Specialist organic shops

I like food. I like tasty food. I love additive free food. So you would think that me going into a specialist organic shops would be heaven. Well it's not! The one I used to like closed down. And I keep trying new ones but I have yet to find anyone that I trust!

For a start, most places are tiny and carry a very limited stock. They all seem to have the usual cereals and tinned beans, identical to the ones which can be found at a fraction of the cost at the major supermarket down the road. They also sell small weighed bags of organic raisins and small foods - with a 'use by' date penned in. Obviously taken from a large container of the same. But how long has that been opened for? No way of telling.

The fruit produce is always Expensive. I buy local apples at around 99c a kg currently. Usually I can get them from the local orchard - I even drive past the trees. They aren't organic - but they are very local. The latest organic apples I saw were $3.99 a kg. And they were shipped from north island. Wow.

I would love to buy organic - but it is so incredibly expensive. Everyone I talk to tells me it isn't - but whenever I venture into one of these places I walk out amazed at the prices.

I particularly love seeing 'flavours' listed in ingredients of organic food. Personally I like real vanilla - with lots of those black seeds floating around the mixture - not a 'flavour'.

I am actually pro organic. It's just that I like to think I am sensible too. I would rather we ate the quantity of fruit and veg that we eat, than have to buy only a third of organic. As it is I spend about $90 a week on fruit and veges. That has really gone up since changing our diets. $250 a week??? I don't think so!

As for the staff at most of the organic places I have so far visited. I thought they would be passionate people. Ready to tell the customer the benefits of organic, the 'history' of the produce on their shelves. The name of the chicken that laid the eggs even. Nah. Not interested. The new butcher where I tried this week - not bothered about explaining the ingredients to me (in my quest to find safe additive free sausages). I thought these people would talk my ear off. I know I would if I could source decent quality produce!

And it leaves me wondering - what sort of rich people use these places? My guess? Ones who like to tell everyone about how they only eat organic. Even if it costs the earth.