$1.00/lb premium for 'organic' red bell peppers???

At the Safeway, they had two displays of red peppers. Peppers number 8246 (or whatever) were Mexican greenhouse peppers for $3.99/lb. Peppers number 28246 (same number with a prefix number) were Israeli 'organic' peppers for $4.99.

At the Asian grocery, where I usually go for produce, Mexican red peppers with a different number, but looking just as nice, $2.99.

"Organic" ..... lefties asked for it, Agribusiness makes big money on it, the Feds help Agribusiness.

Maybe I oughtta build my own greenhouse and grow this shit myself.

There is a way to tell if a variety has been genetically modified by reading the code, even.

and getting as much locally is even better. The reason organic is higher is 1.) it does take more work to grow organic. Not shortcuts taken with herbicides and pesticides. It's very labor intensive! and 2.) organic growers aren't subsidized by our tax dollars in the billions the way agribusiness growers are. People are still paying that much, and more, for run of the mill non-organic produce, but don't realize it. Something to the tune of 22 billion a year in agribusiness subsidies.

Not sure how much, exactly. The price is freaking nuts at my Harris Teeter, too.

They big box grocers charge more because they think organic eaters are rubes, basically, especially if they're new to the game. When my Kroger started carrying Organic Valley milk, they were charging over $5 per half gallon - because they thought they could. After two months they got wise and brought it down to something approaching what you'd normally pay.

I used one of those Gorm shelving units...




I added a hinged 45-degree top and a hinged front door, made from lightweight molding;
then I covered each side and door with clear plastic.

It works great!

bought at the salvage yard

it was more to protect the plants in the ground as the season winds down or to get them off to a good start in spring.

they basically built a triangular wood frame so the window was at a 45 degree angle from the ground and set the whole thing over the plant. they could open the window to allow access to plant and to allow air flow

kinda like this

Great angle on that one!

Now, you've really inspired me! I have some leftover Ikea shelves
and some plywood scraps!

Time to use them!

i can work a saw (I think) :scared:

i can hinge the long skinny doors at the top and use a stick or something to prop them up

yeah, that's the ticket! as soon as the temps are above freezing around here that is....

edit to add, it's amazing what some white paint can do eh?

I absolutely get the biggest kick out of taking things that are meant for one purpose and use it so well for another. It's even better if the thing in question is destined for the landfill. Very satisfying feeling!

Organic peppers, salad greens, herbs, and tomatoes would sell like crazy. I'm sure the local food co op where I've been an 18 year member would snap it all up.

I don't know why they charge so much more for red peppers than for green, since the only difference is letting the green ones ripen on the vine for a few days or in a truck full of ethylene gas on their trip across the country. I never use green peppers, they have an unpleasantly unfinished taste to me. Well, not sweet green peppers. The hot ones are fine when they're green.

If I didn't live in the desert, I'd probably buy green peppers and throw them into paper bags with apples to ripen into red peppers. Paper bags don't work in the desert and I end up with dried and wrinkled apple and pepper. Plastic bags give me mildewed peppers.