Dan's Papers - July 4, 2008 - What's Best to Pick When You Pick Organic

In an ideal world, all of the produce you purchase would be organic. But as the cost of living continues to rise, it's becoming more and more difficult for most families to afford expensive organic produce.

However, no matter what the cost, there are certain organic fruits and veggies that are a must for every refrigerator and fruit bowl. Certain types of produce have higher levels of pesticides - which linger even after being washed - making them more of a health risk for you and your family. Scientists are still learning about many of the pesticides that are used to protect different crops from bugs, rodents, weeds, etc. So there's no telling what effect the exposure to these chemicals can have on your body over time. And it's already been discovered that many of them are very toxic, especially to children. Some have even been known to cause cancer. Even exposure to small doses of pesticide-laden produce can have detrimental effects during critical periods of development in children.

"It's been proven that these vegetables have residue from toxic chemicals on them at the time they're being purchased," said Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht, who co-owns the Garden of Eve in Aquebogue with her husband Chris. "And they've already been washed. It's not likely that more preparation will remove those residues. You don't want to be the one bringing them into your body and probably don't want to bring them to your kids and family either."

According to the Environmental Working Group, peaches top the list of produce with high amounts of pesticides. Their results are based on 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the United States Department of Agriculture between 2000 and 2004. Following peaches, the dirty dozen is rounded out by apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach and potatoes. Therefore, it's imperative that these fruits and vegetables are bought organic.

The more porous fruits are the ones most likely to have the highest pesticide rate. Because of their porous skins, they can absorb high levels of toxins when sprayed with pesticides.

For vegetables, those that are most often plagued by pests have the highest level of toxins. "If they're very susceptible to damage, they get sprayed more often," Kaplan-Walbrecht said.

Karen Lee, who co-owns Sang Lee Farms in Peconic with her husband Fred, says lettuce and other leafy greens are critical when it comes to shopping for organic produce. She also says that corn, which didn't make EWG's list of 43 fruits and veggies to buy organically, is something that should be purchased organic because it's actually highly sprayed. "We don't grow it because it's difficult to grow organically," she said. "And if it's riddled with little wormholes it's cosmetically unappealing to people who want their perfect little ear of corn."

She also says that when it comes to pesticide levels in vegetables, you can usually "differentiate between what grows above ground and what grows below ground," adding "often things in the ground don't require as many pesticides."

And much like there are fruits and vegetables that will likely have a higher level of pesticides, there are also those that are safer to buy non-organic, that are more impervious to these toxic pesticides. Basically, anything with a thick skin, which keeps the toxins from being absorbed and are peeled and then eaten, are safe to buy non-organically. Likewise, vegetables that face less of a threat from pests - and are therefore sprayed less - are safe to buy non-organically. These safe fruits and veggies include: onions, avocadoes, bananas, pineapples, mangos, asparagus, cucumbers and cabbage, though obviously, they should still be washed upon purchase.

There are a number of local farms and farm stands where you can find organic produce. In addition to Sang Lee and Garden of Eve, other completely organic farms on the East End include Green Thumb Organic Farm in Water Mill, Biophilia Organic Farm in Jamesport and Golden Earthworm Organic Farm in Jamesport. There are also local farms that offer certain types of produce organically, such as Krupski's Pumpkin Farm in Peconic, The Farm in Southold, Balsam Farms in Amagansett, Regina's Farm Stand in East Hampton and Under the Willow in Sag Harbor. The Farmer's Market of Westhampton Beach features local fruits and vegetables that are all grown organically. If you're shopping at local farms and the farm isn't certified organic, double check with the farmer to see how much pesticide spray he uses, if any. Often, because it's so expensive for small farms to apply to be certified organic, they'll simply call their produce "pesticide-free."

Local supermarkets will also often have an organic produce section, most notably King Kullen in Bridgehampton and Wild by Nature in Hampton Bays, as well as Provisions in Sag Harbor and The Market in Greenport.

For more information about how safe specific fruits and vegetables are, go to www.foodnews.org.