To buy organic or not to buy organic…that is the question. The majority of us wants to buy organic produce, but sometimes factors such as cost and lack of product force us to choose otherwise. Fortunately EWG (Environmental Working Group) has taken the guesswork out of what we should always purchase organic and when it’s okay to buy conventionally-grown produce. Based on the testing results for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. F.D.A. between 2000 and 2007, the EWG has developed the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 featuring the fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest pesticide rankings. To learn more about EWG and to download the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, please visit: www.ewg.org and www.foodnews.org. To learn how this guide was developed, go to: www.foodnews.org/methodology.php.
Worst – Buy these organic
1. Peaches (worst)
2. Apples
3. Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear
Best – Lowest in Pesticides
1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapples
5. Mangos
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato
On a personal note, I always soak my fruits and veggies in a hydrogen peroxide bath regardless if they are organic or not. (I learned this from my natural doctor who uses peroxide for just about everything.) The peroxide will not only get rid of pesticides but will kill any parasites (yuck!) living on your produce. Just mix 1 TBSP of hydrogen peroxide per gallon of water and soak for 20-30 minutes then rinse. I usually use a big kettle and dump more than 1 TBSP in there, throw in my assortment of veggies/fruits and soak them for 30 minutes then I rinse them thoroughly, dry them off and place them in the green bags to store. By the way, Debbie Meyer’s Green Bags rock!
