Where to buy organic food in PLG

UPDATE 8/2/09: The Associated now has an organic foods section (in the back of the store) that easily rivals the selection at Little Papa and Sons. Details here.

So you've got money to buy food without pesticide but don't know where to spend it? You've come to the right place. In my hours lost wandering PLG with baby Sidney, I visited the grocery stores in the neighborhood to see who had what on the organic front. All of the three large grocery stores had at least a couple of staples. Prices varied, with no one a clear winner, but there are a few generalizations I feel comfortable setting forth:

Papa & Sons has the most organic options, with not only staples such as rice, cheese, orange juice, and tofu but my new favorite thing, Baby Mum-Mum. Pioneer had a greater selection of frozen foods, however.  Western Beef, the biggest store of all, offered the least variety of organics.  

Before I go into more detail, keep in mind that some foods are more important to buy organic than others. Onions, avocados, pineapple, and mangos, for example — all of which are plentiful at any number of bodegas in PLG — have such low pesticide loads that the difference between organic and non- is scant. On the other hand, you want to buy your peaches, apples, and bell peppers organic if eating bug spray bothers you. For a full list of which fruits and veggies are safe to eat even when grown conventionally, see the Environmental Working Group's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides (more info here).

Ok, so here, in order of organic-friendliness, is a rundown of local options:

LITTLE PAPA & SONS (1141 Washington Ave. - at Lincoln)

Little Papa & Sons (which is actually called J.H. Little Papa & Sons) carries most of what Associated and Pioneer carried, but a lot more: Organic Valley Orange Juice (6.89), rice (5.29 for 2 lbs), cheese (4.79 for 8 oz.), beans, etc. I started writing down the various products but stopped when I realized you should just go check it out for yourself. When I visited on Wednesday, gallons of Farmland Milk were on sale for 1.99 - bargain! (Technically, Farmland isn't organic, though the store advertised it as such. The cows are hormone and antibiotic-free, however). This small shop doesn't have any organic frozen foods, though. The main Papa & Sons (across Flatbush) also has some organic items, including baby food, mac & cheese, and a frozen veggie or two.

PIONEER (184 Parkside, near Ocean)

Pioneer has the most frozen offerings: many Amy's products (hot cereal, burgers, baked ziti for kids, mac & cheese, shepherd's pie, cheese pizza pocket sandwich), Earth's Best Chicken Nuggets (4.39 8 oz), spinach & artichoke bits, buffalo wings, green beans, Soupman squash soup, mixed veggies, plus various nonorganic veggie burgers and gourmet meals. Pioneer was also the only place I saw that carried fresh spring mix (4.49/5 oz.). Other stuff includes: Tostitos, Eggs (2.99 doz.), Organic Valley Milk (4.99/half gal.), Silksoy (4.69 half gal.), and Stonyfield Yogurt (5.29),

ASSOCIATED (Flatbush at Hawthorne)

Middle of the road, in terms of offerings, though they did have Applegate smoked turkey (4.99 7 oz.) and BGH-free Applegate Muenster (4.99), which I didn't see at the other large stores. Milk (5.19 half gal.), Lactaid (!), Silksoy (4.39 half gal),, Eggs (2.50 Nature's Yoke - cagefree vegetarian, doz), Tostitos, and, like Pioneer, some (nonorganic) Garden & Boca Burgers.

WESTERN BEEF (44 Empire Blvd., at Washington)

The biggest store has the smallest selection of organics. What it does, offer, however, is an off-putting stench upon entry and a huge, refrigerated meat room that you really should visit at least once. Every grocery store needs a huge refrigerated meat room. This one also carries staples in party-sized packages, so if you're looking for a 5 pound bag of shredded cheddar, here's the hookup.

Western Beef also has the widest selection of international foods and it's fun browsing the aisles looking at all the exotic goods. In terms of organics, pretty much all I saw was milk (Organic Valley, 4.69/half gal.), Silksoy (4.29/half gal.), eggs (on sale for 2.88 doz.), and a box of dry cereal (Health Valley multiflakes, 5.19). 

OTHER OPTIONS 

The bodega on Lincoln and Ocean (14 Lincoln) has a few dry goods—rice, pasta, mac & cheese, canned beans and soups—as well as eggs and milk. In fact, you can find milk at a number of bodegas around here.

Of course, if you have anything to add or notice any errors here, please leave a comment.

Comments

[Carmen]

If anyone is up for shopping outside of the immediate neighborhood, the Stop n Shop on Tilden has an abundance of organic products. Also, the Key Food on the other side of Grand Army on Flatbush, is almost completely organic.

[Wash Jones]

For someone relatively new to the neighborhood, my wife and I really appreciate your research! Keep up the good work.

[diak]

And nothing says "organic-friendliness" like a store that sells... cigarettes! A nice big sign in Little Papa's window now informs us that for just $9 (less than a pound of cheese!) you can enjoy a whole pack of Newport pleasure! Yum.

[gw]

Thanks, this is really useful!

[Charles Star]

I don't think anyone ever said that everything in the store was organic, diak. Cigarettes are a high margin (though less so, due to taxes) item and there is no way I'd suggest to a merchant that he should stop carrying them. It would make me sound like a petty scold.

[sarah]

i just picked up my first box of baby mum mum--that's great that i'll be able to get it in plg. another relatively nearby option is the flatbush co-op on cortelyou(a quick ride on the q train or a nice walk). you don't have to be a member to shop there and they have a lot of great stuff!

[Jeanne]

The Key Food on Nostrand on the other side of Empire Blvd has some organic stuff and is a decent store. Though nobody with a stroller need bother. The store is so paranoid about losing shopping carts there's a gate around the entrance with tiny openings too small for strollers or wheelchairs. I walked all the way over there last week with my baby in his stroller and had to turn home again because I couldn't enter. Maybe they expect people to take everything out of the stroller including the baby, fold the stroller just to get it through the teeny opening, then reassemble and load everything again. Too ridiculous.

[Dania Gold Namdar]

Nobody here mentioned the Park Slop Food Co-op.

Yes it's not in the hood but it's only one subway stop away (7th ave stop), most of the fruits and veggies there are organic and its unbelievably cheap! The organic produce there costs like conventional in a regular supermarket.

You can only shop there if you are a member, members have to work less than 3 hours every 4 weeks, I think it's a deal!

[carrie]

There are LOTS of places to get organic food outside of the neighborhood. We're focusing on PLG merchants.