Reader is all for organic, but she is bigger advocate of wild, local foods

I’m sure you’ve received many comments about Joe Bianculli’s remarks and hopefully Chris Reedy at Blue Ridge Food Ventures has had an opportunity to respond about clean hands versus gloves with UliMana hand rolling techniques [“Asheville’s Food Pioneers,” Oct. 22, Xpress].

I am all for organic and non-GMO, but I’m a bigger advocate for local and wild foods. I spend time at local tailgate markets and realize how important having even 10 to 20 extra people buy from our local farmers each week can make the difference of whether these small farms stay in business or not.

Ask these farmers the difference in price in organic feed and nonorganic. It’s more than double. Your eggs would be $6 to $7 a dozen, and beef would cost at least double on a small-scale, local farm.

Local farms that practice free range  and no antibiotics supersede any organic food trucked from California.

One visit to Hickory Nut Gap Farm shows any consumer how farming is done with true integrity. Yes, I’d love to see Hickory Nut Gap achieve organic status, but grass-fed, free-range animals as nature intended beat cows and chickens locked in a small structure with organic feed any day!

If you think organic megafarms are doing large free-range areas, think again. And, yes, I eat UliMana hand-rolled chocolates.

Jeannie Dunn
Fairview

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.