There was a sign: “Eco Apples”. I’d just heard that apples are hard to find both local and organic. Local is easy. Local apples are everywhere, and organic apples seem to be everywhere, but they’re not usually local. Apparently to grow apples in certain climates it takes a lot of spraying with various things I’d rather not ingest.
So when I saw this sign at the Brooklyn Green Market, I was interested:
Can’t read that far? Here, try this:
There’s an “apple environmental practice standard”. Go figure. Good job, eco apples. Apparently that means:
“Eco Apple Farms use ecological and pick and their own fruit. They are pioneers in IPM, or ‘Integrated Pest Management’. IPM means working to prevent pest problems before they happen, monitoring crops closely, and treating for pests only when necessary.”
So the apples aren’t necessarily chemical-free, and it doesn’t say what kinds of chemicals are used, how much, and on which apples (if at all), but you can rest assured that the farmer tried his or her best avoid having to do that. If that’s comforting to you, please buy lots of these apples. I’m good with that because of what the rest of the farm stand supported – they had tons of peppers, not just a few jalapenos or red chilies (which I absolutely love, being a heat freak and constantly feeling ripped off at bulk hot pepper prices in Montreal, and good luck spending less than $10 for enough to make a batch of organic hot sauce with organic market peppers), and more importantly they were welcoming back a farm worker. That makes it a family affair. These guys show up every week (or 2 or 3 times, as the market runs more often than once a week on Saturday mornings/early afternoon in Park Slope by the Borough Hall subway) and form a relationship with their clients. They seem to care about your individual health and well-being, and so I’ll eat ther eco-apples I think. Is that rational? Is that the whole reason they write “Welcome back, Julia” on their sign? To pull in loyal suckers like me. I hope not. I’d rather be wrong about the apples being super than a farmers market cynic. But it is important to find out if it’s just marketing (the apples and the farm) or if it’s worth the extra money.
It’s definitely worth it for the organic chicken and the wild mushrooms.
It’s not necessarily organic, again, but it’s antibiotic-free and hormone-free. Maybe it was raised on organic soy or corn or something unsustainable and monoculture-based, but it’s still better than fryer chickens at the grocer store. Who knows how far they grazed or if they were locked in tiny cells. Is the extra money worth it? To me, it would be an occasional treat, and definitely worth the extra money if the taste was better than standard, over-plumped birds.
Then there was eucalyptus. This is the stem of the plant, not the flower, I think my aunt said. I’m probably getting that wrong, but she remarked twice that this was something very special to see fresh, and as she is taking a botany class I believe her.
Next stop, Manhattan for sushi.
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