When to Buy Organic

Organic fruits and vegetables can be expensive and when trying to stick to a budget it makes me wonder, should I spend more on organic? I try to buy organic when it counts most. The Environmental Working Group has come up with their "Dirty Dozen" of produce and put the list in a handy form that I like to carry with me to the store. These are fruits and vegetables that may be best to buy organic since the skin is thin and often eaten. On the list are:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

Peaches top the list with the most pesticides received, the list follows in descending order from there. The pesticides penetrate the thin skin and are absorbed into the flesh of the produce.  In our area not all these fruits and vegetable are available organic. So we buy organic when we can, and make sure we give all our produce a good washing.

 Since we have a list of produce to buy organic, here is a list of the least pesticide-contaminated produce, according to EWG.

• Papaya
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Bananas
• Kiwi
• Sweet Peas (frozen)
• Asparagus
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Sweet Corn (frozen)
• Avocado
• Onions

We grow some of our fruits and vegetables and buy some at farmer's markets, but it will never cover all our needs. The list is handy to have when I need to purchase produce at the grocery store.