by Liz Hamill

© Nancy Kennedy | Dreamstime.com

September 2011— 
Between the “poisonous strawberries” scare this spring and the rumors that some genetically modified potatoes are actually more pesticide than potato, it’s easy to become confused and uncertain about what’s really “green” in the produce department and even at the farmers market. Many Coastside residents care both about their own health and the health of the environment, including the earth in which their food is grown. But budget matters too, and organic fruits and veggies can be expensive, even in the Half Moon Bay, Pacifica and Pescadero Farmers Markets.

How Can Consumers Choose the Greenest Produce?

The Environmental Working Group has put together two lists: the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. The Dirty Dozen identifies the 12 items of produce that contain the most pesticide residues. A few of these include strawberries, nectarines, apples, lettuce and spinach. Some members of the Clean Fifteen — those with the least pesticide residues — are avocados, eggplants, cabbages, kiwis, grapefruit and sweet peas. To avoid pesticides and stay on a reasonable budget, buy conventional items from the “clean” list and pick up organics from the “dirty” list.

What’s a good way to make a determination for yourself if you don’t know whether a fruit or vegetable might be clean or dirty? Ask yourself whether you’ll need to peel this produce before you eat it. If you’ve got to peel it because the outside is inedible, you can probably buy the conventional version. If you’d usually eat the whole thing, outermost layer and all, buy organic.

The best choice of all: Buy produce grown by local farmers who don’t use pesticides or petrochemical fertilizers. Don’t know whether your favorite farmer uses spray or not? Ask! Many of the Coastside’s produce-growers will be happy to tell you everything you want to know — and more — about their growing methods.

What Makes Some Produce Greener than Other Produce?

The two most common, important aspects of farming that green-interested consumers look for are the use of chemical pesticides and the use of chemical fertilizers. Both of these things affect the whole ecosystem in which the crop grows — the chemicals get into the air, into the soil, and into the water. Animals pick them up. Winds blow them from one place to another. “Green” farmers stick with more natural means of fertilizing and pest eradication, using “clean” manure or fish emulsion as fertilizer and planting companion crops to draw off pests.

Another aspect to look for is whether or not the product you’re purchasing has been genetically modified or irradiated. These processes may not harm the environment around the crop so much, but their effects on the organisms that eat the food — people! — are unknown.

Are the Strawberries Really Toxic?

The big issue about California strawberries involves the approval of the chemical methyl iodide for use as a pesticide in California strawberry fields. The Los Angeles Times reports that on the one hand, methyl iodide degrades quickly. It lasts only 12 days in the soil, and far less than that in the air. On the other hand, methyl iodide causes cancer, miscarriage, and mutation of the DNA of any living thing it comes in contact with. Some living things that might come in contact with the methyl iodide include the farm workers who fertilize the strawberry fields.

Organic strawberries and “no-spray” strawberries won’t have been grown using methyl iodide.

What about GMOs — Genetically Modified Organisms?

Genetically modified foods have been changed at the DNA level, primarily to promote pest-killing and production so that factory farms can reap bigger profits. Scientists cut up bits of DNA — such as the genes controlling the cold-resistance of a fish — and add those bits to something else, like tomatoes. So when they’re finished, they’ve got a cold-resistant tomato plant that’s got flounder DNA in it.

Some of the most common genetically modified crops in the U.S. are wheat, corn, soybeans, canola and cotton.

Most small multi-crop farmers on the Coastside don’t grow genetically modified foods. But keep asking, keep researching, and remember that GMO status does not need to be marked on food labels.

Foods accredited by CCOF — California Certified Organic Farmers — cannot be GMOs, and heirloom fruits and veggies are never GMOs, either.

Why Don’t All Coastside Organic Growers Have CCOF Certification?

Getting certified organic is expensive and takes several years. Some small Coastside farms simply can’t afford to get organic certifications, but they use organic farming practices. To find out what your favorite grower does, strike up a conversation. Ask to come out and see the farm — some farms actually provide tours on weekends.

To pick the greenest produce, the best thing consumers can do is to educate themselves. Then keep up with trends, trials, troubles and hoaxes. Learn about agriculture on the coast, and buy as locally as possible.

And once the food is bought, eat and enjoy!