Organic Foods
With the growing popularity of organic foods, it has become easier to find organic produce in supermarkets... and with good reason. Although organic foods are more expensive, they have many health benefits. When comparing organic and non-organic produce, organic produce has a higher nutrient content...about 25% more vitamins and minerals. Pesticides from non-organic produce are also extremely difficult to wash off, so you don't know if you are ingesting them. On many non-organic farms, animals are being treated with hormones which are known carcinogens and which have been linked to early onset of puberty and different cancers of the reproductive system. Besides its health benefits, organic food is far more friendly to the environment.
'Green' Vino
We decided to try a variety of organic products and report to you the best of the bunch. During our search we found that many foods have organic counterparts even wine... there are now many wines that are biodynamic. Biodynamics includes the principles of organic growing, but it extends to include the teachings of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). It is a complex philosophy, but it makes for much better soil which translates into better grapes. Two of our favorites were the Riesling Le Kottabe and the Pinot Gris Le Fromenteau. Sokol Blosser's Evolution in particular was simply outstanding. It's a mix of varietals which come together to create a wine that all of our reviewers agreed was one of the best they ever tasted.
Mac and Cheese
From French wine we turn to sampling some good old American macaroni and cheese. There are many to choose from here, but our clear winners were Annie's Whole Wheat Shells and Cheddar and Back to Nature's Alfredo and Gemelli pasta. Both were very creamy and had a full flavored cheese taste. Along the carbohydrate line, Rice Expressions makes on organic brown rice that cooks in three minutes... all you have to do is put a pouch in the microwave. The rice comes out perfect and delicious. Rice Expressions also has some other tasty varieties such as Tex Mex and Indian Basmati.
Snacks to Go
We also came across some tasty organic snacks. Our personal favorite was Stretch Island Fruit Leather--no added sugar, just dried fruit in a bar. The fruit leather comes in four organic flavors, raspberry, strawberry, grape and apple. I've tried all of them, and I can't decide which one is my favorite. They are all very intense fruit flavors. The only downside is that they are really sticky! If you want to send a gift to someone who is on an organic diet, Harry and David make a variety of fruit baskets with strictly organic fruit. Just like other Harry and David products, the delicious fruit is high quality with no blemishes.
The Cheesiest
What goes better with fresh fruit than some gourmet cheese? Organic Creamery makes a wide variety of delectable cheeses...from small wheels of Gouda to block cheeses like havarti. Our favorites include the gorgonzola and blue cheese crumbles, both very convenient to add to salads. Back to Nature also produces some cheeses that I found to be convenient besides being of high quality. They make snack size cheddar cubes and shredded mozzarella ready to add to your favorite recipe.
Soup to/Oatmeal
Now for some odds and ends worth mentioning...Swanson now makes organic vegetarian vegetable broth as well as a free range chicken broth, both which come in large 32oz. containers. Bob's Red Mill makes a wide variety of organic flours and cereals. Their Scottish oatmeal, one of my personal favorites, is a traditional oatmeal that tastes more like porridge. Their flax seed, which is extremely popular, is great to pour right on your breakfast cereal.
Overall there are a variety of organic products that are widely available. Eating healthy has never tasted so good!