Why You Should Go Organic with These 4 Common Spring Fruits

As the warm weather and Cherry blossoms begin to appear in some states, it's already become apparent that Spring has definitely sprung. And what goes better with Spring than the Spring harvest which provides a bountiful feast of fruits and vegetables unique to the season? Enjoying the healthiest produce is becoming easier than before due to greater access to organic grocers and farmer's markets. This is useful in helping us to select foods with minimal or zero pesticides and other toxic elements added.

This is even more important because according to the Environmental Working Group , four fruits commonly enjoyed during the Spring season are very susceptible to absorbing pesticides. These fruits are amongst a list of 47 fruits which were analyzed using 87,000 tests for pesticides after the fruit sample was either rinsed or peeled.

These pesticide tests were conducted between 2000-2007 by the US Department of Agriculture and The Food and Drug Administered. The highest score a food could get for pesticide content was 100.

Here they are:

1. Peaches:- Score: 100
Found to have the highest quantity of pesticides-Scored the maximum of 100
When choosing: Look for those with a little give and a nice aromatic smell. A ripe peach radiates an undeniable perfumed scent. Remember that peaches rot easily and should be purchased in quantities to be used quickly.

2. Nectarines: Score: 81
Belongs to the same family as the peach.
Choose those that are not too hard and are free of cracks or spots.

3. Strawberries: Score: 80
When choosing look for firm, glossy and rich colored strawberries. Also the leafy green leaves at the top of the strawberry should be intact. Because the skins of these delectable fruits are so fragile, be sure to check the fruit at the bottom of the basket since they are being weighed down by those at the top.

4. Cherries Score: 73
When choosing go for the dark red, almost black Bings which have high quantities of resveratrol and anthocyanins. The stems of the cherry should beable to bend without breaking.

Other warm weather fruits which were on the list, but do not score high for pesticide content are Watermelon: Score: 26, Pineapple: Score: 7 and Mango: Score: 9. However, apples, which are an all year round fruit, not necessarily a Spring/Summer fruit scored high at 93 right after peaches. So it would be good to consider selecting organic apples as well.

Purchasing the organic versions of the highest scoring foods for pesticides is a good way to consume healthier, more wholesome fruits.


Sources: Environmental Working Group: Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides;
The Visual Food Lover’s Guide, QA International



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,

A Great Produce Market Find at 'Three Guys From Brooklyn', and A Fruit Fiesta

Fruit is something I hold to very high standards. I've bought fruit from many produce markets only to be disappointed on the first bite. Plums and grapes I find to be especially inconsistent in flavor and quality. Too soft, too sour or just plain lacking. Within the last year my fruit buying has been narrowed to trips to BJs, Stop and Shop, and Shoprite. Farmer's markets are good too, although I don't get to go that often.

But last week I had a special treat when I tasted the sweetest pineapple I've had for a long time, and it didn't come from BJs, but a place called 'Three Guys from Brooklyn' . I like it even more when such great food is also at a great price, and the price was definitely right on this pinapple-about $2.00. The pineapple was the true star of a fruit fest consisting of succulent dark red cherries for under $1.50/lb and strawberries. My boyfriend's surprise, one of many, since he found out that one of the keys to my heart is the best and greatest food he can find.

So we decided to take a trip to our new favorite spot yesterday in the intense 100+ degree weather. But it was worth it-2 containers strawberries, 3 oranges, 1 sweet red pepper, 1 orange sweet pepper, 1 nicely sized eggplant, a full box of mangoes (about 14 total), about 5 ears of corn, l pineapple, 2 medium sized pears, 2 kiwis, 2 huge parcels of prepackaged cherries, 1 good sized parcel of $1.79/lb cherries(probably around 2lbs), 1 5lb bag potatoes, one huge bundle of asparagus for about $48. Well what can I say? When you find quality produce at reasonable prices, you should go a little overboard. Getting the up to 2 cups per day fruit recommendations is just so much easier with fruit that is worth eating. One thing you can do for yourself is really find a produce market or farmers market that gives you consistently good fruits for a decent price.

Well when I got home, my boyfriend and I made a rich smoothie with strawberries, cherries, kiwi, some yogurt, milk, crushed iced, and those super sweet pineapples off course. Today I made some fried, breaded eggplants and aspargus. I'm thinking many meals and fruit creations are going to come from just that one trip to the produce market. I'm looking forward to another 'fruitful' (no pun intended) trip soon.