Is Organic Really Worth It?

I try to feed my family the most nutritious food possible without breaking the bank, but do I really need to buy EVERYTHING organic, grass fed, free range, wild, fresh, locally grown, dye free, hand picked at the peak of it's ripeness? It can get pretty expensive! I read a great article which discussed how all organic food is not always worth the cost. "The Environmental Working Group (EWG) calculated that you can reduce your pesticide exposure nearly 80 percent simply by choosing organic for the 12 fruits and vegetables shown in their tests to contain the highest levels of pesticides. They call them the Dirty Dozen." Here they are listed from the worst to just plain bad.

The Dirty Dozen

celery

peaches

strawberries

apples

blueberries (domestic)

nectarines

sweet bell peppers

spinach

kale/ collard greens

cherries

potatoes

grapes (imported)

The EWG also listed the fifteen fruits and veggies that absorb such low levels of pesticides they aren't worth the organic price. The call them "The Clean Fifteen."

The Clean 15

onions

avocado

sweet corn (frozen)

pineapples

mango

sweet peas (frozen)

asparagus

kiwi fruit

cabbage

eggplant

cantaloupe (domestic)

watermelon

grapefruit

sweet potatoes

honeydew melon

I'm going to focus on buying organic for the Dirty Dozen and try to focus on growing in my garden what I can from that list too.