Bye Leedon!

It is our first home purchased as a newly wed couple. It is also the first home for our baby. We will cherish lots of special moments especially the most amazing sunsets in this homey abode of ours.

Life is as such isn't it? Goodbye to the old and treasured and Hello to new adventures! As we're moving to our new home in the next few days (mind you with a baby in tow!), my days of posting will be numbered. So bear with me and I will be back with more foodie tales and ideas from our new kitchen!

Stretching your Organic $$

Wikipedia definition of organic is "foods that must be free of artificial food additives, and are often processed with fewer artificial methods, materials and conditions (no chemical ripening, no food irradiation, and no genetically modified ingredients, etc.)".

Going organic also means going green as most organic farms do not consume or release synthetic pesticides into the environment, they are better than conventional farms at sustaining diverse ecosystems and use less energy and produce less waste.

Besides that, organic food also tastes much better - apples are sweeter, capsicums are bitter and carrots are richer in colour and taste. Even the local vegetables like bittergourd are more bitter, morning glory tastes earthy and crunchy and you get the nice sharp smell of coriander back!

And if you like me always have a stomach ache when you eat grapes, you may want to try the organic kind. Its been proven in some studies, certain pesticides eg. organophosphate pesticides have become associated with acute health problems such as abdominal pain, dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, as well as skin and eye problems. In addition, there have been many other studies that have found pesticide exposure is associated with more severe health problems such as respiratory problems, memory disorders, dermatologic conditions, cancer, depression, neurologic deficits, miscarriages, and birth defects.

However, buying organic is expensive in Singapore especially when most of the fruits and vegetables are imported. Since we started Pumpk'n on organic fruits and vegetables, we've been finding ways to cut down on the cost and making organic more sustainable. Here's some of our tips for buying organic in Singapore:

1. Buy local where possible
Locally-grown seasonal food can be brought to market more quickly than food that has to be transported long distances, and therefore can be better tasting and to some degree more nutritious by virtue of its freshness. Additionally, buying foods that are locally-grown benefits local farmers and other employers. This local food approach is seen as a direct investment in one's own community and a way to reduce economic dependence. Some examples of local farmers in Singapore include Greencircle and Bollywood Veggies. Recently, our local grocery chain Cold Storage carried a neighbouring Malaysian brand Zenxin organic vegetables to provide more choices to their shoppers.

2. Know which vegetables to buy
The US Environmental Group released a list of 43 fruits and veggies that contained the most pesticides. This way, you don't have to go 100% organic and save on produce like bananas, onions, avocado and mangoes which contain less pesticides. Leafy veggies like our local Kale, Chye Sim, Spinach and etc are usually sprayed with lots of pesticides so those are best bought organic. I also believe that if you're eating the vegetables raw, like in a salad, those vegetables are best bought organic too and I can assure you the natural taste in these vegetables will make you want to eat more!

I hope the above tips will help you stretch your wallet and make each organic buy goes a longer way!