I buy organic when I can, but it's a political statement. Most conventionally grown foods are fine. Most farmers aren't trying to poison us. :). There's more issue in the animal husbandry, and I'm pickier with animal products. I have the luxury of being able yo pay a buck more for my ideals. I do know that there are cheats and all, as with any other endeavor, but I prefer to encourage sustainability. We may have more choice here. Specific organic fruits and vegetables may not always be available, but if one is willing to choose seasonally, there's plenty. Freshness isn't an issue. I just started getting organic CSA.

I hadn't found an organic flour that I cared much for before now. I was just about to order some to try from Central Milling, when this all started, and had less flour, altogether in my pantry than I'd thought, so I lept in with both feet. I really like their organic unbleached flour (Artisan Baker's Craft and Plus). It's much nicer than KA. It handles a lot like the Gold Medal bleached I learned to bake with, with a bit of a better absorption. It's also beautiful, with a yellow tone much like the wheat I mill myself. I'm pretty much a convert, though I haven't tried biscuits or pastry yet,,. (And they have a dozen other flours to try...)

FWIW, I try to buy everything I can organic. I won't pay exorbitant prices though. Most of what I buy it costs about the same, or sometimes only slightly more than conventional, and the quality is better.

Hubby was curious about why our organic milk lasted so long compared to conventional, and found that it is processed in a different way that extends its shelf life much, much longer, which is a good thing because we don't use it up very quickly.

A lot of organic milks are ultrapasteurized or irradiated. It kills everything. Some people call it dead milk. You can't make cheese out of it. The California organic milk I like is pasteurized but not ultra and makes cheese fine. Not economically fine--shipping liquid milk costs a lot more than shipping cheese! But for cheeses I can't buy, it's an option. And fun. As to the upset stomach, there could be a difference in the lactose, feed, or similar, protein structure, or if you're getting Horizon or similar, there might be some normal microorganism in live milk that she's sensitive to. Or it could be heebiejeebies, of course.

Re the wheat, I agree. I'm not religious about organic, and use plenty of products that aren't. Just choose it when the choice is there. I have serious qualms about Chinese made food products because they don't have our traditions of hating additives and contaminants. There's a very good book about the British efforts to move the tea trade to India in the mid-1800s, which tells about how the Chinese figured out that the British liked their tea very green, so they added pigments--heavy metals--to make it greener. When the Brits learned about that, they decided they like their tea black, thank you very much. The recent scandal about adding melamine to the milk to make tests read as higher in protein. More of the same disregard for edibility.

Most American farmers, even in agribusiness, have an underlying motive to bring quality products to the consumers. We do test our additives, and farming products like fertilizers and pesticides, and consider whether they're harmful or not, and adjust use when new information makes it appear that they're not as okay as previously thought. A lot of conventional farming practices aren't sustainable, but the produce is fine to eat. Some, less so.

My wheatberries are organic. :) Packaged whole wheat flour isn't nearly as good as freshly milled, anyway. :)

Ah, makes sense. Only time I pay attention to pasteurized be ultra-pasteurized is when buying cream for cheese. Looked in the fridge and see you’re right.

I'm like Plllog in that I buy organic flour but that's because I buy Central Milling Flour and it's organic.

I do have a hard time jumping on the organic bandwagon since organic doesn't mean No Chemicals. It just means No Artificial Chemicals. Organic/Natural Chemicals are A OK.

Just like with the No Nitrates! added stuff. There are nitrates but it's from celery and since it's organic, producers can claim they didn't add nitrates.

In line with the milk many years ago when I worked Sales at a beef packing plant I was searching around the internet looking for different industry literature. I came across an article about milk put out by people in the industry. It talked about ultra pasteurized milk and how consumers perceive it as being super super fresh since the BBD is so far out. It went on about how this is a win win for producers and consumers. But, of course, it did not point out what Plllog said about how everything is killed and that is why it lasts so long. I do find it somewhat contradictory that they go to all the trouble to produce organic milk and then ultra pasteurize it.

I went to the Common Ground Fair (Think a huge old fashioned country agricultural fair with tie dye and kelp salad) years ago and went to a lecture that really clarified my thoughts on organic foods.

I had been a bit of the mind that since I couldn’t afford everything organic than it really didn’t matter. The lecturer basically said hey if you take a small portion of your fresh food budget and buy organic you support a local farm and the skills to farm organically in your community. And obviously you put less chemicals into your body.

I am no purist in my own garden or in my shopping but I buy local when I can, organic when I can.

As far as flour I have to say the use of herbicides in the harvest of grains bothers me. It may not be a valid concern healthwise and I certainly understand trying to get the whole crop ready to harvest at once. Nonetheless it makes me leery. We have a wonderful gristmill locally. I tend to buy a mix of their flour and King Arthur. And hope I am not eating too much glysophates.,

I just noticed the box--the organic product that gave me real pause. Organic corn starch. It's ridiculously expensive. I mean, I can afford the $4 for a little box. 6 oz. But it chafes. Like the time I had to pay for a spice bottle with a tiny amount of arrowroot, when a pound costs next to nothing. Needless to say, I don't use a lot of cornstarch. :)

At the moment we are probably 95% organic. 5-6 years ago I bet 80%. 15-20 years go maybe 70%. So yes, we buy organic. And/or non GMO. So much easier now that so many support local and organic. At least here in the NYC and HudsonValley area.

I get lots of my grain from Polouse. They grind fresh to order but i just buy the grain whole and my chick peas and lentils. % pounds at a time.

I might have an odd sense of the dollar. When co-workers would go out for 20-30$ lunches with tip, I Always declined and enjoyed a walk, stopping in various shops....maybe purchasing a kitchen gadget in a restaurant supply. Or just get take-out soup dumplings or a custom tea blend from one of my favorites, being all over the city daily. A few spices from a delightful trip to Kalustyan's spice house where Martha shops, if I'm in that neighborhood.

We have not had soda since his school or any processed food for 30yrs+ or any Starbucks, fast food. So I do practice what I preach. My garden has always been organic.

So, yes, organic is preferred in my home all across the board.

Yeah - I buy regular cornstarch. Some things just seem ridiculous to me as well.

I can find organics in bulk for very reasonable prices too. I'm very fortunate that we have so many stores around us, with so many choices.

I don't have religion about organic, but some things do matter to me. Eggs are always organic. A conventional apricot has about as much flavor as a miniature tennis ball, so I buy organic. Onion don't matter as much. I've recently switched over to ordering organic meat from a farm.

I used conventional King Arthur and Bob's Red Mill (sometimes organic sometime not) flour until the recent shortages. I found a small local mill that makes flour from organic heritage grains. The flavor is excellent, so I don't see myself going back to KA or BRM.

I buy organic always, for everything, if there is a choice. Luckily my budget allows that, but I'm a household of one and I often feed my grandson (10). I don't have faith that industrial farms care at all about poisoning us, if it means more profit for them.You just have to read about the situation in the meat processing plants right now to get a sense of what their priorities and values are.

I think organic, non-gmo is better for the earth, better for critters, including honey bees, better for us consumers and definitely better for the farmworkers. Sentencing farmworkers to a future of possible cancer or other ailments from exposure to horrible chemicals, is not something my conscience will allow me to do, just to save me a buck.

We have lots of organic small farmers in my area, from eggs/meats/chicken/dairy to a wide range of veggies and fruits. I feel lucky and in turn try to support them by buying their products.