Concerned about the Dirty Dozen? Grow your own!
What aren't the supermarkets telling you about the store-bought fruits you buy each day?
The Environmental Working Group's guide to pesticides in produce identified 12 kinds of fruits and vegetables in American supermarkets that are most likely to have been grown with large amounts of chemicals. These "dirty dozen" include plenty of favorites from our daily diet. So what to do?
Well, we can try to buy organic produce.... when we can afford it, and when it is available. But there's a simpler solution for us gardeners — we can simply grow our own! Nearly all of the "dirty dozen" can be grown successfully in most U.S. climates, and with today's more compact varieties, many can even be grown in containers! Give a new fruit or vegetable a try this season, and boost your family's health while having fun in the garden or on the patio!
| The "Dirty Dozen" | ||
| 1. Apples | 7. Grapes (imported) | |
| 2. Celery | 8. Bell peppers | |
| 3. Strawberries | 9. Potatoes | |
| 4. Peaches | 10. Blueberries (domestic) | |
| 5. Spinach | 11. Lettuce | |
| 6. Nectarines (imported) | 12. Kale/Collard Greens | |
