Hi - My family is starting to eat more organically...slowly adding as we go. We've managed to find frozen organic veggies cheaper at Costco than non-organic at the regular grocery store. Can any of you offer hints on what to look for when buying organic meat (particularly chicken and ground turkey...we eat a ton of that)? Also, I've seen Shatto milk at Price Chopper in the glass bottles, but it is twice as much as the regular milk. Are there other organic milks? Are there stores where this is cheaper?
Costco sells Organic milk (3) 1/2 gallons for $10, I think it is Kirkland brand. I believe Hen House glass bottled organic milk offers a deposit ($$) if you bring back the empties. I totally believe in organic, but with 3 kids drinking milk it's too expensive. I do buy organic vegetables, but I don't know much about organic meats.
Wish I could help more!
V.
I will second the person who says there IS such a thing as organic meat. And then there is organic, grass-fed or pastrure-fed. Huge difference! Buying organic beef for example means your beef was fed with grain that was also organic. Grass-fed means they were not fed grain. If you do some research you will find that grass fed is far better. Don't waste your money on organic meat vs regular. Go grass fed if you really want a difference.
We have tried some organic things not alot so I can't offer much advise.We use ground turkey alot vs. ground beef and Price Chopper has 100% natural ground turkey they sell in those one pound tubes.They have had it on sale for 99 cents a couple times lately.It's not in the regular meat case,it's over by the breakfast stuff,sausage etc.And I also buy the Tyson 100% natural chicken breasts at Sam's club.I think a huge bag is like $12 which is cheaper than buying the off brand stuff at the grocery store.
I but Horizon organic milk at Sam's club. 3 half gallons is roughly $10. At the store they are generally $4 each. I've also bought Target brand organic milk. It is occasionally on sale for $3.
Well I had to chime in and agree with the last two posters. I also second the Shatto commercial! I was not a milk drinker and became one after tasting Shatto. It is delicious and well worth a little extra money. Plus, part of being 'green' is buying local and supporting our local co-ops and farmers. Shatto milk is extremely fresh, you can tour the dairy and even meet the cows from where you get your milk! You really can't beat it.
Costco carries 3 1/2 gallons of organic 1% milk for 9.99 - that's a pretty good price. The gallons are a little cheaper in the stores (Hy Vee and Target carry organic milk, and Target's Archer Farms organic milk is a good deal). But the gallons have a shorter shelf life than the 1/2 gallons, so depends on how fast you use it.
I'm not sure Shatto is even organic, is it? Better than "regular" probably anyway.
Whole Foods is probably our best, and only source for organic meat.
We buy our milk from Costco. It's just their regular Kirkland brand, but it's hormone free. I don't know if that is considered organic or not, but I definitely love that it's hormone free. Tyson chicken has hormone free chicken, as well. It goes on sale a lot at the store. I would love to go completely organic, but it's just so expensive, and we can't afford it right now--but I firmly believe that it is TOTALLY worth it!
Super Target is now a certified organic distributor, and they have a great selection of all types of organic foods at much cheaper prices compared to grocery stores. They carry the Horizon and Archer Farms (Target brand) organic milk, often on sale too. As for meat, unfortunately I've only seen organic chicken and ground beef. It seems hard to find real organic meats anywhere. Whole Foods obviously has the biggest selection, but they are pricier, and for me the location isn't very convenient. Unfortunately, organic always seems to be more expensive than the non-organic option, however I think health benefits make it worth it! Especially with meat and produce, good place to start! Good luck!
Just keep in mind that when things say "free range" it doesnt mean that they are allowed to run around all they want. It just means they open the door for an hour or two a day, and if they want to go outside, that's great, if not, well, whatever. So basically they're offered the option of being able to run around for an hour or so a day, and they call it "free range".
Milk - Horizon's (which is sold at any grocery store, including Wal-Mart). There is another one that is sold at Hen House in a white plastic bottle (can't remember the name though). My daughter drinks organic milk due to her allergy with milk & soy. We usually pay about $4 per gallon (maybe less). Can't remember exactly what the price is. Also, my family tried eating organic but it seems that the organic food goes bad a lot quicker since it doesn't have all the perservaties other food has. Hope that helps and healthy eating.
There really is no such thing as organic meat. Even at Whole Foods the meats are all natural. You can get all your organic and all natural needs there, but sure to read the labels. They also sell regular foods and it's easy to grab the wrong thing. Costco has all natural chicken and turkey breasts (frozen) pretty regularly. For fruits, I've only seen organic apple slices but there was just a big recall due to contamination so you're not likely to see them any time soon. Their organic peanut butter and jelly are a staple in our home, and delicious. (It is normal for organic peanut butter to be oily on the top so you'll have to stir it a little.) You can get organic milk just about anywhere. I think you'll find Costco is cheapest, but they don't sell skim.
I find it so frustrating that there isn't one grocery store that can meet ALL my needs. We hit at least one grocery store and Costco each week to get everything. I agree that organic is the way to go!!
We've had the same problem with meat. Our Hy-Vee has chicken without the antibodies and such, but ground turkey (which is a staple in our house too) I have not found. Same with beef. I know that Shatto milk is much more expensive, but if you can afford it, it is worth it. That is one thing that I was sure to work into our budget (but I am more concerned about this than many of the veggies and fruits where you peel them or scrub most of the pesticides off), but also it is just the best milk I've had since I went to k-state and got the school produced milk. It is fresh. You can go visit the farm (which I have). Some of my concerns about eating organically has to do with the environment as well as how it effects us, and the big organic milk corporations aren't great for that sort of thing. Also, I really think the glass bottles make a difference in taste. Also since milk is something kids drink in abundance and it is hard to get organic cheese (which we eat a lot of), I like to have milk without those antibiodics and hormones.
Wow, I didn't mean to sound like a commercial for Shatto, but I do really like it. I'm going to keep an eye on this so I can get some suggestions too!
K.
