Which Fruits and Vegetables to Buy Organic

From our Friends at the Environmental Working Group (EWG)

Around our house we love apples, but did you know that apples are the most pesticide contaminated produce item? When shopping how can you know which fruits and vegetables are clean enough to buy conventional and when to spend extra for organic?

Fortunately the EWG has put together a guide to help us with that decision: 2015 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™.


Click here to see which fruits and vegetables landed on the Dirty Dozen™ and which made the Clean Fifteen™, http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/?inlist=Y


For 2015 peaches and nectarines have replaced strawberries and grapes for the number two and three spots on the list of the most pesticide-contaminated produce. And apples topped the list for the fifth year in a row!

Make sure you take a look before your next trip to the grocery store.

Earthworms and Herbicides -

Using Roundup kills beneficial microbes and soil animals needed for fertile soil:

A new study publish this week in "Water, Air and Soil Pollution" asserts that pesticides sublethal effects are not regularly taken into account when assessing agro-chemical's toxicity. With the objective of detecting chronic, sublethal effects of the widely used herbicide glyphosate (Roundup weed killer), an experiment was performed using the earthworm Eisenia fetida as the model organism.

Earthworm adults were randomly assigned to three glyphosate treatments: control (no glyphosate), regular dose for perennial weeds and double dose. The matrix population model built showed that while the control population had a positive growth rate, both glyphosate treatments showed negative growth rates.

The results suggest that under these sublethal effects, non-target populations are at risk of local extinction, underscoring the importance of this type of study in agrochemical environmental risk assessment. To make this study easier to understand it should be said that whenever you apply a glyphosate herbicide like Roundup you are likely going to be killing off the beneficial microbes and soil animals that make your soil fertile. This in spite of the manufacturer's statement that the product becomes inert when it reaches the soil.

Simple Eco-Recipe to Clean Your Fruits and Veggies

Washing your produce helps remove pesticides from your fruits and veggies. Even if you buy organic, a produce wash can help remove dirt or insects.

All Natural Fruit and Veggie Tonic:

3 cups filtered water
3 Tbs white or apple vinegar
2 tbs baking soda

Mix and place in spray bottle or bowl. either spray veggies and then scrub and rinse. Or drop veggies into bowl of solution and then rinse in water.

When Cooking, Avoid Products Made From:

When cooking, do NOT use products that are:

• Aluminum
• Teflon coated
• Non-stick pots and pans

Why? They May Be Carinogenic...

Moreover, 1.) the original companies no longer produce these materials (because of ethical/environmental concerns), 2.) you can't recycle them, and3.)  there are EPA warnings about their use. Be especially worried if the material is scratched or flakes off, because the material may enter your system and stick there!

Instead use:

• Stainless steel
• Enamel cast iron
• Cast iron
• Glass
• Ceramic
• Copper
• Silicone

Why drive the speed limit? (Hubby are you reading?)

Sticking to the 65 mile-per-hour speed limit improved the fuel economy of your car by almost 15%. This also reduces car emissions and saves the average driver $200 on gas each year. 


Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas! The Union of Concerned Scientists say that droppin gform 70 to 60 mph improves fuel efficiency by an average of 17% . Dropping from 75 to 55 mph improves it by 30%!

If you need more convincing, check out the "I drive 55" campaign and documentary. Sammy Hagar couldn't do it, but you can!

Additional Information: 

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-08-17-Drive-55_N.htm