Want Organic Produce? Why Growing Your Own is the Best Option

If you ask, most people will tell you they’d rather eat fresh, non-GMO and organic food than food which has been sprayed by various chemicals and pesticides. With organic produce usually priced higher than other produce, families may feel that opting for organic is not always an option. But isn’t eating fruits and vegetables coated with pesticides and chemicals kind of counterintuitive? You want to nourish your body and give it the nutrients it needs, yet in actuality you are simply adding harmful toxins into your body instead. So the logical solution would be to bite the bullet and buy organic food, right? Well….not so fast.

A recent study in Canada revealed that nearly half of the organic produce they tested was contaminated by pesticides. That is a truly frightening and disappointing statistic. It also does not bode well for other countries as to what percentage of their organic food is ridden with pesticides and toxins. Some organic farmers use “natural” organic-approved pesticides and insecticides in an effort to keep their crops protected and free from harm. The question is though, how are consumers supposed to know or have any guarantee that the organic foods they are buying and eating do not have toxins harmful to their bodies?

If you were truly aware of health and other problems with pesticides, you would probably not want these chemicals anywhere near you oryour family. Becoming aware of the dangers and learning the solutions available to you will give you viable options from which to choose. In all honesty, there is no real way to confirm the produce you are buying is truly organic unless you go directly to your local organic growers and learn about their growing process. The only way to guarantee that the produce you eat is not coated in harmful pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and other toxins is to grow your own. When you grow your own you can have 100% certainty what you are eating is fresh and organic, without unnecessary chemicals and it’s non-GMO. Even if you live in an apartment, you can learn and employ the basics of starting an apartment vegetable garden. Here are 8 easy vegetables and herbs you can grow indoors to get you started. For those of you experiencing the chill of winter (no, unfortunately we don’t have that winter chill here in Southern California yet this season), here are some tips on how to grow vegetables all year long – even in winter! And last but not least, if you don’t want to grow or tend to a garden on your own, find out if there is a community garden in your area or start one. Making organic produce more accessible is definitely the way to go.

Organic raised beds image by Lori L. Stalteri via Flickr Creative Commons