Organic Cherries

Choose Organic Cherries

"Life is just a bowl of cherries; don't take it serious, it's mysterious."
- Bob Fosse

Organic Fruit

Life certainly is mysterious, but unfortunately so is that bowl full of cherries Mr. Fosse so innocently referred to many years ago, unless you choose organic cherries. Today, most cherries seem to be "mysteriously" laced with names like Boscalid, Bifenthrin, Pyraclostrobin, Quinoxyfen, and many other hard to pronounce words that do not sound the least bit palpable. Cherries can provide us with valuable vitamins and nutrients but the chemicals they are entangled with somehow spoil my appetite. They are being touted as a "super fruit" because of their health benefits. Benefits such as to easing the relentless pain from arthritis and gout, helping to diminish the risk factors associated with heart disease, even aiding in the prevention of diabetes and various cancers. Beyond the medicinal aid, cherries can also help you get a good night's sleep, for they contain melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland that helps to regulate sleep. I certainly do not dispute these lofty claims, for I contend that Mother Nature has provided us with an ample medicine cabinet, what I question is why must we sheathe these benefits with chemicals?

Controversy continues to surround pesticides and their ill effects. Some folks contend that the vitamin benefit outweighs the harmful effects of the toxins our fruits and vegetables deliver. I search intently for organic produce and work hard to grow as much as I can, but sometimes, I am at the mercy of the Food and Drug Administration. I have for a long time, been familiar with the Dirty Dozen - a list of the most chemically treated fruits and vegetables put out by the Environmental Working Group. It is a shopping list of sorts that advises consumers against buying from this alleged Dirty Dozen; these fruits and vegetables are better bought as organics. The current list from the EWG is as follows: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, carrots, cherries, kale/collard greens, potatoes, grapes (imported).I am disheartened to report that according to the EWG cherries grown in the United States, primarily in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah, have approximately three times the pesticide residue than cherries grown out of this country and subsequently imported to this country for our consumption.

I want to give my cherries a quick rinse and eat them whole and feel the benefits Nature intended. If I were here before the extensive use of pesticides, that is exactly what I would be able to do and the Dirty Dozen list would not even be compiled. But, alas, I am here now and the cherries grown here in the good ole US of A are toxic. I wonder what those beautiful and fragrant cherry blossoms must smell like after a heavy dose of chemicals is sprayed on them and then packed in ascetically pleasing containers and sold to the American public and we consume them hoping to make ourselves healthy and to starve off any lurking cancer cells. Hmmmmm. Enjoy the health benefits of this super food by choosing organic cherries.

Organic Cherries

Pamela Shensky
http://www.sketchesofmyday.com
I created this site in an effort to write about and bring awareness to things that are simple and close to the earth. I named my little site "sketches of my day", because, on occasion, I will post little drawings or paintings that I have done and some of them will be for sale (and some will not be).I hope you take a look and when you leave, I hope you feel better. p.s.

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