Confusion

As I've posted before, we've started eating organic foods. The more I get into it and start really looking at the items we buy, the more confused I become. It can be difficult deciding to purchase the organic, the natural or the locally grown version of the same item.

For instance, should I buy organic bananas if they are grown in Peru? I mean, the gas alone to get them here has got to outweigh the benefit of the fact that they are organic. Plus, does organic in Peru mean the same as it does in the US? I'm guessing NO. So should I just buy the non-organic version? Or should I ban the banana since it's a waste of resources to get it here? Or do I really not care because I love bananas? (This is not the answer because I truly do care.)

Our farm share is sortof like getting two birds with one stone; organic and locally grown. Sweet! Except it doesn't cover all the fruits and veggies that we buy. Speaking of the farm share...it's going great. It's been a little sparse so far, but this spring was quite harsh and we had several freezes which affected the crops. We won't be getting any cherries or peaches because of that. But otherwise it's been a 'culinary adventure'. We've had quite a lot of greens so far, which just means lots of salad. But everything has been really delicious.

OK, back to my rant. I've sort of decided to prioritize my purchases this way:

1. If I can get it local, then I'll buy it local. Basically this means we go to the farmer's markets as often as we can.
2. If not local, then organic. At least this way I know we're reducing the effects of pesticides on the planet as well as in our bodies. Even though we might be using a lot of resources to get it here.
3. If neither of these, then natural. I don't really buy many of these right now. But I'm sure I will in the near future.

Eating healthier and actually thinking about how our purchases affect the planet is really difficult. But I think, in the end, the planet will thank us for it. Even if it's seven generations from now.