Bell Peppers II

The peppers were local, but not organic.

I care more about local than organic. Maybe this makes me a bad environmentalist. An organic vegetable from California sits in a truck for 2-3 days being driven to my grocery store. A local vegetable gets sprayed with pesticide and fungicide, and grows in soil enriched with chemical fertilizers. But then it takes a 2-3 hour drive to my grocery store. Now that I see it in black & white, it seems like the problems with each are of equivalent weight, both for my own health and the environment's health. So I care more about local than organic, but just by a little bit. What tips it towards local is how much better the food tastes. And those extra three days I can leave it in the fridge before it wilts. And supporting the farmer who is trying to help the environment by selling to a local grocery store.

I get in a zone at the grocery store. If it is plump and fresh looking, I buy it. I spent 20 seconds staring at the bucket full of peppers wondering why nobody was buying them. And then bought 8 of them. And feeling weirdly guilty ever since. Or maybe not guilty, but defensive. Or annoyed. Or confused. Ok, I think I'm back to not caring now. Whew.

It's not really a soapbox I want to stand on. I'm definitely okay with giving my customer testimonial, for local, organic, and local-AND-organic. But I will emphasize flavor and convenience right along with health and the environment.