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I had a great discussion with my friend Becka the other night about grocery shopping and frugality. After showing off my stockpile shelves crammed with dried/canned goods and my freezer full of meat, she asked me a loaded question: “Do you buy organic meat?”
I hesitated to answer because I wasn’t happy with what I had to say: No, I don’t buy organic meat anymore. I buy as much organic produce as we can afford, and I’ve started to buy organic milk more regularly. (FYI: I bought two gallons of cheap organic milk yesterday instead of free standard milk.) To help me decide what to buy organic, this shoppers’ guide to pesticides from Environmental Working Group is pretty cool. But meat? I’ve fallen off the free-range, organic bandwagon.
In the past, I focused my grocery money on just a few high-quality cuts of pork and chicken (we don’t eat beef very often) from Shoe and Sal’s, a wonderful local family who raises free-range, organic meat. (They also make fantastic pizzas!) I loved buying fresh whole chickens and pork loins from them, and I enjoyed seeing Sal and her daughter at the Oconomowoc Farmer’s Market every Saturday. We didn’t eat much meat, so I kept the costs manageable by buying small amounts that I could freeze.
But in the last year, my family’s meat intake has increased, and I’ve stopped buying organic meat. I’m almost ashamed to admit that we almost never eat organic meat anymore because I can’t swallow the high prices.
I’d like to think that I’ll buy more this summer, when I see the familiar Shoe and Sal’s truck in the Shorehaven parking lot at the farmer’s market. But I’m not sure that $10/pound for organic chicken breasts will thrill me like the $1.99/pound I’ve been paying lately.
However, as yesterday’s post about milk proved, buying organic isn’t just about price. It’s about quality, environmental impact and food safety. Plus, buying locally helps stimulate our regional economy in a time when it’s badly needed.
These are all things I deeply believe in, and I know I need to make room in my budget to accommodate the higher prices that go with them.
Call it my summer’s resolution: I’m going to buy more organic, free-range meat this year. Maybe I’ll even take advantage of Show and Sal’s excellent delivery service!
Let me know: How/when do you decide when to buy organic items? Do you think it’s worth it? What could convince you to buy standard food again? What would it take for you to buy more organic?