Vegan day 231: What is garden freshness anyway?
I hear the phrase “garden fresh” all the time… “garden veggies.. fresh vegetables.. fresh from the garden”. Well.. is it really? I wonder! My Dad once said.. don’t believe everything you hear.. and only half of what you see. That’s when I was a kid- before the age of internet, digital photography and photoshop. I’d like to say before GMO’s but they have been around for a while- just not considered the norm until now.. or our very near future! That’s a horrifying thought in and of itself.
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| garden salad |
Vegetables are UPC coded (universal product code) in the supermarket. When they are 4 digits long it is conventional produce (usually they begin with a 3 or a 4). This means they are most likely sprayed with pesticides. Next are the 5 digit codes: Organic produce begins with an 9 and GMO produce with a 8 (8=hate; for lack of a better way to remember this).
Which is worse you ask?
Conventional with a 4 or GMO with an 8?
I say run far away from the 9! Pesticides are the poison you know. GMO’s- genetically modified organisms (manipulated seeds) are the poison you don’t know. We are the test group- the human guinea pigs. The difference is one is a simple toxin and the other is a toxin that grows and replicates.
Ok back to freshness and the over-use of that word. Another story comes to mind when I found a vegan restaurant (outside of Manhattan) that served up juices and smoothies- I asked if the fruit was fresh or … basically canned or made with syrup. I am not sure what I was avoiding at the time. Anyway, they said FRESH.. two minutes later they tear open a bag of frozen fruit. Is that fresh? Well.. believe it or not, it’s probably fresher than other options but it certainly wasn’t was I was looking for that day.
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| about to become FRESH JUICE |
Fresh to me is produce just pulled out of the ground and unless you have your own garden or are shopping on a farm or at a farmers market, then I guess the next best thing we are referring to is a few days to a week long food at best.
My 1st option would always be to buy farm fresh- local- and organic! This is a dream! For many though, this is not reality so check the codes on your supermarket produce or perhaps buy frozen if you need to especially in the winter months when local may not be in season. Farmers markets and CSA’s (community shared agriculture) are worth looking into.
Today I made a FRESH JUICE and a FRESH GARDEN SALAD! I don’t have my own gardenso I was beyond thrilled when my neighbor who IS an organic farmer brought over some produce. “Wash it really well.. there is still dirt on it”.. she says! That’s what I am talking about- “bring me the dirt” lol
The vegetables I used for juicing: fresh carrots- all different colors, fresh cucumbers, fresh beets and beet greens and fresh chard.The FRESH GARDEN SALAD was basically the same: fresh carrots, cucumbers, beautiful cherry tomatoes, fresh greens and avocado.
I love my extra virgin olive oil! Today I used a few other things instead of the balsamic- some Nama Shoyu, brown rice vinegar and umeboshi vinegar!
Disclaimer: The information given here is for educational purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
[Saturday August 18th 2012 blog]
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