As I'm browsing through the produce section I know that there are certain fruits and veggies that I should definitely buy organic because the pesticide level used on them is higher. I know the 'if the peel is inedible no need to buy organic' rule but I never seem to remember more than that.
So here I am posting the list of items that contain lower levels of pesticides and if you are watching your wallet like we are then you might want to skip the organic.
Onions ~ Avocado ~ Corn ~ Pineapple ~ Mango ~ Asparagus ~ Sweet Peas ~ Kiwi ~ Cabbage ~ Eggplant ~ Papaya ~ Watermelon ~ Broccoli ~ Tomatoes ~ Sweet Potatoes
Would you also like to see which ones contain the highest level of pesticides?
Peach ~ Apple ~ Bell Peppers ~ Celery ~ Nectarine ~ Strawberries ~ Cherries ~ Kale ~ Lettuce ~ Imported Grapes ~ Carrots ~ Pears
One question that is always on my mind too - I see organic strawberries but they are from California. I live on the east coast. Do I buy them over the conventional package grown locally?
A Whole Foods representative answered this question on Times.com ~
"I would probably purchase a local nonorganic tomato before I would purchase an organic one that was shipped from California," He called the two tomatoes "an environmental wash," since the California one had petroleum miles on it while the nonorganic one was grown with pesticides. "But the local tomato will be fresher, will just taste better," he said.
But he goes on to say that a veggie like a hard squash has months of storage life so he'd choose the organic one in California.
Decisions!!
Trivia question for you - I've been posting about Pumpkins this week - Where do you think they fall in the level of pesticides? Should we buy organic?
I'll post the answer on Facebook later tonight! :)
4 crunchy comments:
Great question. I say - non-organic is ok for Pumpkins. I've seen other squashes come up on a "ok for non-organic" lists, so that's what I do. Unless there's an awesome sale on the organic variety. It happens! Saw organic spaghetti squash lower than conventional a few weeks back at a local store. No-brainer!
As far as the organic vs. local. I struggle w/ this, too. But my main reason for buying organic is the pesticides, so I'll buy that over local - unless I know the local grower and know they use organic methods, just aren't certified.
Glad I saw this on FB, otherwise I may have missed it. I posted something about "when to buy organic" a few months back, too!
http://greenfrugalmama.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/when-to-buy-organic/
Oh I know!!!! Whole foods is awesome. Sadly... they are soooo far away from me... Thanks for the good info. Budget restriction forces me to tandem shop (organic/not) also. I was shopping the other day and I noticed that the asparagus had come all the way from Peru! Can you believe it?? (I didn't buy it)
I wonder how organic....When i grow mine...There is never a bug attack..Hmmm I hope they don't spray them. That would be ridiculous!
Great blog!
Come see mine and follow back!
Frenchy
I always try to buy locally grown over organic if I have to choose. Obviously locally grown organic is best but that's not really an option very often (yet!).
Have you looked into joining a co-op or CSA in your area? I belong to a co-op in Phoenix now called Bountiful Basket and every two weeks I get a "basket" of fresh, locally grown produce. I used to buy on Week A where organic isn't available but recently switch to Week B where Organic is. So now I get fresh Organic locally grown produce every two weeks for just $25 (you get A LOT). I never know what I'm going to get which can probably be a challenge when you have kids, but it's made me explore new foods which has been really fun.
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