The Clean 15

Foods You Don’t Have To Buy Organic

Last year we started growing vegetables on our farm. We weren’t farmers before purchasing the farm 2 years ago so this was a new adventure. Everything was grown organically and we thoroughly enjoyed every bite we harvested. As we get ready for a new growing season, I started thinking about peoples concern in regards to conventionally grown produce.

I remember hearing about the “The Clean 15” and “The Dirty Dozen” and learned that the organization that publishes these lists, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit, non-partisan organization researches a bunch of stuff including GMO (genetically modified organisms), tap water, safety of cosmetics, and the amount of pesticides our food contains. Each year the list of the clean 15 and dirty dozen are updated.

Since the title of this post focuses on the The Clean 15, I’ll share 2017’s list of foods you don’t have to buy organic. (I’ll cover The Dirty Dozen in a future post.)

The Clean 15 (2017)

  • Sweet corn
  • Avocados
  • Pineapples
  • Cabbage
  • Onions
  • Sweet peas (frozen)
  • Papayas
  • Asparagus
  • Mangoes
  • Eggplant
  • Honeydew melon
  • Kiwi
  • Cantaloupe
  • Cauliflower
  • Grapefruit

There’s more to consider than the pesticide residues we potentially ingest. Foods that we remove the outside “skin” from before eating, like cantaloupes, avocados and sweet corn, may have significantly less pesticides associated with them, it’s important to remember that large farms use high levels of pesticides and herbicides that are harmful in other ways like groundwater contamination and ecosystem damage.

To be good stewards of the land God gave us and to contribute to your own wellness, it’s probably a good idea to buy organic whenever possible, even the foods listed above. With that in mind, Clover Trails Farm will continue to grow with out harmful chemicals and substances.

Image credit: Christopher Testani / Women's Health Sept. 6, 2017

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