Why Organic Food is So Expensive

Why Organic Food is So Expensive

My mom fed us organic foods since the time I was five years old. I mostly eat organic foods and fed it to my children when they were growing up. Yes, it’s more expensive but I don’t want all of the toxic chemicals sprayed on foods that are conventionally grown.

I have been reading a book called “The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love” by Kristin Kimball. Someone recommended it on one of the blogs I follow. It’s not a Christian book. She’s a feminist and they lived together before marriage. She didn’t want to take her husband’s last name since she liked her last name and none of her married friends took their husband’s last name. Her husband told her he would take her last name then because he didn’t want their children to have hyphened last names. (It shows the sorry state of today’s feminized culture.)

After they married, she wanted a break from her husband and went to Maui for a job but while there, she figured this out: “It wasn’t Mark or the farm or marriage I was trying to shake loose from but my own imperfect self, and even if I kept moving, she would dog me all the way around the world, forever.” So she went home.

They fought often about ways to do things on the farm even though he had farmed for many years and she had only been a city, career woman up until they met. It clearly shows the trouble when there is no leader or head. She finally realized another great truth after her time in Maui: “Without me to struggle against, without the constant chaos of our first growing season, without the pressure of our impending wedding, he seemed to have found his own steady rhythm. I worked my way into it, looking for the harmony this time, instead of conflict.”

This book is about a couple who decided they wanted to farm without any chemicals (toxic or  non-toxic) and grow almost all of their own food. They wanted to be able to sell the food year round to families so it’s quite an adventure that they took upon themselves. Their lives are difficult but rewarding. She learned to love it!

There are a few things that I want to point out from this book. The first one being God’s curse to man after the Fall. “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19).

Now, read what she wrote about organic farming: “My existence, from daybreak to dark, became focused on the assassination of weeds. Before that first year, I’d filed ‘agriculture,’ in the card catalog of my head, in the same general place as ‘nature.’ As in many things, I was so wrong. Farming, I discovered, is a great and ongoing war. The farmers are continually fighting to keep nature behind the hedgerow, and nature is continually fighting to overtake the field. Inside the ramparts are the sativas, the cultivated plants, soft and vulnerable, too highbred and civilized for fighting. Aligned with nature, there are the weeds, tough foot soldiers, evolved for battle.”

Then she wrote why organic food is more expensive than conventionally grown food: “If you ever wonder why organic vegetables cost more, blame the weeds. The work on a conventional farm that can be done with one pass of the sprayer must, on an organic farm, be done continually, from germination to harvest, by physically disrupting the weeds.” It’s a lot easier to spray crops with a bunch of toxic chemicals that kill weeds than it is to deal with the weeds without the chemicals which this couple and many other organic farmers do. Organic farmers take on God’s curse and conventional farmers have learned how to avoid it with great cost to the health of many.

This couple’s cows grazed on clover and grass in the warmer weather and on hay (that they had made) during the cold months instead of on GMO corn like conventional cows are fed today. All of their animals ate the foods they were created to eat, thus the eggs and meat they provided were nutritious and building up of one’s health instead of tearing it down.

The toxic chemicals that conventional farmers use aren’t only killing the weeds. They are killing the worms which make the soil rich and full of nutrients and the crops soak up the toxic chemicals that people eat. The chemicals are killing our bees which are essential and they are polluting our environment. Then we wonder why cancer rates are so high today.

I shop at a locally owned health food store. All of their produce is organic and marked with labels that tell where and how far away the food was produced so we are getting food that isn’t sprayed with chemicals and is freshly picked. Along with eating organic foods, I have learned to make Einkorn Sourdough bread, kefir, fermented vegetables, and chicken broth. None of these things are very expensive but it’s worth it to do what I can for good health then leave the rest in the Lord’s hands. Man cannot improve upon food the way God created it to be eaten.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Genesis 1:29

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Genesis 9:3

16 thoughts on “Why Organic Food is So Expensive

  1. Very interesting and eye-opening post! Thanks for your thoughts on the book as well. I look forward to reading it. I now understand what makes the organic produce so much more expensive

  2. In past generations, families would spend half of their income for food but these days, there are many other things people would rather spend their money on than good, organic food, unfortunately. Conventional food damages the environment and health. Organic food is worth the price!

  3. Organic food in America is cheap compared to the price in Australia. To buy 1dozen organic eggs is $20. 1 organic chicken carcass is $20 – $25 each. Thankfully I live in the country and there’s a few farmers around here that sell organic vegetables and grass-fed meat for cheaper. But for a family of 12 it can be costly.

  4. Exactly, M, and health care is most likely going to bankrupt our country from the diseases of the rich: diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

  5. We hope to get our own chickens too. It’s quite common here to see helicopters spraying pesticides on their crops. (we live in potato growing country) and we often see cows and sheep grazing in the fields surrounding our house year round. When the grass is dry and not growing, they place rows of hay around for the animals. Over here, you can feed your cow grains for the last 100 days of its life and its good enough to be certified organic. ??

  6. We are happy to drive a twenty-year-old vehicle (that still runs very well, surprisingly). Instead of spending a ton of money on a new vehicle, we use that money to buy grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish and whole, organic foods. We are also happy to ride our bikes or walk whenever possible, which gives us exercise and saves on the wear and tear of our vehicle! We may not have the fanciest vehicle, but we sure feel healthy! It’s fulfilling as a mother and wife to know you’re feeding your family the best you can.

  7. Sadly, in this generation, at least where I live, more than half the income is spent on rent. There simply isn’t enough left over for many people, to buy organic food. Some families struggle to buy food at all. Where I live, it’s not that people would rather spend money on things other than organic food, it’s that they don’t have the choice of organic food because there simply isn’t enough money.

  8. I understand this, KAK, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t teach that organic foods are better than conventionally grown ones. I will also continue to teach women to be keepers at home even though I know some women can’t be keepers at home but I know the best place for women to be is at home as I know the best foods to eat are exactly the way God created them to be eaten.

  9. Something that might help too, KAK, is to consider growing what you can. Especially the types of foods that are known for being heavily sprayed like lettuce, etc. The twelve foods that are most sprayed are known as the “dirty dozen.” They might be different depending on where you live.

  10. Lori – What advice would you have for a wife who would dearly love to follow your advice (to come home and keep house, raise the children fulltime etc.) but can’t due to her husband needing her to work and finds herself getting bitter towards her husband? Especially when he complains that the house isn’t tidy enough (because she’s been at work, as he wants he to be) but he won’t lift a finger to help?

    You don’t need to post this comment, but if you would be willing to address it at some stage I would really appreciate it. I find your blog so encouraging most of the time but lately, I’m feeling so much resentment because I am not able to be at home, raising my family, where I want to be.

  11. ContentWife – I do have a vegetable garden and the vegetables and strawberries taste so much better than what is available in the shops!

    Sadly, where I live, the climate means a short growing season, but in the summer we enjoy a good bounty 🙂

  12. That’s great, KAK! All we can do is our best, and leave the rest to the Lord. 🙂 I find it hard to do gardening and am still learning to enjoy it, but buying organic is expensive, especially with many children. This year, I decided to plant a lot of potatoes, since it’s one of the “dirty dozen” and we eat a lot of it.

    Saying a prayer for you today, sister.

  13. I am sorry, KAK. I will pray for you and you keep asking the Lord to make a way home for you since He alone is able. I asked the women in the chat room and here are a few of their responses. I hope they will be helpful for you. Many men simply don’t understand the value of having their wives at home.

    Flicka: I had a taste of this years ago. My husband was an electrical inspector. He got calls at our home, from clients. I didn’t understand a lot of what they said and when their work wasn’t up to code and they didn’t pass the calls were ugly at times. We finally got an answering machine and that helped….excepting my sister-in-law jumped me for not answering the calls personally. I couldn’t win.

    My husband asked me to be his secretary if he opened an electrical business. I knew his personality was not skilled with people interaction. He was abrupt. I knew I would have a breakdown if I tried to handle the home and his business. I am a woman. I cannot handle what a man can handle. That didn’t make me inferior.

    I simply told my husband the facts in a thoughtful way. I told him what I could and couldn’t handle. I told him what would happen about meals, etc. I told him and backed off and prayed. He was upset for a while but got over it. If I was working in a public place I would “submit” my thoughts to be considered. The Lord blessed.

    Samantha: I experienced this years ago as a working mom. I would come home after picking up my pre-k age step kiddos, from being on my feet all day as a waitress or a grocery clerk and before I ever sat down for even five minutes to put my own feet up. I would get a drink of water and walk around the house taking mental note of what needed done to make the house presentable. I also had the little kids start cleaning their bedrooms. I would then start meat thawing in warm water for dinner, while I waited on that I speed cleaned & tidied up. Then I would change out of my work clothes and relax for about 20 minutes before I needed to start dinner. I always tried to do dishes before bed so it was one less thing to do on a work night even if that meant doing them at 10pm after the kids bedtime routines were over and they were asleep and the ex was off to work.

    All I did on work days was do my best to keep tidy and clean dishes, clothing for all and cooking of course. I would spot sweep. But major cleaning was done on a day off, I would vaccum all carpets, wash beddings and any laundry I didn’t get to through the week, do a good sweep of hard floors and mop.

    Rachel: I struggle in this area. Right now, I have no choice but to work but I know it doesn’t alleviate my duties at home. He does help sometimes. My older children have chores as well. He also reminds the children to pick up after themselves which helps too. I think what changed my mind is realizing I was trying to please God by cheerfully doing what was asked of me. Sometimes it literally takes me telling myself that God is pleased I am taking care of my home. Is it perfect? Of course not but it’s not chaotic. I reserve large tasks like mopping and vacuuming for weekends. During the week, it’s mostly just enough to keep it from being chaotic. Haha. So for me it’s doing what I can and trying to change my mind frame. I know people say it all the time but one day there will be no dirty walls because children will be gone. That makes me sad. I’m also very blessed to have a husband to do life with. In those moments, I try to remember these things and keep pushing until this becomes my only job.

    I remember when I was a single mom my daughter would tell me she didnt need a husband. Just kids. Now I’m so happy to hear her talk about having a husband, being a homemaker, and homeschooling. While I’m not there yet, she hears me talk about it and has realized it’s a blessing.

    Rachel: I don’t have much to add except that I’m in a very similar situation. Just try not to be bitter. I do as much cleaning as possible on Sundays, and just the basic chores before and after work.

    Andrea: Look for joy in everything you do!! Be grateful. You must have the right spirit to endure your situation until your husband starts to see the value in you being home. Pray earnestly for your husband to have a change of heart, but don’t nag him about it. God can change the situation. Don’t use phrases like, “he won’t lift a finger to do anything.” That will only breed more bitterness in your soul. Focus on God and his goodness to you as you manage your home and work. If you have children, delegate as much of the house work to them as possible. Declutter the house and meal plan to save time.

    Beth: I agree with Andrea to continue to pray for your husband’s change of heart and to be released from the bondage of bitterness and resentment. I instead would focus on making the necessary changes to be prepared to by at home. Cut your budget of unnecessary items and lower the expense of others that are within your control (make sure to save the difference to build up your emergency fund) so that you need less money on which to live. Simplify your housekeeping duties by training and then delegating them to your children, if you have any. Declutter your home to make tidying up easier for you. Write down any little ideas that may come up that will help you to make homemaking easier for you and give them a try. Keep your meals simple and tasty and save your more elaborate meals for your days off. Above all keep a sweet countenance when he complains and doesn’t help as you would like. Let him know that his comfort is important to you and that you add his request to your list. As you go through your list of daily to-dos, pray for the attitude you want to display and as for forgiveness when your feelings are less than they should be.

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