Have you ever tried to grow strawberries? They are pretty hard to grow because pests love them. Now, if you are a dedicated organic gardener you may get a harvest or two of beautiful summer strawberries, but chances are you’ve had to really tend to them to keep the critters at bay. “Organic” berries from the grocery store are not organic in most cases because pesticides are used. Shocker right?
Organic Strawberries from the Local Grocery Store
Here’s the deal: Most strawberries across the U.S. are started in nurseries in Northern CA. But these “starter” plants are then shipped further South (and all over the country) to grow into fully fledged plants. In order for these starter plants to survive, the soil in the nursery is routinely fumigated with dangerous pesticides to keep the pests at bay. They are then trucked or shipped to a certified organic grower, despite the fact that they were started with fully fumigated soil, and they can be sold as certified organic. One of the common chemicals used is call Chloropicrin which is a tear gas and also a soil fumigant! It is a major irritant for the skin and eyes, and breathing it could induce nausea, vomiting, headaches, and gastric disorders. The strawberries perfectly safe to eat but harms the environment and the workers.
Truly Organic Strawberries
Growing organic strawberries takes months of initial preparation. There are more than 20 different steps involved in the process. These include testing the soil to ensure that it passes certain standards, followed by several rounds of tilling, pre-irrigation, shaping and mulching to form beds of strawberry rows. Additional months of labor are also needed in caring for the fruit and nurturing the delicate plants. If these reports are to be believed: the total cost of growing strawberries organically can run up to nearly $50,000 per acre! Naturally farmers want returns on investment in proportion to these costs and hence organic strawberries are costlier than their traditionally grown counterparts. Most of your “organic” strawberries in the local grocery are not grown like this.
Bottom line, if you love strawberries, always make sure they are certified organic because the conventional ones are doused with pesticides, which you will ingest for sure. But don’t be under the illusion that your juicy berries were raised from seed in bucolic strawberry fields – they probably were not. Better still, only eat strawberries in the summer from a local grower who has heirloom varieties (and he/she will let you come and see the seeds being planted), or grow your own.
Needless to say, your best bet is to stick to organic strawberries no matter how expensive they may be.
Ways Synergy Holistic Health Center Can Help You To Eat Better Foods
- Whole Food Nutrition – Nutrition Response Testing is a great way to learn what supplements your body needs and what your nutritional priorities are for health and healing.
Contact us (859-525-5000) for more information -or- request and appointment!
—
About Synergy Holistic Health Center
SYNERGY Holistic Health Center supports you in your journey towards health, happiness, and wholeness, and to provide a safe space for that transformation to unfold. Our commitment is to honor you and your choices, and to provide guidance, education, and skills to support your goals so that you can experience your optimum health and highest personal potential.
> Learn More