Monday, October 20, 2008

Dirty Dozen

See, once you realize that with publishing 100 posts you are obligated to create a "100 things about me" to put on your sidebar, all regular posting comes to a screeching halt while your brain shuts down in an attempt to prolong the work required to come up with 100 things about yourself that anyone else would find remotely interesting.

In lieu of posting my 100 things in this, my 100th post, I have decided to post a list of the fruits and veggies you should absolutely buy organically whenever you buy said fruits and veggies, and which ones you can assuredly get away with buying the cheapies.

So, here they are, the dirty dozen: Fruits and Vegetables you absolutely must buy organically, or not at all.

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Grapes
10. Pears
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes

And here are the fruits and veggies which you can get away with buying non-organically:

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn (frozen)
4. Pineapples
5. Mango
6. Sweet Peas (frozen)
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Bananas
10. Cabbage
11. Broccoli
12. Eggplant

My theory is that because so many of the foods on the non-organic list have some type of peel, they are safer than the other foods on the organic list, which you don't normally peel.

(data from www.foodnews.org)

So, it wasn't a list about my 100 things, but at least it was educational and delicious. I'll get the 100 things post going right now. Promise.

2 comments:

CaroleCross said...

Ah, my pumpkin, it's not just about the skin of the fruit or vegetable that makes organic good or bad. What about the carbon footprint it leaves on the earth?

It's common sense; organic food is good food. Good to eat, good for the environment, good for the small-scale farmers and farm workers who produce it. By the year 2000, the USDA estimated that half of all U.S. farm products will come from only 1% of the farms. The EPA says that agriculture is responsible for 70% of the pollution to the country's rivers and streams caused by chemicals, erosion, and animal waste runoff. Organic farming may be one of the last ways to keep both ecosystems and rural communities healthy and alive.

Small-scale organic farmers finance innovative research designed to reduce agricultural impact on the environment. They preserve biodiversity by collecting seeds and growing heirloom varieties of plants. They naturally enrich the soil with manure and compost. They rotate crops in the fields and plant cover crops to stop weeds, nutrient leaching, and erosion. Consumer demand is a powerful force for change. Between 1989 and 1996 sales of organic products increased 20 percent annually.

Every food category now has an organic alternative and more non-food crops are grown organically. As a consumer, you can help this trend continue by continuing to ask for and purchasing organically grown food, textiles, personal care, and other items.

So, pesticides are one piece of the "buy organic" puzzle. But, just as in life, there are many pieces of the puzzle to be considered!

Love you - Carole (aka Mom)
wisewomen.org

Anonymous said...

nice blog. would love contact info.

marie
marie@naturallycurly.com