Buy Organic

You may think that buying organic food is good for the environment but is that always the case? Organic farming is better for the environment because pesticides, herbicides, and other harmful chemicals are not used during production. Crop rotation and companion planting is beneficial to the soil and attracts local wildlife. These are good things but what about the cost of transportation? How much damage is done when your favourite products are flown in from interstate or overseas? How much carbon is released into the atmosphere?

This is why it’s important to buy local produce as often as possible. If you can walk or take public transport to your local market and only buy products which are grown or produced locally then this will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as help the local economy. It is obviously convenient to drive to your favourite organic supermarket and buy out of season fruit and vegetables but you can’t really say you are helping the environment by doing so? You would probably be better off to buy conventional produce which is grown at local farms.

I’m not saying I buy all my organic products that way. I do buy skin care products and some clothing on the internet. However I buy my fruit and vegetables from local suppliers, well, most of the time, and if I buy something on the internet then I try to buy in bulk rather than buying one item every few weeks.

I think the point is to be aware of what you are buying and what the real cost to the environment is. If I have the choice of something produced locally and something produced overseas then I’ll buy the local product. If we all make this kind of decision at least part of the time then we will be able to reduce the number of greenhouse gases going into the environment and hopefully slow the process of global warming.

For a while I was recommending some organic pet food from a US site. This wasn’t very convenient and too expensive for most people, including myself, so after a bit of searching I have found an Australian site with some organic dog and cat food.

Pet Deli sells high quality natural and holistic pet food as well as pet health care products and some accessories. Most of the brands are well known and contain less water and fillers than some brands you will find in the supermarket. The prices are comparable with what you would pay at the vet but is a good option if you like the convenience of buying online. Delivery takes 3 to 4 days and is free to the Sydney metro area for orders over $60. Delivery elsewhere is charged at Australia Post rates.

Eagle Pack is the only brand with organic ingredients such as organic chicken, organic quinoa, and organic dandelion. The ingredients list doesn’t state the percentage of ingredients which are organic and it looks to be a fairly small portion. Nevertheless, they are worth a try if you want to feed your pet organic food. Quite a few supplements have been added to keep your pet healthy. These include kelp, antioxidants, omega 3, and omega 6, depending on the product. All ingredients are listed on the site and even though it doesn’t say the chicken is organic in the ingredients list, the owner of the site assured me it is certified organic.

Visit Pet Deli for more information on their products.

I have found it difficult to find stylish organic cotton clothing. There is not that much on offer but a couple of months ago I found Tonic T-shirts. They are a UK based company offering original designs on organic and/or ethically sourced cotton t-shirts. The designs are pretty cool so I bought 3 t-shirts for my husband.

Their range is not huge but you should be able to find something of interest. Not all are organic though, I think it is mainly the red t-shirts which are organic. The others are made from fair traded cotton. I hope they will produce more of the organic t-shirts in the future. Delivery to Australia is £4 which isn’t too bad if you purchase 3 or 4 at the same time. The t-shirts themselves are pretty affordable. At the moment they are having a sale where 1 t-shirt is £18 or you can buy 2 for £32 or 3 for £45. If you join their mailing list you can get further discounts.

The t-shirts I ordered arrived quickly and in perfect order. All the t-shirts are of excellent quality and I particularly like the red Nada t-shirt which is 100% organic cotton. The material is very light weight and soft. They didn’t change their shape or shrink after washing and drying and they were easy to iron.

I really recommend these t-shirts if you want organic clothing and don’t mind ordering from overseas. My only complaint is that they don’t have enough designs to choose from and they don’t seem to be adding new designs. If they add new designs on the organic t-shirts then I will definitely buy more.

A couple of years ago I tried to grow eggplant for the first time. I have always grown my own vegetables but I never grew eggplant simply because I didn’t like it. That changed when I discovered how to cook it properly. I planted some seedlings and they quickly grew into large healthy bushes. They needed little attention and before I knew it they were full of flowers. I was looking forward to the great meals I was going to be able to cook when all the flowers dropped off. I could understand that a few would drop off but all of them? By the end of the season I got one very small eggplant from about 12 plants. Needless to say I was quite upset.

After a bit of research I discovered the reason for my failure was most likely that the flowers weren’t getting pollinated. I didn’t have any bees to do the job. I remember seeing a lot of bees in the spring but they then disappeared. The reason for this was quite simple – I didn’t have any flowering plants in the garden. All my spring flowers had died off and the bees went off with them. Another explanation could have been that it was a very hot summer and the bees didn’t have enough water. It seems they need to drink on a regular basis so if you want bees around then you should leave water out for them. Easier said than done when it’s 40 degrees outside.

If your vegetables aren’t getting pollinated due to a lack of bees then the solution is to plant flowers in and around your vegetable crops. Plant a variety of different flowers which are in bloom at different times of the year. This way you are more likely to have bees all year round. Also try to leave out little containers of water or create a water feature so the bees will have plenty to drink. This should be enough to keep bees around and have a successful crop.

This is in fact one of the main principles of good organic gardening – diversification. I wasn’t that interested in having a regular garden with lawn and flower beds, I just wanted to grow fruit and vegetables but flowers are important.

My top 10 plants for attracting bees are:

• Lavender
• Salvia
• Roses
• Daisies
• Nasturtium
• Borage
• Thyme
• Coriander
• Hebe
• Eucalyptus

The following summer I had a very successful crop of eggplant which was delicious in my favourite eggplant recipe which I got from Neil Perry.

Ingredients:

2 Freshly Picked Organic Eggplants

5 or 6 Cloves of Garlic (not sure if that was in the original recipe but it works for me)

Large Handful of Flat Leaf Parsley

1 Tin of Tomatoes (or fresh if you have them)

Plenty of Olive Oil (precise, I know)

Method:

Thickly slice the eggplant and fry in plenty of olive oil. The temperature should be fairly high so the eggplant will brown and caramelise. As the eggplant starts to soften mash it slightly so it breaks up and becomes very well cooked and soft.

Add the finely chopped garlic and parsley and let it fry slightly.

Add the tinned tomatoes and little salt and pepper if you like. You can also add some chili as an alternative.

Once it is cooked through, serve it with fresh bread. This is a quick and easy recipe and is really delicious. It is one of my favourite meals. It is especially tasty if all the vegetables and organic and home grown.

I’m not sure that I want to buy organic food for my two cats. They are both 17 years old and relatively healthy after eating a diet of regular canned food and dried food bought from the supermarket. They have never been sick in their life and have only had to go to the vet for their annual checkups and a couple of times after run-ins with cars. Maybe they have been lucky but they have managed fine with convention food, although in the last couple of years they have refused to eat anything but the most expensive brands or fresh chicken meat. I think if I was to get another cat (I’m not a dog person) then I would probably go for more natural products such as those provided by Eagle Pack. Maybe it’s going over the top but it seems healthier.

Aside from food I have seen some great organic pet toys. They look great and contain organic ingredients. I’m sure they would be great for keeping your dog or cat entertained.

Organic Dog Toys

I think these Simply Fido organic dog toys are gorgeous. They are available as squeaky toys, soft animal toys, and dog bone shapes. They are made from organic fabrics which are unbleached and untreated. They have been dyed using natural dyes. I think they are great but I don’t have a dog so won’t be getting any.

Organic Cat Toys

My cats struggle to get off the couch, let alone chase after toys but you might be interested in these organic cat toys if you have a young cat. These organic catnip toys contain certified organic catnip. If you don’t know, catnip is a herb which attracts cats. Many cats love it (though generally not kittens less than 3 months old or senior cats) and will chew it or roll in it. It is kind of like a drug for them and it can drive some cats crazy – in a good way. It’s completely harmless and non toxic so there is no need to worry if you cat starts acting strangely. Plus the effects tend to wear off in 5-10 minutes or so. They can then become sleepy and take a nap. There is also this toy mouse which is filled with organic catnip. Either should be fun for your cat.

Update: Only Natural Pet Store does not deliver to Australia, sorry.

Organic fruit and vegetables have many benefits over conventional varieties but it is not always possible to buy organic. Availability can be a problem and high prices can be a deterrent. If you do decide to purchase conventional produce then you may wish to avoid certain items which are more likely to contain harmful pesticide residues. The worst offenders are generally those with thin skins or those which get sprayed a number of times during the growing period. The Environmental Working Group has identified 12 fruits and vegetables which are particularly susceptible to pesticide contamination. If you can, try to avoid the following conventionally grown fruit and vegetables:

• apples
• capsicum
• celery
• cherries
• grapes
• nectarines
• peaches
• pears
• potatoes
• raspberries
• spinach
• strawberries

These are especially dangerous for pregnant women and young children. Pesticides can be passed on to an unborn child via the placenta and children under 2 years of age are less able to eliminate pesticides from their bodies.

A safer option is to buy fruit and vegetables which have thick skins which you can peel off before eating such as bananas, corn, mangos, onions, oranges, and pineapples.

I always try to buy organic fruit and vegetables but I’m not always satisfied with what I get. My local organic supermarket doesn’t have the freshest produce and it’s not particularly good quality. There is also a lack of variety which means I often resort to buying regular produce to supplement the organic veges. You could put that down to the season but I still feel that some things are missing.

Markets are obviously are better choice if you are looking for fresh fruit and vegetables. However, I have been disappointed at times. I used to think the produce came straight from the farm having been recently picked but that can’t possibly be the case. I have seen crinkled capsicums, mouldy tomatoes, and soft potatoes at the market. Maybe they try to sell what they couldn’t the previous week before putting out the fresh stuff. Whatever the reason, I’m never completely happy with what I get.

For me, the solution is to grow my own fruit and vegetables. This is the only way to know for sure that they are fresh, pesticide free, and tasty. Growing heirloom vegetables is most likely the best option. These varieties are perfect for the home garden. They are easy to grow, have a longer growing period, and taste delicious. Heirloom varieties almost always have more flavour than hybrid varieties.

Even with a small area you can have your own vegetable garden. Tomatoes, capsicums, onions, carrots, and herbs are particularly easy to grow and don’t take up too much room. Lemons and other citrus trees make a fantastic addition to your backyard. They require little maintenance, have a beautiful scent when in flower, and produce an abundance of fruit.

The difference between home grown and shop bought vegetables is incredible. Once you grow your own you won’t ever want to switch back to buying your fruit and vegetables.

Welcome to the Buy Organic Blog.

There is so much going on in the world or organics that it can be hard to keep up. I have started this blog as a complement to the Buy Organic website. Here I will post about the latest organic news, product reviews, and environmental issues affecting Australia.

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I hope you will introduce yourself by leaving a comment.