Why are organic almonds so much more expensive than conventionally-grown almonds?

At the request of a listener, the Hipsters crack open the facts about nuts by enlisting a local almond farmer, Maisie Jane Hurtado. Learn how they're grown and harvested, then discover why growers don't pronounce the "L" in almond! Also, Val reveals her aggie roots and Dori promotes pedal power.

Beer: Idaho's Laughing Dog Brewery is not one of Val's favorites, but their full-bodied Devil Dog Imperial IPA scores big! This hoppy ale hits the midsummer sweet spot.

Chocolate: Two great tastes that go great together: Coconut and Curry! Theo Chocolate paired them up in their line of 3400 Phinney bars, which are also organic and Fair Trade Certified. This slightly exotic flavor combo (in creamy milk chocolate, no less!) shook up our weary palates.

Finds:

• Listener Dana's blog, Green Mom On-the-Go, is in the running for a Nickelodeon Parent's Pick Award! Send her some Hipster mojo!

• G8 UPD8. Leaders of the G8 nations agreed that a) global warming is a real problem, and b) developed nations need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 80% over the next 40 years. Details? Um...December...Copenhagen...yeah.
• Fair drinkum. Residents of Bundanoon, Australia voted to ban the sale of bottled water, possibly the first community in the world to do so. Says a Bundy: "It's time for people to realize they're being conned by the bottled water industry."

Open wide! The new 12-oz. Wide Mouth Klean Kanteens are flying off the shelves. Val is collecting your brilliant ideas for the many different ways to use these bottles. Send your suggestions to hip@greenfeet.com, so Val can publish them in an upcoming Greenfeet newsletter!

Listener Eileen sent us this e-mail:

Hi ladies, Since you live in almond country, can you enlighten your listeners on the organic/conventional issues surrounding almonds? Organic almonds cost a LOT more than conventional - when you can even find organic ones. Usually when the cost of an item grown organically is much higher than conventionally, it means that the item is already hard to grow with pesticides (thus using a lot) and is REALLY hard to grow organically. I worry that conventional almonds are farmed pesticide-intensively. Any answers?

Meet our friendly neighborhood almond farmer, Maisie Jane Hurtado!

• Almonds have two layers of protection from herbicides: the shell and the hull. You won't find these healthful nuts among the Dirty Dozen foods.
• Farmers may use a variety of methods to grow nuts conventionally, including IPM. Labor, fertilizer, processing and fees are all more expensive for an organic operation.
• Find organic almond goodies at Maisie Jane's California Sunshine Products. Val is all about the dark-chocolate covered almonds; Dori is tempted by the almond butter pie. Just don't pronounce the "L"!
• Organic Wine? Maisie Jane's brother is a vintner. Check out Bertagna Son-Kissed Vineyard. We're totally crashing their next family reunion.

• Melissa in North Carolina reminds us to look for the Oregon Tilth label, another reputable certification for organic products.
• Anna in Alberta (eh!) applauds her country's new organic standard. She also taught us the word Kijiji!
• Jenn in North Carolina wants to keep her critters safe, so she found out how to make a non-toxic cleaning kit.
• Amanda has 5 cats and a load o'litter! We recommend the NatureMill composter. Or this.

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