Buy Organic? - WFMW

Photo Credit: blprnt_van

In addition to buying local and in-season vegetables & fruits, I am trying to buy organic products as much as possible. Buying organic groceries, however, can be DIFFICULT & EXPENSIVE. So I sometimes cheat & just ignore my worries over the risks of pestcide intakes and buy the conventionally grown produce just because they are cheaper & more convenient.

While recently reading The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why, I found out that the degree of contamination greatly varies depending on the type of vegetables and fruits.

Now I try to avoid the so-called "12 dirtiest vegetables & fruits." On the other hand, I feel safe buying "Clean 15" vegetables and fruits, even if not organic.

*** Here is a list of "Dirty Dozen" & "Clean 15."***



DIRTY DOZEN

1. Peach

2. Apple

3. Sweet Bell Pepper

4. Celery

5. Nectarine

6. Strawberries

7. Cherries

8. Kale

9. Lettuce

10. Grapes - Imported

11. Carrot

12. Pear

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CLEAN 15

1. Onion

2. Avocado

3. Sweet Corn - Frozen

4. Pineapple

5. Mango

6. Asparagus

7. Sweet Pea - Frozen

8. Kiwi

9. Cabbage

10. Eggplant

11. Papaya

12. Watermelon

13. Broccoli

14. Tomato

15. Sweet Potatoes

Source: "The Full List: 48 Fruits & Veggies" by Environmental Working Group.  

Download Free Shopper's Guide to Pesticide for your easy reference.

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Buy Local & In-Season

I try to buy local & in-season vegetables and fruits as much as possible. They sometimes cost more than out-of-state produce, but they just taste better (& last longer in my fridge).

Other benefits of buying local are NUMEROUS. To list a few;

* Less environment impacts - transportation, packaging, etc.

* Less preservatives.

* Support local economy.

* Promote self-sufficiency - this is especially important for isolated islands like Hawaii.

So what's in season in Hawaii this month?



Vegetables & Fruits in PEAK Availability

FRUITS

* Mango

* Orange

* Papaya

* Pineapple

* Strawberry

VEGETABLES

* Beans

* Bittermelon

* Chinese Cabbage

* Head Cabbage

* Celery

* Sweet Corn

* Cucumber

* Eggplant

* Ginger Root

* Heart of Palms

* Leaf Lettuce

* Mushroom

* Onion

* Parsley

* Green Pepper

* Sprouts

* Sweet potatoes

* Taro

Source: Buy Fresh * Buy Local by College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa.

* For a complete chart of Hawaii Seasonality, download this wonderful poster.

Where can we find local vegetables & fruits?;

* Supermarkets - look for labels such as "Island Fresh," "Buy Local," etc. The best supermarket to find local (& organic) produces is Whole Foods.

* China Town - the price there is normally the best, but a little hard to find out where each produce is from. Look for hints on cardboard boxes the produces are in... You can also ask sales people... 

* Framer's Markets - Refer to a list of Farmer's Market in Oahu, Big Island, Kauai, Maui. My favorite is KCC Farmer's Market - a wonderful selection of vegetables, fruits, meat, honey, snacks, flowers and more. Another farmer's market is opening in Haleiwa on 4/5. Also, Mayor Hannemann also proposes opening "a premier farmers market" at the Blaisdell Center parking lot - I totally support his proposal!!

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UPDATE: www.epicurious.com has a wonderful map that shows what's in season for each state in the US. Thank you, Lissa



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