Top Ten Organic Foods from Your Local Grocery Store

First, the disclaimer. Organic food is produced and distributed with only minimal use of a few traditional preservatives such as salt, rosemary, or honey. This means that the best organic food available in your part of the world will change from week to week, as different garden crops reach their peak seasons. Farms in different places produce different local specialties that either aren't available, or aren't as great, anywhere else in the world. In the last ten years we've seen upscale supermarket chains increasing the selection of organic local produce they can offer, but organic local produce is still available only on a seasonal basis.

So, there's no way for this article to predict what your favorite organic foods are going to be. In my part of the world, supermarkets don't offer organically grown oranges, and so far as I know organically grown mangoes do not exist. In your part of the world, you may be able to pick your own organic oranges and mangoes in the back yard, but have a hard time finding apples or blueberries in anything like their natural state. This article can only suggest five local garden products that are almost always better than their factory-farm equivalents, and five pre-packaged foods that are processed with a minimum of chemical additives.

Looking for these treats at really downscale supermarkets like White's or Save-A-Lot may be a waste of time. The good news is that mid-scale chains like Shoppers Food Warehouse are starting to respond to the demand for more organic-type foods. If you'd like to buy these foods at a supermarket in your neighborhood, let the manager of that store know how you feel!

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

1. Strawberries. Because they don't have a thick peel, strawberries can absorb high levels of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, unless they're grown in chemical-free conditions. Additionally, factory-style farms usually cultivate plants that produce big, durable berries...which tend to be dry and pulpy when compared with the smaller, sweeter, juicier berries organic farmers favor.