I continually notice that our members recommend organically grown vegetables and fruits over those grown under "non-organic" practices because they are "safer and don't contain pesticides". Yes, they do often contain pesticide residues and those pesticides are just as dangerous as the ones used on "regular" vegetables and fruits. These pesticides include things like pyrethrins made from chrysanthemum flowers and plants, deadly to anyone allergic to these flowers or their relatives; rotenone, a botanical poison with excellent "knock down" capacity, but now illegal in many states because of its high toxicity to birds and fish; sabadilla, made from the ground bulbs of certain lillies, again highly toxic in small doses and it gets stronger with age; hot pepper wax, made from extremely hot chili oils, can cause convulsions and extreme burns to mucosa membranes if not completely washed off or inappropriately applied. These are very common organic pesticides, all allowed under OMRI guidelines and widely used in organic farming practices nationwide.

Secondly, you should consider the source of organic fertilizers. Remember that most organic fertilizers are manure based or fish emulsion based. These are not the most sanitary of fertilizers and can cause several types of bacterial and fungal illnesses. In some countries, such as Mexico, the use of human waste as fertilizer is allowed and even when discouraged, is still widely used as a cheap source of nitrogen. Since the fertilizer is technically "organic" it may slip under the radar of governmental controls.

Now, I have absolutely nothing against organic practices. I've published a number of articles, done extensive research on organic greenhouse management and practice organic principles of pest control in my own greenhouses and in my large collection of orchids. BUT, there are risks in using these products and principles and there are risks associated with consuming them.

Please remember to wash all vegetables and fruits very well with a "vegetable wash" that is clearly labeled to remove pesticide and fertilizer residues and that will remove wax coatings from fruits when applied. Only then can you be sure that your organic meal won't cause you a bad case of "Montezuma's Revenge" or worse.

first - thanks for pointing that out... i tend to fall into that pitfall .... i generally peel everything i feed the fids (and myself) but what about broccoli - those things seem to be awfully difficult to wash with their structure... i mean, thoroughly wash... any suggestions?

When I wash veggies and fruit, I first fill the sink with cool water and let the items soak for a few minutes. This allows the plants to absorb some water and it loosens the dirt, etc. from the various parts. I then drain the soak water and rinse the veggies briefly. Then I refill the sink and add the veggie wash. I allow the veggies to soak for about three to four minutes, then really swish them around in the water so that all surfaces are exposed to the soap. I rinse well and allow them to drain before storing them. This treatment should be adequate for most veggies and will get the gunk out of the florets of broccoli and cauliflower.

as I don't know the whole story, nor can I find the one I was reading maybe somebody could enlighten me. I'm sure there is more to it then this but I did read something about one of the differences between organic and non organic is the amount of "unknowns" allowed. What I seem to remember is 4% for organic and 7% for non organic?

Use a mixture of white vinegar and water and it will wash away a large portion of pesticide residue. I usually soak for 5 minutes, and rinse. You can also use GSE to make your rinse in lieu of white vinegar.

Excellent thread, and timely with folks like me in the northern hemisphere looking forward to locally grown veggies! Organic farming is great, but not a panacea. As well as keeping in mind these points you raised, we also should keep in mind that the designation "Organic" is only as good as the government approved definition of the term. Then there is the integrity of the certification process, and frequency of inspection coupled with enforcement. These can all vary quite a bit from country to country, and we are certainly dealing with a global supply chain when it comes to produce today.

Nate, great point about food coming in from other nations. Many countries have almost ZERO control of insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers used on produce. We import huge amounts of fruits from countries with very corrupt government agricultural officials and yet, we trust these same individuals to assure us the produce is grown to our standards. IMHO, the best solution to this problem is to buy locally. We purchase the bulk of our produce from our local Farmer's Market. Under Los Angeles County ordinance, all produce sold at Farmer's Markets must be grown in California by the person doing the sellling or a person directly connected to the farm(salespeople are allowed but they must be directly employed by the farm). The only exceptions are house plants and cut flowers but even then, some Markets can get pretty picky about those.

This whole issue of food safety is very much in the news with the pet food recall and hopefully will bring about some changes. Low cost isn't everything. I'm sure Menu Foods saved a lot of money by purchasing that wheat gluten from China rather than the U.S. and Canada (the two top wheat producing nations in the world) but they will probably be driven out of business entirely defending the legal actions that are being planned against them. So what did they really save? They've lost their reputation, destroyed the reputations of several major brands and will have to close their doors for the sake of a few cents.

apples from asia are more than likely to be fertlized with human waste. i have a friend that is a friend of a big apple grower. this lady had the pleasure of being invited to china to see how the grow their apples. the fuji apples are the biggest apple 'cause the chinese hand grow those. by that, they go out and wrap each and every apple in tissue when it starts an apple while it still is on the tree. they dont pick til; it is to their size standards. while there the lady they sprayed with human waste.

Great post! Thanks! I was always under the misconception that organic meant pesticide free.

Lucky us, in BC we're going to grow our own fruits! Everything else will be locally grown. Thanks for the heads up, i always thought that was what organic meant... hmm. I'm going to have to pass this info along.