Fridge

Not everything in my kitchen is organic, but it seems to be going that way. Eggs, I’ve already mentioned: though make sure the box says organic and free-range as free-range alone doesn’t signify anything very edifying. I want my meat free-range, traceable – the buzzword in organic farming – and not pumped full of revolting things. And now that supermarkets have got wise to the ever-more-widespread lure of organic produce it’s easier to find vegetables from organic farms that aren’t utterly covered in mud just to show their virtuous credentials. I worry about the chemicals in non-organic reared fruit and vegetables, but to tell the truth it’s the improved taste of the organic stuff that’s the clincher. If you can’t muster the energy or interest to go wholly organic, just buy organic carrots. A few years back the government advised us to peel carrots because of the potentially harmful residues of chemicals which had been used in their cultivation. This is enough to make me feel that the real truth must be very much worse. Besides, organically grown carrots taste so much better. You should know that the difference in taste between organically and non-organically farmed potatoes is also pronounced. And it’s worth buying organic oranges and lemons just because they’re unwaxed and therefore better for zesting. But without the wax, they don’t keep as long – there is a trade-off here – so just store them in the fridge if your turnover’s slow.