The dirty dozen: when to buy organic

I dream of the day when I'll be able to afford all organic food. Until I become a millionaire and own my own farm, or at least, afford to buy all my groceries at Whole Foods (i.e., Whole Paycheck), here's a list of the foods that you should aim to buy organic. It's known as the "dirty dozen," 12 fruits and vegetables that are the most at risk for contamination of pesticides. If you have to pick and choose which groceries you spend the extra money on, these are it, according to Organic.org:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (Imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

Deciphering the hippy lingo

When I shop for food, it's always nice to see words, such as "fresh," "local," or "organic" on the package, but how fresh, local, and organic is it really? I have to admit, I really didn't really know until I read up. A Clean Life in a brochure that I picked up a farmers' market describe the terms as the following:

Fresh - only a few days since it was caught or harvested

Local - food that is sold within 1-200 miles

Seasonal - produce that is the freshest and tastiest

Sustainable - in food terms, that means a balanced cycle that supports farmers, customers, and environment

Organic - grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides

Certified naturally grown - grown with the same standards as organic but with small farmers particularly in mind

Grass-fed, cage free, hormone free, antibiotic free - it is what it sounds like

A Clean Life goes on to say that if each American could eat just one meal per week made from local, organically grown produce, the U.S. could conserve 1 million barrels of oil each week. That, eh, you know, food for thought.

You can find way more info at freshfarmmarkets.org, including recipes and farmers' markets in the Greater DC area.