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How Organic Is It?

Discussion in 'Area Restaurants, Dining and Food' started by Dawne, Sep 3, 2009.

  1. Dawne

    Dawne HOA Sec/Treas, Tech Comm

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    My dad's visiting later this month and he eats only organic foods and no dairy, so it's a challenge to find a place to go out to eat.

    Certainly, there's organic places, but often I find my choices to be something soy based or "grass clippings." I don't mean that to sound derrogative - I'm just looking for somewhere where we can take him that we'll also find a good meal.

    I love AFlatbread, so how organic is there stuff? Anyone know? Does it include the flour the crusts are made with?
     
  2. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    Cafe Rumi uses many organic ingredients but i'm not sure if it's fully organic- www.caferumi.biz
    sandwiches, salads, phenomenal food.

    there's this place- i've never been but the name sez it all:

    Fresh and organic cafe and Bakey
    44031 Ashburn Shopping Plz
    #115
    Ashburn, VA 20147
    (703) 723-1221

    Wine kitchen uses local and organic ingredients in some dishes- and they have organic wine!
    http://thewinekitchen.com/

    i suggest you call around to a few places that advertse having organic to ask just how pure that claim is... that's the best way to be sure.

    good luck- hope he enjoys his visit!
     
  3. penny

    penny New Member

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    Try Patowmack Farm up near Lovettsville-I think everything there is organic and sustainable, and they've won recognition for it. I've been there for Easter lunch in 2008 and it was very good.

    Here's their link:
    http://www.patowmackfarm.com/index.html

    You might try exploring the rural economic development site at loudoun.gov; you may be able to find other farms that also have restaurants.

    http://www.loudounfarms.org/

    Good luck!
     
  4. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    Safest bet is to cook at home. I guess I'm not very trustful of restaurants and how they make or put in their food.
     
  5. Ozgood

    Ozgood Not a space alien

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    Before asking “how organic is it”, perhaps you should be asking “is it organic?”

    The word organic can have different meanings to different people. Just because someone claims that their grub is organic does not necessarily mean that it is.

    The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in accordance with the Organic Food Production Act of 1990, established the National Organic Program (NOP) to regulate legally, what organic food means.

    They accomplish this via Organic Food Certification Agencies of which there are several dozen in the United States. Unfortunately, when ever industry is involved in certification, there have been some difficulties. There have been some “irregularities” where food that should not have been certified organic was, but on the whole the programs work well.

    However, don’t just take someone’s word for it. Look for the USDA certified Organic emblem on the label of any food you are buying. If you are buying “organic” food directly from a farmer and you are concerned whether their products meet the USDA definitions of organic, you can always ask to see their certification or you can query the USDA/NOP.

    However, in my opinion, we should not get too wrapped up with the term “organic”

    Food that is “organic” may not be healthier than food that is not “organic”

    Food that is not “organic” may not be less healthier than food that is “organic”.

    Organic means organic. One should not assume that organic means healthier/better/safer…

    If someone is serious about adjusting their diet to include more “organic” food, I highly suggest reading the documents on the NOP website http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&navID=NationalOrganicProgram&leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NOPNationalOrganicProgramHome&acct=AMSPW
    It is possible that what you think organic means may not be what “certified organic” means.

    To further complicate matters, just because a farmer is not certified by the NOP does not mean his or her food is not organic. In order to be certified by the USDA/NOP as “certified organic” there is a lot of paperwork and record keeping that is necessarily to ensure compliance with the standards as well as being subject to a series of inspections. This can be burdensome to the small farmer.

    The corporation Certified Naturally Grown, Inc has developed, independent of the USDA, its own certification process. Food that is “Certified Naturally Grown” complies with the requirements of the USDA/NOP, but their record keeping and inspection are more informal.

    So if you are looking for “good” food, you might want to research and consider buying food that is Certified Naturally Grown. Just realize that this is a private certification not a public certification.
    In any case, it is up to the consumer to research what standards are being used, and how compliance is enforced before making any decisions based on any “certification”.

    It is also up to the consumer to research and decide for themselves if “organic” food is what they think it is and whether it is worth the extra cost.
    Like in many other aspects of our life there are advantag
    es and disadvantages in choosing “organic” food. It us up to each one of us to decide whether it is “worth” it.

    Personally I have eaten "certified organic" food that tastes terrible and I have eaten non-certified food and found it much more yummy. All "certified organic" foods are not created equal.:nono:
     
  6. Dawne

    Dawne HOA Sec/Treas, Tech Comm

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    Thanks for the info. We love the Wine Kitchen in Leesburg. I suppose it slipped my mind that they use locally grown, etc...

    I will check out the rest of the suggestions.

    I agree that "organic" has no one meaning any more.

    This is all very helpful... I'll do a little research before Dad gets here to find some places we all will enjoy. He's usually able to find something on the menu of most places that fits the bill.
     
  7. gunzour

    gunzour "Living on the Edge"

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