Lily with last summer's 1st tomato

So, if any of you are like me you want to try & feed your family the best quality food available- of course we all have our junk food moments- I mean seriously, could you imagine a toddler deprived of their goldfish? :)

In a perfect, money grows on trees kind of world our family would be all organic, all locally grown, all the time- unfortunately in our 1ish income, Flagstaff mortgage kind of world- "that ain't happenin'" (to quote my husband). Organic food and local food does cost more- for reasons I think are absurd. That being said, I do the best I can by picking & choosing the organic food I buy and looking around town for the best deals- a lot of our larger chain stores are stocking more & more organic food- Walmart even sells organic milk (although it's not very cheap). For me the most important things are:

- Milk
- Thin-skinned fruit
- Anything Lily eats

According to The Daily Green the "Dirty Dozen" (12 foods you should always buy organic) are:
- Meat
- Milk
- Coffee
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Kale
- Leafy Greens
- Grapes
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Pears

In general, the thicker the skin on the fruit/veggie, the less pesticide can get to the part that we eat. Also, many foods have a lower risk of pests, therefore less spraying etc. is needed to protect them.

Can't afford any organics? Check out this website which gives you alternatives to the 'dirtiest' foods. Also- cleaning or peeling your fruit/veggies does work to get some of the 'yuck' off- tests have shown that a vineager/water mixture is more effective than the fruit/veggie washes you can buy. Have a some spare time & extra space? Explore planting a garden this summer- it's a great family bonding experience, learning tool, thing to do and you will get the most amazing food!