The DIRTY DOZEN

Buying organic produce, let's face it, IS EXPENSIVE! We personally don't have the budget to buy everything organic, and its hard to know where to make compromises. We hope one day to own a house with a yard big enough to plant a large garden, which will help with this conundrum!

In the meantime, this handy little pocket guide is a great resource from The Environmental Working Group. The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides, which ranks pesticide contamination for 50 popular fruits and vegetables based on an analysis of 89,000 tests for pesticides on these foods, conducted from 2000 to 2008 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Food and Drug Administration.

THE DIRTY DOZEN AND CLEAN 15:

They also have a full list of all 50 produce items here

I keep one of these stashed away in my wallet and reference it every time I grocery shop.

While my ultimate goal is to be able to buy only locally grown, organic produce, right now, this list is a crucial part of my meal planning and grocery shopping.