When we learned about what’s going into our food supply these days, we decided to serve the best quality local, natural and organic vegetables we could find. Below is a short summary of what’s happening in the produce industry to help you understand why Tryst has chosen to avoid mass-produced vegetables.
Producers have been pressured to grow increasingly larger crops to satisfy greater demand. In order to meet the current need, producers have resorted to using a toxic mix of pesticides to control insects and disease. While this has proven lucrative for the farmers, it can be detrimental in quite a few ways.
Food Quality
Eerily, the actual quality of food has declined since World War II. For example, studies show that the levels of vitamin C in standard fruit grown today are nowhere near the levels found in fruits grown during the World War II. That being said, organic produce is known to contain 50% more vitamins, minerals and nutrients than produce that has been intensively farmed.
Chemicals
Because the food quality is lower than it had been in the past, we now have to eat more vegetables and fruits to make up the decrease in quality. Unfortunately, as we eat more produce, we’re also consuming more chemicals.
Take a guess about how many pesticides you eat with an average size apple after it’s been washed. Frighteningly, the answer is OVER 30!
Chemicals in food have been linked to numerous health issues including:
· Altzheimer’s Disease
· Cancer
· Obesity
· Some birth defects
We don’t want to scare you, but just intend to remind you that our bodies are delicately balanced machines. It should come as no surprise that any form of foreign chemical can cause irritation at least and disease at worst.
Local and Organic at Tryst
Tryst serves as many local, organic vegetables as is available because
1. It helps support organic small farmers in Arizona. Organic farmers can earn fairer prices for organic vegetables and fruits compared to factory farming.
2. It’s better for the environment because no pesticides are used. This leaves Arizona with healthier water, soil and wildlife.
3. Organic farming is good for biodiversity. Organic farmers grow a wide variety of non-genetically modified vegetables and fruits. While factory farming is reducing our choices in the grocery store, organic farmers are bringing back many heirloom varieties.
4. We believe it’s healthier for our customers.
According to studies by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group, the following vegetables have the highest levels of pesticide contamination. We therefore try to purchase these grown organically.
1. Celery – 94.5% of celery sampled were found to contain pesticides.
2. Spinach – 83.4% of spinach sampled were found to contain pesticides.
3. Potatoes – 79.3% of potatoes sampled were found to contain pesticides.
4. Bell Peppers – 68% of bell peppers sampled were found to contain pesticides.
We believe that not only is our produce healthier for you but that you will also be able to taste the difference in our dishes compared to restaurants that use mass produced vegetables. Come taste our unique dishes loaded with natural, local and organic vegetables including our:
Veggie Omelet, loaded with roasted pepper, spinach, mushrooms, onions and red potatoes.
The Affaire, heaping with local greens, roasted tomatoes, shredded carrots, roasted beets, cucumber, red onion and sliced Portobello mushroom.
Roasted Beet Salad, brimming with Organic arugula, and roasted yellow red beets.