Odds and ends

A few miscellaneous items:

*A story in the October issue of Cooking Light magazine reveals a handy way to tell whether produce is organic, conventional or genetically modified: look for a sticker with a PLU (Price Look-Up) code printed on it. If the PLU code is four digits, that means the produce was conventionally grown. If the code is five letters beginning with a "9," that means the produce is organic. And if the code is five letters beginning with an "8," the produce has been genetically modified.

*One of the ways I try to save money on organic products is by using coupons. Mambo Sprouts puts out a great coupon booklet several times a year, which I've picked up at Whole Foods, EarthFare in Greensboro and the Lowes Foods in Clemmons. Whole Foods even helpfully tapes these coupons to many of the items. And if Harris-Teeter happens to carry the product, I take advantage of their double-coupon promotion to save even more. Now if they'd just start issuing coupons for produce....

*Speaking of Harris-Teeter, they have Seeds of Change and Moosewood organic vegetarian frozen dinners on sale buy-one, get-one-free through the 24th. When I don't have time to make something to take for lunch at work, I will often take one of these frozen dinners to microwave. I'd have stocked up a lot more if I had more freezer space! They also have Tofutti's "ice cream" buy-one, get-one-free. I love the vanilla Tofutti's Cuties "ice-cream" sandwiches.