Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Table of contents
Introduction
The dirty dozen list is a list of the top 12 fruits and vegetables that you should be buying organic. And the clean fifteen is a list of produce with the least number of pesticides, therefore they don’t specifically need to be purchased as organic.
Indeed, there is a valid reason why you should pay a little extra for organic foods. However, not all produce needs to be organic. For example, fruits and vegetables that you are going to peel are fine if they are bought non-organic and those usually are found on the clean fifteen list.
Organic vs non-organic
Organic simply means that your produce is free of deadly pesticides, insecticides and fungicides. In other words, they are clean but they’re still kind of dirty. Just think of all of the dirty hands and surfaces those foods have touched on their way into your home and onto your plate.
Produce that has “thin skin” are the most susceptible to contamination. Strawberries, cherries, spinach, grapes, nectarines, tomatoes and peppers are just a few of these listed offenders. Oppositely, produce like pineapples, avocados, melons, corn, and onions are the least likely to contain high levels of pesticides therefore don’t need to be organic.
What this means is that the “dirty dozen list” is a list of produce that you should be buying organic, if you can afford too. If you can’t justify the cost of organic, then that’s ok, just be sure to wash your produce thoroughly using a veggie wash. I can’t stress this enough, please don’t omit healthy fruits and vegetables from your diet because of the cost. I’ll tell you where you may be able to find organic produce a little bit cheaper later in this article.
You can find fruit and veggie washes at the grocery store but it’s also quite simple and very cheap to make at home.
Homemade veggie wash
I make my own veggie wash and its easy and inexpensive to do. Use a mixture of 1/3 white vinegar to 2/3 filtered water and put it in a spray bottle. Most importantly, keep it near your sink. When you are ready to eat your fruits and vegetables, just spray the vinegar mixture on them, give it a rub and wash it off.
The vinegar has no effect on the taste of your produce as long as you give it a good rinse afterwards. Vinegar is acetic acid, which has the ability to destroy bacteria and viruses. A handful of studies that have shown vinegar has antibacterial properties, especially when it comes to killing bacteria on food during food prep.
Some produce like berries and broccoli, require a vinegar bath of 50/50 white vinegar to water. Alternately, sprinkling baking soda over your veggies and letting them soak in a water bath will also do the trick. Remember to rinse them well with water after their soak. You will be very surprised to see how much dirt comes off of certain fruits and veggies.
Not only are there pesticides on produce there are many other germs on them. Think of all the dirty surfaces or hands that touch your food from farm to sink. When washing broccoli and cauliflower, I add a bit of salt to the vinegar bath. Broccoli is surprisingly dirty as well!
The Dirty Dozen
- STRAWBERRIES
- SPINACH
- GREENS (MUSTARD, KALE, COLLARDS)
- NECTARINES
- APPLES
- GRAPES
- PEPPERS (BELL, HOT)
- CHERRIES
- PEACHES
- PEARS
- CELERY
- TOMATOES
There are so many health benefits from consuming the fruits and vegetables on this list. I like to let my strawberries soak in a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water. If you do this in a white bottomed bowl as I do, then you will understand the importance of a thorough wash. My bowl usually has a brown film on it after my strawberries have soaked.
The vinegar does not affect the flavor of the produce as long as you rinse them with water afterwards.
According to CNN this is the 2022 dirty dozen list, Dirty Dozen 2022: Produce with the most and least pesticides – CNN. This article has some additional information that you may find interesting. The article also has “the clean fifteen” listed which are the fruits and vegetables that have the least number of pesticides measured.
The Clean Fifteen
These foods have the least number of pesticides found on them because they all have an outer peel or thick skin. Although I’m quite sure that there are plenty of pesticides on the outside of these foods, we are talking about the lack of pesticides found in the edible parts of the fruits and veggies.
- AVOCADOS
- CORN
- PINEAPPLE
- ONIONS
- PAPAYA
- SWEET PEAS
- ASPARAGUS
- HONEYDEW MELON
- KIWI
- CABBAGE
- MUSHROOMS
- CANTALOUPE
- MANGOES
- WATERMELON
- SWEET POTATOES
You can see that the produce on the clean fifteen list generally have thicker skins/flesh that are usually removed before consumption. Please don’t neglect to wash them off before you cut a knife into them. They still have plenty of nasty germs hanging out on the outside just waiting for you to allow them in.
Where to purchase produce
Regardless of these two lists, we should be purchasing our produce from local stands, farmers markets or tailgate markets. Buying local helps the community and is better for the earth. In my opinion, the quality is better and you’re not consuming something that was shipped 2000 miles away when it grows plentiful in or around your area.
I have found that stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Trader joes have much lower prices on organic produce compared to the big giant box stores as well.
-CSA Subscriptions
Many local farms offer CSA subscriptions which stand for Community Supported Agriculture. These programs send you a shipment of locally grown produce monthly or weekly depending on how you set up your subscription. This helps the farmers with their finances in the beginning of growing season and provides you and your family with quality goods.
CSAs not only contain produce, but some farms also provide other goods such as cheeses, flowers and bread. Alternately, we use a local CSA for our grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork. If you have this option available to you then I highly encourage you to look into it.
This post contains links to affiliate marketing. As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases.
Take a look at my post on 11 AFFORDABLE KITCHEN ESSENTIALS to get you kitchen up do date and running smoothly!
OK, NOW ONCE YOU GET ALL OF YOUR YUMMY PRODUCE CLEANED PROPERLY GO AHEAD AND CHECK OUT SOME OF MY HEALTHY RECIPES!
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