You Ain't Gonna Find a Cucumber Like This at Whole Foods

I remember when I first discovered Whole Foods; it was the summer of 1999, a few years before I began my adventure into holistic nutrition counseling. I was in complete awe of the fruit and vegetable arrangements; the beauty of the peppers in orange, red, yellow, and green stacked to perfection astounded me. I had a friend who lived near Whole Foods and was completely irritated to learn that she couldn’t get Crisco there; I thought the concept was kind of cool and that was before I even learned that Crisco was nothing more than trans fat grossness!

So at first, I thought Whole Foods was pretty darn awesome even though it didn’t quite welcome those with budgets like mine; I was a graduate student after all and absolutely agreed with the nickname “Whole Paycheck.” As I began to learn the differences between organic and conventional vegetables and fruits, I developed an aversion toward Whole Foods. I could not BELIEVE that they made people believe that because they shopped there, they were eating healthier foods, when in fact, the majority of their food was pesticide-laden conventional foods. Yes, they do offer plenty of organic, but it’s not all organic.

At any rate, I recently bought the most delicious, organic cucumber I have ever had. Where did I get it? I bought it from my CSA, Wyllie Fox Farm, for $1.00. It was so big that I was able to use it in two different salads. Try this recipe. So delicious. And to think, you can get such a gorgeous cucumber for less than a cup of coffee, isn’t that great?

Brent shows off our awesome cucumber!!!

Shannon’s Dilly-Wonder Salad:

Ingredients:

SALAD

- 1 cucumber sliced thinly (or in the case of a cucumber as big as mine, you only need half)

- 5 cups baby salad mix

- 1 cup shredded carrot

- ½ cup chopped dill

DRESSING

- ¼ cup lemon juice

- 4 Tablespoons olive oil

- ¼ teaspoon Herbamare or sea salt

- 2 Tablespoons agave nectar

- Ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix the salad ingredients together. Toss in the dressing.

I Heart My CSA

Each spring, I get super-psyched about my “CSA season,” which typically runs from June through November here in the Northeast. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture; its structure connects conscientious consumers to a local farmer. As a CSA member, you purchase a share of the farm and in return receive an abundance of seasonal produce every week throughout the CSA season.

I have been a member of three different CSAs: one in New York City, one in Easton, PA, and my newest CSA in my newest city of residence, Syracuse. I feel amazingly gratified to be able to say that my CSA, Wyllie Fox Farm, just received its USDA organic certification! The USDA has many specifications for farmers who choose to become officially organic and the process of becoming legally organic is so arduous that many farmers choose not to apply for the certificate. In order to become USDA certified organic, a farm has to refrain from using synthetic pesticides or fertilizers; they can not use plastic mulches, they can not use non-organic transplants; they are not allowed to use any synthetic materials in their washing, handling, and storing of the produce; the list goes on and on. But Jamie and Maggie Edelstein work very hard to meet the USDA certified organic specifications.

Here is an example of a large share! So many greens! And rhubarb!

(wait until you find out what I did with THAT!)

Brent and I had the great pleasure of visiting the farm and celebrating their certification. They’re totally GREEN! For example, the plastic that they use for their high tunnels is recycled; it came from farmers who no longer need high tunnels. The farm equipment appears archaic, but hey, it does the job; they feel no need to get the “latest and greatest” farm equipment.

We are thrilled about our CSA! We’re splitting it with a friend so it’s only costing us $275 a season. $275 for 20 weeks! That comes out to $13.75 a week. What a deal for the freshest, local, organic produce!

Q+A # 1: Produce Junction --Yeah or Nay?

I have been receiving a plethora of emails lately with questions from prior clients and/or community members asking basic questions about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I have decided to feature some of these Q+As on my blog in hopes of helping many people understand some simple steps they can take to achieve a helathy lifestyle.

Question: I have a huge dilemma. Produce Junction just opened near me. I can get bulk produce, fruits, and flowers for such low prices. For instance, 3 lbs of carrots = $2; carton strawberries = $1.50; 3 huge romaine lettuce = $2; 3 huge beets = $1; 3 bunches bananas = $1; 6 small avocados = $1.

Since the opening of the store, I've been going there religiously, often splitting the bulk produce with my friend. With prices like this, I eat tons of salads, brushed off the dust from my juicer to make green juice, and afford to throw all sorts of fruits into my smoothies. One problem... I don't see the magic word "organic" anywhere!

So this is my dilemma, I can now eat tons more fruits/veggies but they're not organic vs. eat minimal amounts of fruits/veggies but are organic. I know about the sermons on why we should eat organic and I have been since you educated me but... I have the opportunity to buy tons of produce for such little money. I've never been in the position to eat this much green before in my life, WITHOUT breaking the bank. These financial times are making the scale tip towards buying bulk fruits/veggies to get as much greens into the diet as I can. Ugh... help.

Answer:

Dear Hooked on Produce Junction:
You are not alone. I have heard dozens of people rave about the low cost of produce from Produce Junction. I know how difficult these financial times are for the majority of us and yes I do think the more veggies and fruits you can eat, the better your overall health will be for years to come.

With that said, I do have some concerns with those fruits and veggies you get from Produce Junction. I will address these concerns and will offer you a smarter way to shop at produce Junction if you choose to continue doing so and will offer a couple of alternatives to shopping at Produce Junction.

My first concern is that all the produce at Produce Junction comes pre-packaged. In this day and age, regardless of our financial hardships, we have to try to be as green as possible. Think of the millions of gallons of fossil fuel used to produce all of that packaging!

I have also heard stories of many people finding that half of the pre-packaged fruit from produce Junction to be rotted and they end up throwing it away. So is that really a value? I would say no.

If you can get past the thought of all of the pre-packaging, then continue shopping at Produce Junction but do so in a smarter, healthier fashion. The biggest step to take is to AVOID purchasing the conventional foods that have been ranked to have the most pesticides: Find out here: http://www.foodnews.org. There are fruits and veggies that are okay to purchase conventionally here too (those with the least amount of pesticides), including tropical fruits, avocados, and onions. And I have to admit the prices you found for avocados is unbeatable! If they are already getting soft, be sure to store them in the fridge to keep them fresher longer. Avocados are extremely healthy in this day and age to in order to get a good dosage of mon-unsaturated fats and a decent amount of Omega-3s.

I think the best alternative to your weekly shopping trips to Produce Junction is to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). From May until November, you will be able to get fresh local produce for a VERY low cost. This also forces you to get creative with your food prep and cooking. It becomes exciting to get new fresh produce every week! Find out about CSAs near you by visiting http://www.localharvest.org.

Lastly, I want to express deep empathy for all of those who are suffering in this tough economy. It’s impacting all of us. However, our health should honest-to-God continue to be our # 1 Priority. By eating healthfully today, we can ward off diseases like cancer and heart disease. So, in the long run, we can save a lot of money and we can likely protect ourselves from extreme suffering. When you get a chance today, I encourage all of you to make a list of what you can do for your health today. Are you constantly bombarded with worries? I’d encourage trying yoga or meditation or going for a peaceful walk. Are you eating out a lot? I’d encourage you to try some simple recipes and cook at home. You will save tons of money this way too.

Hang in there everybody! We will get through this together!!!