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foodandwine120This will be the fourth and, I think last, column I write about organic food for at least the foreseeable future.  I think this topic is important to discuss because not everyone has the money or opportunity to buy exclusively organic food.

In my last column I listed about 15 foods that were relatively pesticide free. This week I’m going to suggest that if your funds and buying opportunities are limited you should be aware that there is a group of foods that carry a relatively large amount of pesticides.  In other words, these are the foods, often referred to as “the dirty dozen”, worth making the effort to buy organic.

I’m using a list, in no particular order, from the website of the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

  • Cherries
  • Nectarines
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Apples
  • Grapes - imported
  • Lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Strawberries
  • Bell peppers
  • Celery
  • Potatoes

I would avoid peaches and nectarines from Chile, Bell peppers from Mexico and asparagus from Peru.

Don’t get the idea from this that all produce from Chile are loaded with pesticide residue.  Apples, grapes, oranges, blueberries and pears are fine. Likewise let’s not generalize about Mexico. Their cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, broccoli, scallions, and carrots are very low in pesticides.  The same product that carries a lot of residues in one country may be very low in another so it’s very hard to generalize.

I rinse or wash all produce.  I believe in thoroughly rinsing “twice rinsed spinach” and dip and scrub all of my fruits, except bananas, into diluted dishwashing liquid. Even if I slice an orange or a melon in half and discard the peel, I’m suspicious that my cutting knife might be carrying bad stuff (hope you don’t mind my using a technical term here) from the skin into the center.  I feel that way about all fruits I slice.  And, if I’m using the zest, you better believe that fruit gets a soapy bath before I shred it.

If you want to delve deeper into this topic, you should be aware of the DRI, (Dietary Risk Index) which takes into account the toxicity of each pesticide used, the frequency of application, and the average pesticide level in an edible portion of food.

Some people make the hunt for organic food a religion. One of the reasons I don’t worry about it a whole lot is that I have a relatively large garden which I keep free of pesticides and herbicides.  Maybe this spring you could start one of your own? If you don’t have access to a garden plot, maybe you could grow a few vegetables on a porch or balcony?  Herbs, leaf lettuce and tomatoes come to mind as relatively easy possibilities.  You might even think of some berries as long as your neighborhood birds don’t have the same access you do.

Not making a fetish out of organic food obviously works for me…take a look at my photo at the beginning of this column.  I’m 134 years old and don’t think I look a day older than mid – 70s. If growing healthy, organic food can do that for me, think of what it might do for you!

Click here to send comments to me.  I will answer each one personally and will print those that are of general interest.
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