Living Longer Eating Organically
By Alicia Bynum
On a recent Sunday morning, Katie Featheridge browsed the stands at the farmer’s market in the plaza outside Brooklyn Borough Hall where she shops for organically-grown produce.
‘I have been coming to this market for as long as I could remember, they have never disappointed me,” Featheridge said. “The food is always fresh, vibrant. The people are always so helpful and enthusiastic.’
Featheridge is one of a growing number of New Yorkers who are committed to eating organically and who are turning to farmer’s markets to be sure that the food they are buying meets organic standards. Confusing labels on grocery store products and complicated language on the definition of organic produce often make it difficult for consumers to know they are actually getting organically-grown and raised food.
“Young mothers who want to provide their children with healthy food, now have the opportunity to do so at the farmer’s market,” said Nisha Ramirez, a young mother, who shops and cooks organic food for her family.
Farmer’s markets have made it affordable as well as accessible for New Yorkers to shop there because people now can buy their groceries via electronic benefit transfer (Ebt) and women, infant and children (Wic) checks.
People’s interest in eating organically has increased as they became more conscious of the things they ingest. In an era where technology is developing at high speeds, the threat of new disease seems to be on the rise as well. People are looking at different venues for increasing healthier lives.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, ‘Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewerage sludge, bioengineering or ionization of radiation.’
For a farmer to get his or her land certified as property that produces organic food, it has to undergo specific testing as well as meet certain criteria that can take up to multiple years.
Julia Trunzo, an organic farmer who was selling produce at the downtown Brooklyn market, explained how she got into organic farming ‘As a farmer and working in the field, I do not want to be surrounded by the harsh chemicals that people use when they use fertilizers so I chose to farm organic, because I want to live a healthier lifestyle,” Trunzo said. “So I sell organic food to individuals who also want to live that way.”
Ms. Trunzo, whose farm is in upstate New York, has been producing organic products for the past 10 years. She has been selling her products to communities in New York, Westchester County and areas of New Jersey.
People seem to gravitate toward farmers market for their unique way of selling and they are very informative.
Staff members at the farmers market seem to have different ways of informing those who want to learn about the products they buy. They establish friendly relationships with loyal customers. They are willing to educate people about the foods they sell.
People can get easily misled by the way things are worded, labeled as well as packaged. Some places might sell things that say they are natural and organic, but the origins of the foods would be grown and processed right next to an industrial plant/factory. At farmers markets, the farmers can vouch for where the food was grown, how they grew their products.
‘You can have them side by side and not really tell the difference. As a farmer you can grow organic foods properly or not,” said Eddie Taverez, who is an organic wheat seller.
Stated by the United States Department of Agriculture, ‘TO be 100% organic food must contain all organic ingredients except added water and salt.’ It is imperative that people know the differences between the organic groceries they buy. If they choose not to buy from farmers market, they should inquire at the local food store where the food is growing, and under what conditions it is grown.
The only misconception that one might incur is that there is no sure way to know when eating organic food; it does not have a particular taste. Organic food will cost you more, but take into consideration that it takes much more to grow organic food.
When paying for foods that do not contain harsh chemicals, you wind up saving a lot. No matter what the reason is for eating organically knowledge about what you eat is everlasting. Be it a college student, a young mother, or a precautious dieter, organic food is a healthier way of living.