Fruits and Vegetables: When to buy organic



I always look for organic produce, and fortunately Trader Joe's has a good selection of organic fruits and vegetables (as well as eggs, dairy, meats, and other products).  But they don't have everything available organically grown.  How much does it matter?
For years I've had a report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) hanging near my fridge that lists the top fruits and veggies that you should always buy organic (because of their high measured pesticide levels) and the ones that have lower measured levels.  According to the EWG:

Here are the Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables you should always buy organic (the "Dirty Dozen")
  • Peaches and apples topped the Dirty Dozen list. Almost 97 percent of peaches tested positive for pesticides, and almost 87 percent had two or more pesticide residues. About 92 percent of apples tested positive, and 79 percent had two or more pesticides.
    • Peaches
    • Apples
    • Sweet bell peppers
    • Celery
    • Nectarines
    • Strawberries
    • Cherries
    • Pears,
    • Imported grapes
    • Spinach
    • Lettuce
    • Potatoes
And here are the Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables with lower pesticide levels (the "Clean List")
  • Onions, avocados, and sweet corn headed the Consistently Clean list. For all three foods, more than 90 percent of the samples tested had no detectable pesticide residues.
    • Onions
    • Avocados
    • Pineapples
    • Mango
    • Asparagus
    • Sweet peas
    • Kiwi
    • Bananas
    • Cabbage
    • Broccoli
    • Papaya.
You can find the details and the full ranking of all 46 fruits & veggies they tested here.  Print this list out and take it shopping with you.  In general, organic is the way to go, and not only because of the pesticide levels.  Organic fruits and vegetables have been found to have significantly higher amounts of nutrients and antioxidants than the conventionally grown counterparts. 

You'll never guess which is the food with the highest level of pesticides per serving.  Non-organic butter.  I never would have guessed.  Next one on the list?  Non-organic meats.  So if you only buy a few organic things, go for butter and meats!

Whew!  After all that, it's time for a recipe.  Some fresh fruits seem fitting.  A simple bowl of seasonal (and yes, organic!) fruits is always wonderful just by itself.  Here's how to brighten up the flavors just a touch.

Honey Mint Fruit Salad

1 heaping cup of fruits in season (cut up large pieces)
1 tsp chopped mint leaves (a few leaves)
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp  honey


1. Mix together the mint leaves, honey, and lime juice.
2. Place the fruits in a bowl and drizzle the mixture over them.

Serves 1

Posted by Deana Gunn at September 28, 2008
Categories: Announcements Fun and Contests, Vegetarian and Vegan , Kitchen and Garden, Food Recipes

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