As I pushed my daughters in one of the cumbersome “racecar” carts at the grocery store this week, I nearly ran a red light to stop a fellow mom from placing organic bananas in her cart.
“What is she doing paying an extra 39 cents per pound for something she is going to peel anyway?!” I asked myself. However, “organic” is such a buzzword these days that I think shoppers not in the know just assume they should buy organic all the time.
Truth be told, for environmental purposes, organic produce always has a lighter impact on Mother Earth, but a heavier impact on Mother’s Purse. My general rule is to buy organic produce as often as possible in terms to the Dirty Dozen. I’m not talking about the contestants on Daisy of Love, I’m referring to the twelve most pesticide laden fruits and vegetables:
- peaches
- apples
- bell peppers
- celery
- nectarines
- strawberries
- cherries
- pears
- grapes
- spinach
- lettuce
- tomatoes
A good rule of thumb is that if it is a fruit or vegetable that you peel or skin, buying organic is least necessary. Also, bitter vegetables, like cabbage and broccoli do not have to be sprayed. In other words, if your kids don’t want to eat it, the insects don’t either.
By choosing organic versus non-organic produce wisely, you’ll free up those dollars for more important things, like traffic infractions that don’t occur in the produce department.
