Years ago, fish was considered a top choice when purchasing natural and organic food. High in protein, while low in fat and calories, it never caused us to pause before placing a few gorgeous filets in our grocery cart.

Today, however, buying fish is like spinning a roulette wheel. Media reports keep us guessing about which fish is safe to eat. Concerns about environmental pollution, sustainability, mercury content and other heath risks have added an element of danger to organic food shopping.

How did we get into this mess? Environmental contaminants like heavy metals (mercury, lead), industrial chemicals (PCBs, dioxins) and pesticides (DDT, dieldrin) are one culprit. You can also blame destructive fishing and aquaculture practices.

"Over the last 50 years, our technological ability to catch fish has outpaced our scientific understanding of fish populations and fishing's impacts on them," explains Tim Fitzgerald, a researcher with Environmental Defense. "As a result, the United Nations now estimates that more than 70% of fisheries worldwide are either fully exploited, overexploited or depleted," he tells Organic Authority.

"Aquaculture is often thought of as the solution to declining fisheries," he adds, "but not all fish farms are created equal. Conventional salmon farming uses chemicals to combat stressful growing conditions and allows fish waste and uneaten feed to pass directly into the environment. In addition, escaped non-native salmon can transmit diseases to or compete with native fish. Shrimp farming has caused a similar suite of problems due to its rapid emergence as America's favorite seafood item. Developing countries have destroyed thousands of acres of mangrove forests to build enough shrimp farms to meet our insatiable demand. While these examples highlight the problem, responsible fish farming is possible and is currently in use in the United States (for example, catfish, shellfish, crawfish, striped bass); however, any expansion of this industry, especially into offshore waters, must be done with environmental conservation in mind."

Wine recommendations made by Bruno Allaire of Dynamic Imports, www.DynamicImports.us.

• Organic Mache Salad with Fuyu Persimmons, Pomegranate Seeds and Candied Spiced Nuts
• Roasted Split Organic Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing
• Wild Mushroom and Black Truffle Organic Risotto
• Organic Cranberry, Pomegranate, Persimmon Relish
• Roasted Garlic Organic Potato and Celery Root Puree
• Organic Haricots Verts in Fresh Tarragon Butter
• Poached Organic Christmas Pears in Port Wine Sauce

Organic Mache Salad With Fuyu Persimmons, Pomegranate Seeds and Candied Spiced Nuts

• Barra of Mendocino Pinot Blanc 2004 - 100% Pinot Blanc. Bright and tangy white wine from Redwood Valley, California. Crisp melon, citrus and apple flavors. Long on the finish and wonderfully refreshing. Made from certified organically-grown grapes.


• House of Hafner Sauvignon Blanc 2004 - 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Complex and elegant white wine from Bugenland, Austria. Typical Sauvignon Blanc notes of green apples and wild spice. Dry and complex on the palate, with a well-balanced acidity. A perfect choice for those with histamine allergies. Made from certified organically-grown grapes and Kosher for Passover.

When it comes to organic food trends, there's good news and bad news for the dairy industry.

Market research data culled from SPINS, ACNielsen, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) and Mintel indicate that organic dairy sales hit $521 million in 2002 and $769 million in 2004-an increase of almost 48%. While this is certainly healthy growth for any industry, dairy represents only 14.5% of all organic food sales, and its share of the overall organic market has decreased slightly.

Statistics, of course, need to be interpreted correctly, and there are two trends that have an impact on dairy sales: a switch from milk products to soy-based foods and the skyrocketing popularity of prepared and packaged foods. In fact, soy-based drinks were the fastest-growing product in the global marketplace, outperforming all other foods and beverages with a 31% increase in sales between 2003 and 2004, according to a January study from ACNielsen. Convenience, consumer recognition of soy's health benefits and attractive pricing were the key reasons for soaring sales.

Nonetheless, experts agree dairy products will continue to experience solid growth in the organic foods marketplace. The OTA predicts dairy sales will increase by 15.3% between 2004 and 2008.

Discover how to eat pomegranates with out all the mess!

Pomegranates, a native Middle Eastern fruit, are the big rage amongst health enthusiasts and their popularity continues to grow. One could say pomegranates have taken the place of cranberries on the super healthy food list for its healthy heart and antioxidant properties.

Pomegranates with their bejeweled, red, leathery skin may be fun to eat but can be a bit messy when trying to eat one. This could be why pomegranate juice is popping up everywhere from the grocery stores to the local farmers markets. Nevertheless, their seeds have found their way into chef's and culinary enthusiasts recipes. You might find them as the finishing touch on a scrumptiously crisp holiday salad, or in a decadently rich sauce accompanied by a beautiful piece of organic meat. Additionally, their bright red skin makes these beautiful fruits even more popular during the holiday season.

The deep rich flavor of the juicy pulp that surrounds each crunchy seed is unlike any other fruit. When eaten, these ruby pearls burst with pure sweetened juice. If you pick a perfectly ripe fruit, the pomegranate's sweet yet rich flavor will make you crave more. If you get a slightly under-ripe fruit, its initial tartness will make you pucker, but its sweet finish will leave you asking for more. As a kid I used to come home with pomegranate stained clothes after eating enough pomegranates from my school yard's tree to make me sick (and I did get sick).

Ruth Bass has covered travel and food for many years as a columnist and former editor for The Berkshire Eagle, a daily Massachusetts newspaper. An avid organic gardener and cook, she was a natural to write "Herbal Salads" -- one in a series of cookbooks that teach readers how to incorporate fresh herbs into a variety of creative salads, soups, main dishes and desserts.

"I was a cook and herb user for a long time before I wrote my first cookbook," she tells Organic Authority.

Bass's recipes are ideal for those of us who buy natural and organic foods, as well as home organic gardeners who plant their own organic herbs. During the winter months, when your herb garden is in "hibernation," you should have no trouble finding quality herbs at your local organic food store.

"Markets are good now -- much better than they were 10 years ago, when I first started doing my books," Bass says. "It wasn't that easy to walk into a supermarket in a relatively small community and find them. In fact, they're so good in stores now that I don't really bother to grow them in the house during the winter. You'll find small quantities in markets, so they're always fresh, and the selection is quite good."