Buying Organic Foods on a Budget
If you had one thing to change this month in how you are purchasing foods for you and for your family, I would suggest you begin here! This is one way to make it more financially feasible to eat healthy foods. These all still need to be well washed before consuming.
Children are at an even higher risk of toxicity from pesticides than adults are.[1]
Try to avoid what the Environmental Working Group calls the “Dirty Dozen,” specific fruits and vegetables that tend to have the most pesticide residues. Buy these in Organic.
This list includes:
‣ strawberries
‣ spinach
‣ nectarines
‣ apples
‣ peaches
‣ pears
‣ cherries
‣ grapes
‣ celery
‣ tomatoes
‣ sweet bell peppers
‣ potatoes
The Environmental Working Group also has a list called the “Clean Thirteen”, of the produce that tends to have the least amounts of pesticide residues. These can be bought non-organic.
This list includes:
‣ avocados
‣ sweet corn
‣ pineapples
‣ cabbages
‣ onions
‣ sweet peas (frozen)
‣ papayas
‣ asparagus
‣ mangoes
‣ eggplants
‣ honeydew melons
‣ kiwis
‣ cantaloupes
‣ cauliflower
‣ broccoli
What about meats?
Cutting corners here one must get a bit more creative. Sales at the grocery store on Bell and Evans chicken I always look for. I also try to stock up on grass fed and grass finished beef when I see that at a good price. The same goes for pork and for bacon (No nitrates). Most of these can be frozen for 9-12 months. Ground meats are good for a much shorter time frozen at about 4 months.[2]
How to know you found a good price?
I SO cannot remember what I paid for something last time I shopped and especially if it is something I needed vs bought because it looked good. I literally started saving receipts, as I shop at several different grocery stores. After a couple of months, I sat down and made a spread sheet of prices for things I buy regularly. I keep that folded up in my purse so that I can double check prices. I update the list every few months as well. Mostly I now know where the cheapest produce is of quality, but the meat prices vary from store to store and their sales.
Another option for meat if you can find it near you, is to buy a cow, pig or chicken at a local farm, pre butchered and freeze the meat. Some farmers will offer ½ or ¼’s of cows and pigs as well. If you have friends or family nearby, splitting the meat and costs is also an option.
CSA’s at local farms are fabulous ways to support your local organic farmer, as well as to stock up on fresh vegetables! Canning is one option, but parboiling and freezing vegetables is another (and so much easier)! I have a silicone bag (Stasher bag[3]) of green beans parboiled and ready for my husband’s birthday dinner in December, this makes him SO excited to have fresh vegetables in December in New England!
As sustainable farmer, Joel Salatin says:[4]
“The shorter the chain between raw food and fork, the fresher it is and more transparent the system is”
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1637834/
[2] https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/cold-food-storage-charts
[3] https://www.stasherbag.com/blogs/stasher-life/how-to-freeze-vegetables-in-a-stasher-bag
[4] http://www.polyfacefarms.com/
A quick and easy recipe that is perfect for these cold autumn days! This was one my Grandmother made. Look at your own family recipes for ideas, those made a couple of generations ago and further back, are made of all the healthy foods you were meant to eat, not any of it is processed!
Mothers Potted Chicken
Ingredients
Serves 2-3 people
- 4-5 slices of bacon, cubed
- 2 bone in chicken breasts, or legs, thighs etc. (or 3 boneless breasts)
- 1 large onion, cubed
- 1 large clove of garlic, diced
- 4 organic red potatoes, quartered (if small, use more and only cut them in half)
- 4-5 basil leaves (a handful, the more the merrier!)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cube 4-5 pieces of bacon and cook in Iron Dutch oven, remove to bowl
Add to brown, bone in chicken pieces or boneless chicken breasts,
Place on top of chicken pieces:
Cubed onion, diced garlic and as many organic red potatoes halved or quartered as you need.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a handful of fresh organic basil (tear in pieces if large leaves)
Put in oven at 325 degrees for 1 hour for bone in chicken breasts or 40 minutes if boneless chicken breasts.
Hint, the little bit of bacon grease/sauce in the bottom, is delicious over the potatoes with a dollop of grass fed butter (or ghee if dairy is an issue).
Cast Iron Cookware
A properly seasoned cast iron pan is just as non-stick as a Teflon coated pan without any harmful chemicals. These pans can handle very high temperatures and can even be used directly over a fire when camping. Although they are heavy, they are nearly indestructible when properly cared for.
A few cautions:
‣ Cast iron should never be cleaned with soap or abrasive scrubbers as this will destroy the seasoning.
‣ You should avoid cooking acidic foods like tomatoes for long periods in cast iron as it will cause more iron to be pulled from the pan into the food.
‣ Cooking in cast iron does impart iron into food in general—but this is a good thing for most of us.
Enameled cast iron is a wonderful option when you do want to cook acidic foods or avoid the extra iron.
Best Brands: Lodge, Le Creuset, Staub, or vintage Griswold and Wagner cast iron pieces. It is important to note that most commercially available cast iron pans are seasoned with vegetable oils. To avoid cooking on a vegetable oil coated surface, follow these instructions to strip and re-season your pans with a nourishing fat like tallow or coconut oil:
How to Re-season a Cast Iron Pan
1. Strip the Current Seasoning: Cut the end off of a russet potato and dip it in sea salt. Use the salty potato to scrub the inner and outer surface of the pan vigorously. Slice off the used end, re-dip in salt and continue scrubbing if needed. Wash with hot soapy water (this is the ONLY time soap should come near your cast iron), rinse, and dry. Season immediately to avoid oxidation.
2. Apply New Seasoning: Use a tea towel or paper towel to rub a heat stable, nourishing fat (that is heat stable to 400° F such as tallow, avocado oil, refined coconut oil, or extra virgin olive oil, all over the inside and outside of the pan. Use another towel or paper towel to wipe off any excess oil that doesn’t absorb into the pan.
3. Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven and insert your pan, upside down on the top rack (set in a middle position) in a cold oven.
4. Turn oven on to 400° F. When the oven reaches temperature, set a timer for 1 hour.
5. Turn off the oven when the timer beeps, but do not open it. Allow the pan to cool in the oven for 2 hours.
6. Test your new seasoning. The best way to do this is to fry up an egg in a delicious dollop of butter or ghee. If the egg sticks, clean the pan with a course scrub brush and follow the seasoning directions again. Some pans will take 5 or 6 seasoning cycles before they are ready. Even when fully seasoned, you always need to cook your food with a decent amount of fat to avoid sticking.
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