Going Organic

The organic market is located at the Centro del Lago, a plaza at the intersection of the libramiento and the carretera. Every Tuesday dozens of people line up before 10:00 a.m. to be the first to grab their favorite vegetables and breads. What a variety of items to choose! Dark green leaves of spinach and kale, varieties of lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, freshly baked sourdough and French bread, empanadas, tamales, herbs either in plants or picked leaves, milk, honey, eggs,range fed beef and lamb, mushrooms, sprouts, gluten free products and even organic compost! No shortage of good, healthy food here.

The Mexicans have embraced organic gardening, not just in the Lake Chapala area, but in other parts of Mexico. I don't think they have developed all the regulatory standards of the US or Canada, but one look at their products convinces me that this food is healthier than the oversprayed supermarket stuff.

In contrast walk across the carretera on Tuesdays and watch the big sale day at Walmart. They always have a loss leader or two to entice the Mexican families in the store. Tomatoes, for example. They were selling for 4.45 pesos per kilo. That's about 35 cents for two and 1/4 pounds. Limit 5 kilo. There were baskets overflowing with tomatoes, potatoes and carrots. Other bargains were for "Back to School" supplies, just like the states, and according to our maid, just as costly for low income families. The one saving grace which I can see is that poor families in Mexico can afford to eat fresh vegetables, which poor families in the US cannot.