Farmers Market

I often talk to people who think that the whole idea of natural and organic food is only for those people who can afford such luxuries as these.  I understand where this notion comes from, but I think that it is vastly misinformed.  It comes from a shopping experience in a conventional grocery store where there are highly processed foods that have the label organic on them, and happen to be twice the price of its conventional counterpart.  If this was the only future that organic had, I would certainly abandon the idea of organic, or naturally grown foods altogether, but thankfully it is not.  There is a whole new movement underway that goes far beyond organic grocery store products that simply mimic their counterparts, or are shipped from places far away to us, the naive consumer.  This is the local food movement, and as the name suggests, you are highly likely to find some in your local area.  This food, if not highly processed, is generally the same price, and maybe even cheaper that the conventional counterpart.  Why? you might ask...  Well, this local food is generally grown with far less chemicals, all of which add cost to food production.  It is generally moved a far shorter distance than its counterpart as well.  The average plate of food has traveled an average of 2000 miles before it reaches the the plate here in America.  In contrast, local food generally travels less than 100 miles from farm to plate.  All of these things lend themselves to a lower cost of food production, not only in terms of monetary value, but also in terms of environmental impact.  So, before you make the claim that Organic and natural food is only for the elite, check out your local farmers market first, because most of it is probably 90% organic, and by the way, it tastes a hell of a lot better than the stuff shipped a bazzilion miles across the ocean that is found in the grocery store.