Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen

But there is good news that comes with the Clean 15, listing ones most likely to have low pesticide counts. The vegetables are onions, sweet corn, asparagus, sweet peas, cabbage, eggplant, broccoli, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. The fruits least likely to have pesticide residues on them are avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, papayas, and watermelon.

So what is a mom to do?

1. When you are shopping, keep a quick reference of the ‘dirty dozen’ list handy to help you make informed choices.
2. Wash your F&V very well (all of them). We like to soak our produce in a solution of cold water and cider vinegar (1 Tbsp vinegar per litre of water) for 5–10 minutes and then rinse well before eating.
3. Eat local produce whenever possible and buy directly from the farmer if you can. There are plenty of local farmers’ markets around the city that are now open and many of them sell organic produce.

Good to Know: The latest addition to the Toronto Farmer’s Market scene is the new Yonge Eglinton Appletree Market with an impressive list of local vendors who are all dedicated to providing a community shopping experience.

Isn’t it nice to know there are some markets you can count on these days to produce real fruits of labour?

Tested by Minnow H., Toronto

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