Fresh fruits and vegetables abound during the spring, which makes cooking and baking so much fun and exciting. Here is a seasonality chart that shows 55 nutrient rich foods to eat this spring; they are high quality, and reasonably priced produce. While I try to shop organic as frequently as possible, I am on a budget so sometimes it is just not an option to buy everything organic. For those times I make sure to buy those vegetables and fruits on the dirty dozen lists organic. I have attached both seasonal chart and the dirty dozen lists that will provide the necessary information for you to use it as a reference.
The Dirty Dozen
Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducts studies to identify which fruits and vegetables contain consistently high amounts of pesticides. The Dirty Dozen is meant to help guide us at the grocery store or farmer’s market so that we can make informed purchases with our food dollars. For many of us, we don’t have access to 100% organic fruits and vegetables, or can’t afford to buy exclusively organic – and we really don’t need to.There are many items that make the Clean 15 list that are shown to contain low levels of pesticides which are less harmful to us so it’s ok to buy non-organic in these cases. These are typically foods with a skin or layer of protection to keep the bugs out: onions, corn, pineapple, and avocados.
