organic for cheapskates

[onebatmother]

okay, so I try to buy organic veg and meat esp for the kids.

But I am v broke and also not too uptight about it so..

does anyone know which veg are the ones you'd really want to get organic versions of?

for example, seem to remember that with peppers, it's either VITAL that you get organic, or it doesn't matter a jot, but no idea which..

Thank you!

bananas apparently are bad things for pesticides

also I read a book that says if you can't afford to go totally organic buy whatever you buy most of in organic, and the rest not

which for me means bananas anyway

beef and lamb doesn't make that much difference as long as you buy British since most is practically free-range, eg fell-bred anyway

I read that celery and other high water content veg best to go for organic. I just look out for offers and treats. Wash everything non - org very well. Just can't afford it these days but my dc don't realise how lucky they are (they get the nicest food!!)
Peppers I don;t know sorry. I eat lots and lots and haven't grown third arm yet!!

oooh thank you cappie
v interested about beef and lamb - I'm still planning to get Org meat as am quite bleurgh about whole antibiotic thing, and thought that this was the key difference betw even nicely farmed non-org and org. but am I wrong?

aah, water content! it's coming back to me wow..!

onebat yes it is the antibiotic thing

but IIRC the antibiotic problem is that the bugs themselves get resistant to antibiotics, because of their use in farming, rather than they cause any problems for us when ingesting them via meat

there was an article about this somewhere

hold on

Bananas don't need to be organic as their skins are thick enough to keep bad stuff out. I now buy fair trade bananas and organic potatoes instead of regular. Anything grown underground I buy organic and as much as anything else I get that I can.

I think milk is the crucial one.

Sorry, not veg or meat though....

milk
bread/wheat products
anything with a high water content (eg celery, lettuce)
soft summer fruit

far as I can recall - see Not on the Label by Felicity Lawrence for more on the above..

I couldn#t find the one I was looking for, but does this help?

here is another

yes, soya is another

and tomato products, to avoid the GM stuff.

Mt friends Dh is afarm inspector (or something) and he says that if you can afford it th always buy organic meat, reagrdless of whether its 6 rashers of bacon or half aside of lamb-always organic meat.

He said organic veg isn't that much better the non-organic so don't fret about it.

oh and milk.....always organic milk

tomatoes cos you eat the skin and they get treated with quie a lot of pesticides. milk is the only thing that has sig. better nutritional value if its orgnic

We are on a very tight budget, and this is my list:

Milk
Eggs
Butter
Yoghurt
Carrots
Potatoes
Spinach/Salad leaves
Bread
Flour
Anything in the 'reduced to clear' section

We are veggie but if we weren't I'd only buy organic meat.

Organic eggs are ++++£ though aren't they? Though perfectly justified for a veggie shopping list as I suppose you eat more of them than I might for protein etc....

Yes, they are £+++++++!

But like you say, as we don't eat meat, half a dozen a week isn't that bad.

Frannys 2nd link is v. good.

onebat - do you have room to grow anything? The most easy & economic veg to grow are courgettes (about £1.50 per plant from garden centre from Easter onwards). It should give you about 15 courgettes, won't take much looking after and can either be put in a flower bed or grown in a tub. And if you can grow your own herbs & salad you'll save a fortune (and have organic ones).

Bananas definitely.
Also, non-organic milk and pork are almost certainly from animals which have been fed GM feed.
Can you grow your own of anything?

Why TooTicky?

Sainsbury currently have peppers (red and yellow ones) - pack of 3 half price. If you live in an area where most people don't eat organic, then you will frequently find org stuff reduced.

On another thread the other day, Lidl do organic veg, fruit, milk and eggs, and their prices are pretty reasonable.

Sorry, why what?

definitely
carrots tomaotoes

which are the 2 thinsg that IMO you really can taste the difference

apples (non organic ones make my lips go funny)
milk and dairy meat to avoid all those nasty growth hormones.

would settle fro free range chicken and british pork though if not organic

IMO there is not much difference with many veg, and some veg you cant taste the difference at all

I prefer organic JACKET potatoes but dont notice difference when mashed / roasted
Organic cucumbers taste more 'cucumbery'

dont notice much any difference with
frozen peas
sweetcorn (fresh or frozen)
garlic
green beans
sweet potatoe
butternut squash
parsnip
swede
broccolli (except organic brocolli caomes with caterpillars occasionaly )
lettuce / salad leaves

would NOT bother with organic jucies made from concentrate