Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Produce Worth Buying Organic

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Have you ever found yourself standing in the produce section of the grocery store and almost fallen over when you see the prices of organic produce? I know I have. I really want to feed my family only organic, pesticide free fruits and vegetables, but the high price of many of these items has forced me to go with the conventional produce. I always feel bad, but what else can you do?

Well there are a couple of things you can do. The first is to become familiar with the Dirty Dozen List for deciding what fruits and vegetables are the most contaminated and worth spending the extra money on.

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes (Imported)

Thankfully there is also a list of the Clean 15.

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapples
5. Mangoes
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwis
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potato
15. Honeydew Melon

There are also things you can do to help offset the price of buying organic. The first of which would be to cut back on convenience foods and non essential items such as soda, cookies, and other junk food that we really don't need anyway. You will have more money to spend on the good stuff when you start learning to either do without or make your own convenience foods.

Another option is to buy your produce locally and in season at farmers markets. Get to know your the farmers around you. Many of them grow organically, but can not technically call it organic because they are not certified organic growers. Often you can get a deal from farmers when you buy in bulk. You are also getting the freshest and best tasting food when you are buying this way.

You should always wash your produce when you get it home to remove any residual chemical residue and other contaminants. One of the best ways you can do this is with baking soda. All you need to do is sprinkle some on your food and scrub while you rinse. It is the safest way I have found to clean produce.

The last option for reducing cost is to grow your own. You will always know what has been put on it while growing. It is cheap and easy to get it when you need it. Even if you think you don't have room for a garden container gardens can produce a surprisingly large amount of food. So even if all you have is a small patio or balcony you can grow your own food.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas to help you decide where and how to obtain the freshest, healthiest produce for your family.

3 comments:

  1. What an excellent article. I get frustrated all the time with the price of organic foods. This is so helpful!!!

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  2. I agree mostly with the lists the exception being corn on the clean list. So much Corn is now Genetically Modified that I only buy organic. Just a personal view. Love your site! Just found it today.

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  3. Thanks so much!! This was very helpful! I never knew to put baking soda on fresh produce!

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