My wife dug up a small basketful of scrawny carrots the other day, preparing that garden bed to plant garlic. Our tomato plants are loaded – tomato plants are hard to screw up, even when hornworms are munching through the foliage. In our refrigerator are bags of okra, green beans, and such – gifts from Berryville Farmers’ Market as a reward for our leading a jam session there every Saturday morning.
All of this bounty of fresh produce makes summer more bearable. Wal-Mart and its grocery store competitors work hard to keep customers in fresh veggies in season and out, but the real deal is when they are fresh and local.
I like to eat apples in the car, the one fruit I can handle while driving. My wife insisted we buy organic apples, but they come inexplicably in a thick plastic bag. And they do not keep well in the heat, so I ain’t eating apples these days.
I do not understand the packaging and marketing of organic foods. We have been buying organic milk and other dairy products for years, since she learned that hormones given dairy cattle have adverse effects on women’s health. Ditto certain kinds of plastics, believe it or not. Organic milk and yogurt generally cost more than the conventional products, which doesn’t make sense to me since there are costs other than health – chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, plus feed and supplements. I understand that organic farming is more labor intensive, but still – why do we pay so much more for these products than the others? Affordability is a major determinant in how people may shop, plan menus, eat, and drink. When I see a shopping buggy loaded down with hamburger helper, frozen french fries and sody pop, I feel sorry for the kiddos whose parents bring home that bacon.
Time is another factor. When our kids were small, we had a small organic garden and would make homemade pizza with just-picked ingredients, but when they became busy in junior high and high school we bought frozen pizzas to eat on the go.
Once I overheard two young moms by the frozen food cases. One was putting back a stack of microwaveable TV-dinners, sighing, “I just don’t feel like cooking tonight….”
So the organic, and natural, and “healthy” food options have invaded the freezer cases and boxed grocery shelves. You don’t think Kraft mac-and-cheese is good for you? You can buy at ridiculously high prices some package with organic dried chee
- Worried about bug spray in your Cheerios? Grab a box of identical, expensive, pesticide-free cereal, made with “organic cane juice” instead of sugar.
The marketing of instant foods or familiar products made with organic ingredients follows the American traditions of selling all such products. These are designed with a particular customer in mind – someone who doesn’t have the time or motivation to cook from scratch but has the money to buy something that can be prepared quickly and appears to be a healthy alternative. Hence the long history of lite, low-sodium, no cholesterol, no trans-fats, non-GMO, gluten free – you name it.
Our ancient ancestors, and certainly the original pioneers in the Ozarks, survived in a subsistence economy. If it wasn’t there, you didn’t have it, period. The luxury of eating well, of having tomatoes in January, bananas all year, imported coffee, teas, spices, wines and liquors, is a distinct benefit of living in modern America. Having the leisure time, the bankbook, and the enjoyment to cook and eat well is a luxury within that benefit, which sometimes gives an appearance of snobbery.
Once I told my Wal-Mart cashier that my wife only drank organic milk after having experienced the hormonal problems caused by regular milk – her reply was that she couldn’t afford it.
So folks do what they can. In a land of plenty, we have people who suffer simultaneous malnutrition and obesity, due to the ready availability of pre-packaged edibles. Looking forward to homemade gumbo tonight myself.
Kirk Ashworth