Now that summer is official upon us, Canadians are filled with excitement! Whether it’s the ability to sit outside on a patio, take a bike ride at the many beautiful parks and playgrounds across the country, or perhaps gardening is your fix – being outside is great for you inside and out. One of my favorite past times is gardening, and this summer I have the opportunity to grow my own food…and I couldn’t be more excited!
When choosing what vegetables to grow, I thought it would be good to know which are the best to grow organically. Of course I would love to grow it all, but at this point, local Farmer’s Markets or the grocery store are still a part of my life. So I did some research on ‘the clean and the dirty’ as it relates to pesticides in our food. This list might surprise you!
The following 15 have been found to have the highest amount of pesticides, meaning are best to grow yourself or purchase organically:
• Apples
• Cucumbers
• Imported Nectarines
• Kale
• Summer Squash
• Collard Greens
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Grapes
• Celery
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Hot Peppers
• Potatoes
• Sweet Peppers
The following list of the contrary had the lowest pesticide load, meaning they are safest to purchase non-organically:
• Asparagus
• Cataloupe
• Avocado
• Sweet Corn (non-GMO)
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Papayas (non_GMO)
• Pineapple
• Sweet Peas (frozen)
• Sweet Potatoes
So there you have it…and few tips for eating organically and perhaps growing a few items in your own garden this year!