Fresh Produce Inspiration

I feel like I'm in a rut when it comes to eating fruits and veggies right now.  The days are getting colder and shorter (oh, sunlight, I miss you already!), my home garden is "over", and my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares are finished for the year.  Since I try to buy local produce when I can, and organic produce instead of conventional, my produce choices seem to be dwindling and completely uninspired.  But what the heck, isn't this Harvest Season?  Thanksgiving Season?  A Time of Plenty?!  My local grocery store's organic produce section is better than many stores, but it's not great, and I still feel like I need a little Fresh Produce Inspiration.

So, I've decided I need to do two things:

1. I need to go out of my way to buy good, fresh, and tasty produce (local and organic, if possible).  This means:

     a. I need to "get off my duff" on Saturday morning and go to the Farmer's Market (outdoor in Madison for one last week, then indoor--but better than nothing!).

     b. I need to make a (weekly/bi-weekly?) trip down to the food co-op where they have better produce choices.  I finally became a member this summer, and their produce always looks good, so I have nothing to lose!

2. I need to get over it, and buy produce that isn't necessarily local or organic.  What this means, though, is that I'm taking more of a risk with the pesticides that I'm potentially ingesting.  I know, it's scary, but true.  In order to deal with this, I've decided to "manage" my risks by using the data and lists that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has put together: the "Dirty Dozen Plus" and "Clean Fifteen" lists.

     a. The Dirty Dozen Plus lists the top 12 (plus 2 additional) produce items that are the "dirtiest" in terms of number and quantity of pesticides and other chemical residues found in them during testing.

     a. The Clean Fifteen are the 15 produce items that have the least chemicals in them.

     c. Here's a link to the EWG website (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php), and my easy compilation below.  I'm going to print this list off for myself, and put it in my purse to use during grocery shopping.  For instance, if I can't find local/organic apples, I'm probably going to skip buying conventional "dirty" apples (the #1 dirtiest item!).  But if I feel like getting a pineapple, I'm not going to sweat it if I buy a conventional pineapple (#48), because it's the 3rd "least dirty" item they tested.  Yay!

I hope this helps everyone be inspired to incorporate more fresh, tasty, healthy produce into your meals.

Forward Flavor!

EWG’s 2015 Dirty Dozen &

Clean 15 (1=worst to 50=least bad)

1. Apples

2. Peaches

3. Nectarines

4. Strawberries

5. Grapes

6. Celery

7. Spinach

8. Sweet Bell Peppers

9. Cucumbers

10. Cherry Tomatoes

11. Snap Peas-Imported

12. Potatoes

13. +Hot Peppers

14. Blueberries-Domestic

15. Lettuce

16. +Kale/Collard Greens

17. Cherries

18. Plums

19. Pears

20. Green Beans

21. Raspberries

22. Winter Squash

23. Tangerines

24. Blueberries-Imported

25. Carrots

26. Summer Squash/Zucchini*likely GMO

27. Broccoli

28. Snap Peas-Domestic

29. Green Onions

30. Bananas

31. Oranges

32. Tomatoes

33. Watermelon

34. Honeydew Melon

35. Mushrooms

36/15. Sweet Potatoes

37/14. Cauliflower

38/13. Cantaloupe

39/12. Grapefruit

40/11. Eggplant

41/10. Kiwi

42/9. Papayas*likely GMO

43/8. Mangoes

44/7. Asparagus

45/6. Onions

46/5. Sweet Peas-Frozen

47/4. Cabbage

48/3. Pineapples

49/2. Sweet Corn*likely GMO

50/1. Avocados