Every once in awhile, somebody asks me why I buy organic. I’ve heard every excuse from “it’s more expensive”, to “does it really matter, I’ve never bought organic before?” It is definitely a personal choice, but it is one that I made for my family. We typically buy from our local Farmer’s Market. It is also why I plan to grow our own fruits and veggies eventually. Hey, I’ve got Asparagus and Onions that do really well in my garden. If it can grow in Missouri, it’s going to. I’m working on it come Spring.
The biggest reason to buy organic is to avoid putting pesticides in your body. Much of the grocery store produce is sprayed with loads of it. They are harmful and if you are eating them regularly, you are risking your health and consuming large doses of over 20 different pesticides per day. That’s pretty scary.
These 12 fruits and veggies are known as the Dirty Dozen and are the produce that should always be purchased organic. The biggest reason for this is because most of them have no skin or a very thin skin, which is why they are so easily contaminated. The following is the list and they are listed in order from most to least contaminated.
1. Peaches
2. Strawberries
3. Apples
4. Spinach
5. Nectarines
6. Celery
7. Pears
8. Cherries
9. Potatoes
10. Sweet Bell Peppers
11. Raspberries
12. Imported Grapes
If knowing you’re consuming a large amount of dangerous chemicals isn’t enough reason to buy organic, I don’t really know what is.
So are you buying organic? And if you aren’t… why not?
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Hi Nicole, Its always good to get the reminder of the dirty dozen. In one of his awesome books, Michael Pollan said the one food he’d never eat again are strawberries. After seeing the men in the crazy sci-fi suits spraying the strawberry fields in California, he said he’d never do it again.
I buy organic occasionally. The biggest factor of course is price. For a family of four on one income, its very expensive. However, some organic fruit really seems to turn much more quickly as well and I feel like I have a day to eat it or its gone.
Here in central Virginia, we have a ton of great farms that we can get produce or grass fed beef / local meat from. Interestingly, not all of the local farms are organic. So then there is the local food vs. organic issue. Do you want organic strawberries shipped from Texas or local ones that support local farmers that might have been lightly sprayed.
So we mix and match and try to do a better job of eating whats in season. You could drive yourself absolutely bonkers with all the different iterations of what food to buy for what reason and as you know I’m already not playing with a full deck.
cheers my friend
Richard, I couldn’t agree more with you about the organic dirty dozen. I know that organic is more expensive in some areas. For me, our local Farmer’s market actually has limited chemicals used, so they aren’t entirely organic but they are still a healthier choice than my local grocery store. With that said, I know I am blessed. Farmer’s market’s outside my area are quite expensive for fruits and veggies, but the little stand I go to? They try to keep their prices as close to the stores as possible, usually just a few cents per lb. more. I don’t mind paying that only because I know the stuff is better for me than the grocery store stuff.
There is definitely an issue with the fruit and veggies going bad quicker. There is no doubt there, and again I consider myself blessed. My neighborhood directly backs to a grocery store, but the farmer’s market is only 5 more minutes up the street. So yes, it would be easier to get to the store rather than the market, but I try to tie it in with other errands. With that said, I do usually run to the FM at least 3 x’s a week, sometimes less, sometimes more. They are getting ready to close for the season and I will be so crushed. I can stock up on some things to freeze, but not everything freezes well. LOL So it will probably be frozen veggies for awhile until Spring opens them back up again.