Cameron Diaz Shops for Lemons: Squeezing Money from Fruits

Shopping for limes and lemons tops the to-do list for actress Cameron Diaz in this recent photo from People magazine. But what's the best way to shop for produce? Dumb Little Man posted shopping for produce tips, with a helpful link.

I prefer organic fruits and veggies. LocalHarvest.org provides links and information about buying organic produce directly from small farms and co-ops in your market. I used this resource to find an organic food co-op in my area.

Foodnews.org has a shopping guide for produce. On that shopping list, the following items have the highest level of pesticides and therefore, it is best to buy those items organic:

"The Dirty Dozen"

Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes - Imported
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes

Peaches and apples topped the Dirty Dozen list. Almost 97 percent of peaches
tested positive for pesticides, and almost 87 percent had two or more
pesticide residues. About 92 percent of apples tested positive, and 79
percent had two or more pesticides. The rest of the Dirty Dozen include
sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears,
imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. --Foodnews.org

Citrus products -- oranges, grapefruits and tangerines--were in the middle of the pack in terms of pesticide residue.

These items have the lowest level of pesticides and it is relatively safe to buy non-organic produce from this list:

"Consistently Clean"
Papaya
Broccoli
Cabbage
Bananas
Kiwi
Sweet peas - frozen
Asparagus
Mango
Pineapples
Sweet Corn - frozen
Avocado
Onions (lowest level of pesticides)

Onions, avocados, and sweet corn headed the Consistently Clean list. For all
three foods, more than 90 percent of the samples tested had no detectable
pesticide residues. Others on the Consistently Clean list include pineapples,
mango, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and papaya.

--Foodnews.org

Washing fruit and veggies is also important. There is a frugal alternative to fancy fruit wash products, said Consumer Reports, which noted that plain old dish soap works well for cleaning fruits and veggies. I've tried diluted dish soap and it works great for cleaning fruits and veggies. I also rinse my produce with a big of vinegar to kill germs. wikiHow has an informative guide about washing fruits and veggies.
______________


The Frugal Duchess Booktique
The Frugal Duchess of Beauty Store

Book Shop of Fear
The Poetry & Drama Queen
Frugal Jazz & Blues
Frugal Comic Book Connection
__