As someone who grew up and works in the agricultural field that list is full of misinformation and half truths. 

I appreciate the posting of this data, but, I wil continue to do as I always have, practice moderation, and exercise. These foods will continue to be part of the ongoing diet.

Years ago, I met some very nice folks. The lady was a fairly strict vegetarian, and there were lots of "health food" magazines around the house. After reading thru a bunch of them, and evidently seeming somewhat distressed, the husband said to me "Read enough of that, and you'll wonder if there is anything safe to eat."

Unfortunately, its impossible to adopt "When in doubt, don't open your mouth."

Nevertheless, when I can afford it, I buy from the farmer's market, and keep a small garden. Other times, the wallet says "You get to buy the processed stuff on sale."

And as one of the cautions in the article mentioned, I have learned to cook for myself, so I know most of what I'm putting in my mouth.

Mosca said:

"Table salt starts out as a healthy sea salt...."

There is nothing healthier about sea salt.

For whatever it's worth, many of the foods we eat are solutions to the problem of feeding an increasing planetary population. Maybe not buttered popcorn, but corn, green beans, strawberries, bread, canned fruits and vegetables; all of these are solutions, not problems.

Not all salts contain the same minerals. One could posit that some sea salts do contain some minerals that are beneficial that may be lacking in other salts.

Dredger said:

Seriously???? Limit your wine intake to one glass????

That's if you want to live forever, maybe. If you call that livin'.

FarmerTom said:

Thank You , Spring Chicken, for understanding.  As a small farmer, I appreciate folks patronizing farmers markets and such.  It helps those of us who can't farm hundreds or thousands of acres.  But as you realize, not everyone can pay the additional costs of value added organic or near organic production. Average annual food expenditures for U.S. families are still less than anywhere in the world (as a percentage of income).  Thanks to chemicals and technology. 

The high costs at Farmer's Markets (at least where I live) is being driven by the brainwashing of entire communities as to the concept of non-competitive local food markets.
We are no different than anywhere else in the world in terms of both competition and any willingness to promote it (everywhere).
If you want to choose the vendor selling a product which justifies and proudly exhibits your (insert ridiculous 'sustainable' or 'justice' descriptor here) credentials..do it WITHOUT shoving every other farm or food entrepreneur aside using MY money to corner said market or to build ridiculously expensive facilities on an even larger scale. 
I recently toured a multi-million dollar food process/greehnouse/'grow light teaching' facility built with tax dollars which (obviously) spared no expense. At the end of the tour, the director claimed that if someone (who they chose) wanted to simply 'buy' the food processing section?...they would simply sell it to them and move on to something else. We can't even get them to let us use OUR processing plant as an old-fashioned cannery...**which USED to be common throughout the U.S. before free handouts at the farm markets killed the hard work/farming concept all together**.

Sorry to rant, yet I will take on all comers concerning the bogus/fake farming/farm market issue as I have witnessed and dealt with those who promote 'local' first hand. Their mission is 110% FAKE and those promoting it will throw you under the bus at the first opportunity should an actual debate on the subject itself ever be held within earshot of those buttering their bread. If there are any others out there who have witnessed these perpetual 'do-gooders' in action promoting much larger projects designed solely to benefit themselves, I'd like to hear about it. (including local businesses, 'foundations' or beatnik/commune run 'non-profits').

Few will even talk about these hucksters (publicly) as most everybody has either eagerly chugged this Kool-Aid in one gulp or deathly afraid of those separating the dixie cups/pouring their dose.

(rant over)

Zippylip said:

FarmerTom said:

But as you realize, not everyone can pay the additional costs of value added organic or near organic production. Average annual food expenditures for U.S. families are still less than anywhere in the world (as a percentage of income).  Thanks to chemicals and technology. 

Thanks also in large part to subsidies that allow mega farms to produce soy, corn & wheat at unnaturally low prices; these crops allow the producers of meat & highly processed food products (bread, snack foods, corn syrup laden everything…) to flood US supermarkets & fast food chains with ‘food’ that is often wildly non-nutritious but at the same time plentiful/tasty/convenient & cheap, at least at the checkout line…

The small farmers that grow produce for local consumption largely don’t get a seat at the subsidy table, yes?  So as a result I pay the true cost of a big fat organic tomato at my local farm, ‘Petes’.  I count myself as very fortunate to not only have that farm close by, a circumstance denied to many, but even more so for my ability to shop there, a circumstance denied to even more. 

I truly hope Pete continues doing what he’s doing for everyone’s sake.  I hope the same for you as I count guys like you as some of the most important people in the country.

Your price at the local market has more to do with the farmers there both colluding on price and their ability to keep competition to a minimum with local government's help.
True markets don't operate that way and few are willing to admit it lest they be labeled as less than sympathetic with a myriad of social (or even 'food') justice causes.

By the way, I agree with you regarding the ridiculous subsidies which larger farmers are receiving in all of their corrupt forms. I would argue though that food monopolies have driven even 'cheap' food to pricing levels much higher than what a true open market would normally bear. 'Cheap' is relative to the family struggling to feed themselves no matter the nutritional value.

I am also not shedding any tears for small commercial farmers of any size in terms of subsidies. Venture capital hasn't jumped in to even the smallest of farm operations ('hops' for example) without realizing that even the smallest of commercial farms reap BIG tax benefits (giveaways) comparative to their overall size/revenue streams.

  

Eggzellent, not real sure what brought all that on.  Personally, I've never participated in a Farmers Market.  But I am thankful they are available to those who wish to do so.  However, I do understand your frustration with and anger towards some of those who are involved.  Generally those on the periphery looking to make an easy buck off someone else's work.
    A true story here.  Several years ago, I was a partner in a greenhouse operation and we were growing organic, hydroponic strawberries in the winter and early spring months.  We needed a cooler to store our production.  There was grant money available from the "Tobacco BuyOut" program  for new, alternative agricultural practices.  We were highly encouraged to apply as this was just the sort of enterprise they wished to assist.  We were directed to a law firm to help us with the application process.  Just so happened one of their members was on the board that dispersed the funds.  We were pretty much guaranteed to be accepted. For writing the business plan and proposal they only wanted 30 grand and a percentage of any amount we were awarded over $1 million.  We were in over our heads. All we wanted was a cooler in exchange for showing others how to do it (we had put a considerable investment into this project).   We walked away.   

Tommy,

I didn't catch the rest of the story (you're probably editing it)..but "what brought that on" is those (positively) throwing around the tired old feel good phrases that we hear all too often. They then connect them with some 'Xanadu' that is supposedly today's (perverted) local Farmer Market. Some rural versions might remain unchanged yet today's version in any larger city that I have witnessed has morphed into Social Justice 101 brainwashing with no dissent allowed. If you understand the motivations of the present WH administration it is not too hard to connect the dots as to how these crucial markets are being run (obviously) with great coordination.

Your story tells mine and verifies same which is my point.  

Read "The Omnivore's Dilemma"

Couple of observations.

Quite a bit has been written about problems w. pesticide and herbicide residues. Know a fellow who has the greenest thumbs. Some years ago he was trying to grow organic on a truck farm. No herbicide, no pesticide, minimal fertilizer. He had been a 4-H winner in soil development. He understood that most of the land around his place, which had been fallow for maybe 15 years before he bought it, was sterile.

He worked very hard growing a wide variety of melons and squash. When he went to sell them, he went to a "Farm Market." It was a family business that was and still is based on produce from several farms they own. His melons were turned down because many had fusarium (?) fungus blotches. Just sits on the surface, and can be wiped off. But they would not take them because they "looked ugly, and the public won't buy them."

Eventually, the market did begin offering "organic," but put up small signs saying that some of the imperfections and irregularities were harmless. Lots of the stuff at standard markets is drenched in toxin just to keep it looking pretty.

In the mean time, my friend tried getting a booth at the largest and oldest farmer's market in the area. The place had been in operation since the 1920, and the current association was formed in the mid 70's after a fire burnt away most of the old wooden structure. My friend couldn't make it because the rent on the booth was too high. Don't know how standard that is, but if common, it would explain why farmers' market prices are so high. Way too much overhead.

I've also gotten to know a few organic and semi-organic farmers. One briefly was running a shop from their farm. He raised beef, but also offered pork, chicken and sometimes lamb. He said the big burden for him and other people who were supplying him was the cost of the inspected freezers. If I'm recalling correctly, he said that the woman producing the lamb had to shut down because she could no longer afford to maintain her own freezer, he didn't have the room in his, and a local packing company was bought out, and shut down, which was her fall back.

So, standard problems. High overhead, limited funding, problems w. location. It ends up seeming like a luxury. One place not too far away (which happens to make the best bacon I've ever had) understands, and got a shop at the heart of a major tourist resort area. They can sell some (very good) cheeses at about twice the price as one would pay ordering direct from the farm. But of course, folks on holiday aren't going to bother w. that.

Eggzellent, my old hands hit something before I was finished.  I think I understand your position now.  Read the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would have said.  
    As you say, some who are involved in such projects preach tolerance on one hand while being completely intolerant to any opposing view/position.  I have not been around any metropolitan markets, only our small rural markets which I suspect are much different.  
   On a somewhat related topic, from a farmers point of view.  We operated a small family dairy until 1990.  We were entirely responsible for all of the costs of production of our milk and it was considerable.  We even paid for its transportation to the processing plant.  We were also responsible for any load that was contaminated with any non-allowed substance.  So, phhhhht to those who say milk is full of antibiotics.  It's sampled before it even leaves the farm and dumped if it's contaminated.  
    From that point, it was processed and packaged in huge quantities and delivered to stores.  For all of our work and expense in producing and delivering it, we received less than half of its retail price.  While I know there are enormous corporate farms getting lots of government subsidies, the bulk of our food still comes from family farms, though that percentage is steadily decreasing.  I hate to think what will happen to food prices when large corporate farms control production.  

Eggzellent said:

Zippylip said:

Eggzellent said:

By the way, I agree with you regarding the ridiculous subsidies which larger farmers are receiving in all of their corrupt forms. I would argue though that food monopolies have driven even 'cheap' food to pricing levels much higher than what a true open market would normally bear. 'Cheap' is relative to the family struggling to feed themselves no matter the nutritional value.
 

Cheap, as I define it, is my ability to walk out the door right now & buy a cheeseburger at McDonalds for less money than I can buy a large fresh tomato, anywhere.  We both know in real economic terms if all things were equal the tomato is far less expensive to put on a shelf than the combined efforts involved in putting a cheeseburger under the warming lights.  This is made possible by the combined efforts of government, mega agri-business, and as you’ve added the bottleneck that occurs with the large food distributors (think Walmart, now the largest retailer of food in the US). 

I would argue that the "bottleneck" effectively preventing that tomato's cost to plunge (immediately) occurs much closer to home.
When your local Farm Market encourages price-fixing and limits who can bring what food to your local market (not to mention the number of vendors period) they have a hard time explaining how a dirt poor shopper with a 100% redeemable (giveaway) coupon receives more for his (cough) 'food justice survival' loot than you or I do either.

Their mantra is as follows:
"If you have to starve or destroy your family's food budget by paying outlandish prices in the name of our socialistic flipping of free societal/market norms..so be it!"

Again, I'm all for cutting the subsidies and for that matter making certain that growers/processors abide by the same rules that everybody else in business is forced to. What I'm saying is that nobody will jump in to this conversation but you and I lest they be labeled as anything less than pure driven snow when it comes to "social (fill in the blank here with your favorite view of yourself saving the world)" causes.

I’m not really sure what you’re talking about here as I don’t live in a city & I’ve not viewed these ‘farmers market’ issues.  My mainstay is an actual farm right down the street from my house I drive past twice a day.  I see the food growing, watch it being picked, hosed off & put in bins for sale.  From there it takes a 2 mile ride in a bag sitting on the passenger seat of my car then into my kitchen where it’s on my plate following some not so good knife work.  It’s planted grown harvested & consumed all within those 2 miles, probably the least strain on the environment I can throw in on; something I find important & believe would be good if everyone had this option (read option, not requirement).  Now, if you’re telling me ‘Pete’ has colluded with other local farmers to gouge me on the price of a tomato, I couldn’t dispute it any more than you could prove it.  Even if that’s the case I’m thinking it’s the case in the same way all local HVAC guys have colluded to set the price of a new boiler I suppose.  All things considered I’d (personally) rather support Pete’s efforts in producing a local organic tomato than the federal government’s efforts to subsidize Monsanto’s efforts to pump an artificially inexpensive pile of chemical soaked genetically modified soybeans & corn downstream to be consumed by Smithfield hogs & Coca Cola bottling plants before being brokered by Walmart.  By the by I don’t say this in a hypocritical way as I’ve consumed my share of those things in the past (& still do from time to time) and believe everyone should maintain the right to choose what they consume, not trying to foist my beliefs on anyone.