THE GROWING DIFFERENCE IN ORGANIC

THE GROWING DIFFERENCE IN ORGANIC
There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood.. This is why buying organic produce can positively impact your family’s health. Let’s take a look at a few of the differences in growing practices and pesticide residues of conventional and organic farmers.
Raspberries
The most serious disease of raspberries is gray mold, caused from rain when fruits are at their ripest. Conventional growers can use fungicides for this problem, but there are no organic fungicides available for organic growers to combat this problem. They have to be more proactive, choosing a location with good soil, and arranging crop rows to take advantage of sunlight and breezes. Other techniques are trellising, removing spent canes, thinning, controlling weeds, cover crop mowing, and a tight picking schedule to reduce the presence of overripe fruit.
Cucumbers
A recent report reviewed the current data comparing pesticide residues on organic and conventional produce. It found that conventional vegetables are 6.8 times more likely to have one or more detectable residues, and about a dozen pesticides are routinely present in fresh produce at levels that pose significant risks. The average conventional cucumber contained 2.7 different pesticides.
Honeydew melon
Honeydew melon is a long-season crop, more so than other melons. Longer time in the field makes melons more susceptible to insects and leaf disease, which can translate into more pesticides being used. Organic growers know that excess nitrate fertilizers can bring on bugs and mildew so they are careful to use compost and other slow-release sources of nitrogen. Instead of potent fungicides that conventional growers use, organic growers use botanical oils from jojoba and neem and even baking soda to combat disease. They also use biological sprays that employ competitive micro-organisms, which are harmless to us, but are lethal to the bacteria and fungal diseases that plague hot and tired melon plants.
Plums
Have you ever seen beautiful plums turn ugly with a soft brownish mold? It’s brown rot. In the spring, when plum trees bloom and set fruit, rain and cool weather encourage brown rot spores to enter the twigs where the fruit forms. Conventional growers spray synthetic fungicides; organic growers spray naturally occurring minerals and biofungicides (which have safe bacteria) to compete against the fungal spores.
Zucchini
Cucumber beetles are the scourges of zucchini growers. They feed on the leaves and spread disease from one plant to another. Some conventional growers use traps that contain a combination of cucurbitacin juices and carbaryl (a toxic insecticide) as a control method. Organic growers use floating row covers as a barrier between insects and plants, heavy mulch to deter egg laying in the soil, and they plant perimeter trap crops to attract beetles away from the zucchini. They also use natural predators like soldier beetles, wasps and bats.
Thompson seedless grapes
It’s tempting to pluck a grape and pop it in your mouth, but don’t. Grapes are heavily sprayed. An Environmental Working Group study of government data revealed that imported and domestic grapes rank in the top 10 for residues. California grape growers are reducing their use of the more toxic pesticides, but plenty are still being used. Late season grapes are often treated with sulfur dioxide gas to increase storage time; organic growers can’t use these. Your best bet is buying organic and washing your grapes to rinse off any dirt and residues. Don’t worry about the frosty color on the grapes—that’s natural, it’s called bloom.
For info on pesticide residues and organic growing, go to www.foodnews.org and www.organiccenter.org.

PRESERVING THE BOUNTY

PRESERVING THE BOUNTY

As Bartlett pear season begins, it may get you thinking of ways to keep them around for late fall and winter entertaining. After all, these beauties only last so long and they can make a quick yet elegant dessert or salad accompaniment when you are short on time and the holidays roll around. Have you ever thought about pickling pears? Why not? Folks have been pickling forever and it is not as hard as you might think. Check out this recipe from Washington State University.
Pickled Pears
8 cups sugar
4 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
8 cinnamon sticks (2-inch pieces)
2 tablespoons cloves, whole
2 tablespoons allspice, whole
8 pounds pears
Combine sugar, vinegar, water and cinnamon; add cloves and allspice that are tied in a clean, thin, white cloth. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered about 30 minutes. Wash pears, remove skins, and the entire blossom end; the stems may be left on if desired. To prevent peeled pears from darkening during preparation, immediately put them into cold water containing 2 tablespoons each of salt and vinegar per gallon. Drain just before using. Add pears to the boiling syrup and continue simmering for 20-25 minutes. Pack hot pears into clean, hot pint jars; add one 2-inch piece cinnamon stick per jar and cover with boiling syrup to 1⁄2 inch from top of jar. Adjust jar lids. Process in boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes. Yield 7-8 pints
These may get your culinary juices flowing to try some new salad ideas, or give them as a gift for special friends.
If not pears, what about putting up some tomatoes? There is nothing like that summer tomato taste to cure the wintertime blues. Still a little hesitant to can or pickle? Why not freeze some tomatoes for sauce? Try this technique from http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciqtomatoes.shtml. It’s easy and yields great results.
Washing Tomatoes
Wash tomatoes before cutting. To wash, wet each tomato with water, rub its surface, rinse it with running water, and dry with a paper towel. Then cut away the stem scar and surrounding area. Discard it before slicing or chopping the tomato.
Soap or detergent is neither recommended nor approved for washing fruits and vegetables because they can absorb detergent residues.
Freezing Tomatoes
Tomatoes may be frozen whole, sliced, chopped or puréed. Additionally, you can freeze them raw or cooked, as juice or sauce, or prepared in a recipe. Thawed raw tomatoes may be used in any cooked-tomato recipe. Don’t try to substitute them for fresh tomatoes, however, as freezing causes their texture to become mushy. Tomatoes should be seasoned just before serving rather than before freezing.
Preparation:
Select firm, ripe tomatoes for freezing. Sort the tomatoes, discarding any that are spoiled. Wash them in clean water as recommended above. Dry them by blotting with a clean cloth or paper towels.
Freezing whole tomatoes with peels:
Prepare tomatoes as described above. Cut away the stem scar. Place tomatoes on cookie sheets and freeze. Tomatoes don’t need to be blanched before freezing. Once frozen, transfer the tomatoes from the cookie sheets into freezer bags or other containers. Seal tightly. To use the frozen tomatoes, remove them from the freezer a few at a time or all at once. To peel, just run a frozen tomato under warm water in the kitchen sink. Its skin will slip off easily.
Storage time
To extend the time frozen foods maintain good quality, package foods in material intended for freezing and keep the temperature of the freezer at 0 degrees F or below. It is generally recommended frozen vegetables be eaten within about eight months for best quality.
Come January you’ll be glad you took the time to preserve a little bit of summer.