 4 The dirty dozen Pick your organic produce with this easy list Buying organic or local produce is a great way to support your community as well as the green movement. However, buying everything fresh from the farm can be pricey. If you’re perusing the farmers markets and grocery stores this spring, here’s a handy guide for organics worth investing in. The so-called “dirty dozen” are the products most likely to be contaminated by pesticide residues, thus the best ones to buy organic. The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization, came up with this list in 2006. If you can’t afford to buy everything organic, these are the items you should probably invest in first. A good rule of thumb is: if it has a thin skin, buy organic. Something like a banana, however, has a thick skin, and so the food inside the skin is less susceptible to pesticides or other contamination. If you’re looking to save money, buy your thin-skinned products locally and your thick-skinned fruits and veggies wherever you’d like. All information courtesy of the Environmental Working Group. www.ewg.org. —Diane Ivey 
The dirty dozen. Better buy organic: Peaches Apples Sweet Bell Peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Pears Grapes (imported) Spinach Lettuce Potatoes The 12 safest to buy anywhere: Onions Avocado Sweet corn (frozen) Pineapples Mango Asparagus Sweet peas (frozen) Kiwi fruit Bananas Cabbage Broccoli Papaya |
