Tips for: When to buy organic

This question stumped me for the longest time, especially knowing that pesticides are becoming more prevalent and potent in produce.  Thankfully, around a year or two ago, one of my sweet friends shared a tip with me that has helped me make wise decisions about which produce to buy organic and which to buy "regular" (aka: cheap).   Some of you may already know about this tip, but I thought I'd share it anyway, in case there are some out there reading who don't yet...

So, without further ado, meet the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen!  These two lists are put out each year by the Environmental Working Group after they've tested to see which produce contains the most and the least chemical residue.

Source: Environmental Working Group
(from: http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/2012-shoppers-guide-to-pesticides-the-dirty-dozen-clean-15)

Here's how it works: any produce you see on the Dirty Dozen List should be bought organic because they have the highest amounts of residual pesticides and other nasty chemicals.  Any produce you see on the Clean Fifteen List can be bought regular (non-organic) because they have the lowest residual chemicals.

When I was first introduced to these lists, I have to admit that even though I was excited to be informed, I was slightly overwhelmed... I mean, I regularly buy things on the dirty dozen list, like weekly!  And let's just be honest, not every grocer carries organic grapes (and if they did, I probably couldn't afford them anyway!)..  So, to get past my overwhelmed state, I decided to set a few simple goals, and that's what I'd recommend for you to do as well if you're interested in using these lists to your advantage.  :)

Last year, my goal was to buy only organic apples (they're one of the dirty dozen that I do buy every week without fail because they're a staple in this house).  And about halfway through the year, I added potatoes to my "only buy organic" list.  Those two were pretty easy for me because our local WalMart carries 3-4 lb bags of organic apples and potatoes.

This year, I've been working on adding spinach to my organic list as well as substituting grapefruits and kiwis for peaches/nectarines when possible (this will be harder in the summer when all of those peaches and nectarines come into season).   I'm also hoping to have some type of small garden this year (just trying to figure out where in my yard and what kind of containers), and if that happens, I hope to grow cucumbers and bell peppers, two of our other staples on the dirty dozen list.  :)

Now I realize that it's possible that some of you are ready to jump into the deep end and stick to these lists fully... if so, you can click the link below the picture to find a free pdf that you can print to carry in your purse, in case you don't want to memorize the lists (which is harder than I first thought!).  If you really want to go hard core on these lists (and if you're on a budget like we are), you might consider making the clean fifteen your list of weekly staples and buying one organic from the dirty dozen list per week (or month) as a special treat.  :)

HAPPY SHOPPING AND/OR GARDENING!!