MIXED REVIEWS; Bananas, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Rice, 

Grapes, Corn, Sweet Potatoes

NEWS YOU CAN USE: A FEW FOODS THAT DON’T BITE BACK

From:  NON-TOXIC TIMES, The Seventh Generation Newsletter 

Vol. 1, No. 9, June 19, 2000 www.seventhgen.com  According  to 

the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the 12 cleanest kinds of
conventionally-grown produce are:  J Avocados, Corn, Onions, 

Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Grapes (domestic 

only), Bananas, Plums, Green Onions, Watermelon, Broccoli

EWG REPORTS MORE THAN HALF OUR TOTAL DIETARY RISK 

FROM PESTICIDES COMES FROM JUST 12 FOODS:   Strawberries, 

Bell Peppers, Spinach, Cherries, Peaches, Mexican Cantaloupe, 

Celery, Apples, Apricots, Green Beans, Imported Grapes, 

Cucumbers.  Avoiding these foods, substituting from the 

clean list above, eating organic and/or homegrown produce 

when possible can substantially cut down on exposure to 

pesticides.  However, corn and sweet potatoes are among 

foods most likely to be genetically modified.  Consumers 

concerned about GM should choose organics. For full report, 

see: www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/Shoppers/Shoppers.html  

By the way, one of the healthiest foods is really cheap even 

when organic - carrots!

Blessings,

Liberty G

--- On Sun, 5/15/11, Denise Guad <dguad27 at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Denise Guad <dguad27 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Summit] Food Composting and Worm Tea

To: "Hope for Health" <libertyliterary at yahoo.com>
Cc: "Summit at sna.providence.ri.us Association" <summit at sna.providence.ri.us>

Date: Sunday, May 15, 2011, 4:47 PM

Liberty...

What a disturbing, depressing website!  Actually, that site makes peanut butter look like one of the better options, with ONLY 9 ID'ed pesticides on the list.  Most of the fruits had 40+ ID'ed pesticides!  I think I will now be eating a diet of onions and sweet corn! 

denise ;)

On Sun, May 15, 2011 at 4:27 PM, Hope for Health <libertyliterary at yahoo.com> wrote:

The worm tea is good stuff.

However, a caution about the "all-natural" peanut butter.
"All-natural" is a term with no meaning.  Worse, peanuts

were found to be the most heavily pesticided crop in a
study some years back.  The safest thing is to buy only
organic PB, especially if you have kids, who eat lots
of it.  It's not that expensive if you figure the number

of meals you get from one jar.  Also, avoid the plastic
jars, and go for the glass.

Check out:  www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=PB

Blessings,

Liberty G

--- On Sun, 5/15/11, Sharon Lee Waldman <slwaldman at cox.net> wrote:

> From: Sharon Lee Waldman <slwaldman at cox.net>

> Subject: Re: [Summit] Food Composting and Worm Tea
> To: summit at sna.providence.ri.us
> Date: Sunday, May 15, 2011, 3:53 PM

> Hi Everyone,
>
> We get the most amazing all-natural peanut butter at the
> Virginal and
> Spanish Peanut Co in Providence, and it comes in large 7
> pound buckets
> that are great for sitting next to the sink for compost.

> (By the way,
> the company has been in busines almost 100 years, and it's
> like stepping
> back in time to go in the sales office. The 7 pound bucket
> of peanut
> butter costs about $15, cash or check only.)

>
> Also, on the topic of composting, we have been putting all
> our food
> scraps into a worm bin in our basement all winter and now
> have a few
> gallons of worm tea from this, which is more than we can

> use.
>
> Worm tea is a 100% natural fertilizer. Worm tea is actually
> worm
> castings, i.e. the liquid part of worm excrement. It is
> produced from
> the unused, compostable fruit and veggie parts myself and

> my family will
> otherwise throw away (for example fruit rinds, onion skins,
> etc). It is
> an absolutely incredible fertilizer. I use it in my house
> plants and
> garden. If there was ever an organic fertilizer, this is

> it. Worms eat
> the food, digest it, and the liquid excrement is collected.
> If you are
> interesting in buying some for a nominal fee ($6 per bottle
> (about 20
> oz)), please contact me.

>
> Thanks,
> Sherry on Greaton Dr.
>
>
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 15 May 2011 9:55:36 -0400
> From: <flutesy at cox.net>

> To: Summit Neighborhood <summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
> Subject: [Summit] kitchen composting
> Message-ID:

> <20110515095536.6CA5C.447064.imail at eastrmwml31>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
> For those people who like to put their kitchen scraps into
> a
> "composting" container in their kitchens for later use in

> the compost
> pile in their yards, you might be interested in something
> available at
> the Farmer Market in Pawtucklet on Wednesdays.  The
> fellow at the front
> from an enrvironmental organization (sorry _ i don't

> remember the name
> of the porganization) has these really cool, much larger
> than normal
> sized plastic containers for $5.  He has reused
> containers that Seven
> Stars received olives in.  A unique idea for efficient

> reuse.
>
> Phyl
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Summit mailing list
> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us

> http://mail.sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/

>

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