vip in the city

Pretty produce

Organic produce tends to have more blemishes than conventionally grown produce which, although not detrimental to the nutritional value, may be unappealing to shoppers unaccustomed to the natural look. Those same shoppers, however, would probably prefer a few scars over more chemicals in their food. 71 to 90 percent of conventionally grown produce have traces of pesticide residue, compared with 13 to 23 percent of their organically grown counterparts. Sometimes it’s worth seeking out the organic variety.

Of course, all of the vegetables we receive in our weekly CSA share from Stoneledge Farm are organic, which is to say, grown without antibiotics, hormones, synthetic pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. After a few weeks of lacey arugula and mismatched beets, it was nice to see some truly picture-worthy specimens.

Buttercrunch lettuce:

And a CSA special, opal basil: