dirty dozen & clean 15 for 2011

(4 ratings)
Recipe by
Kim Biegacki
Youngstown, OH

My husband & I came across the "Dirty Dozen" about 4 or 5 years ago. Dirty Dozen is a list of the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest amount of pesticides. The Clean 15 is the one's with the least amount. We try really hard to buy organic when possible, since we do not grow our own garden. I was surprised to see apples at the top of the list and to find out that there were alot of pesticides on Cilantro, which I use alot. ---- I did try growing my own indoor herb garden but none of them made it. I am for sure going to try and grow my own herbs outside now. I am so happy that the Farmer's Markets are opening again in our area June 18th. The EWG estimates that consumers who choose five servings of fruits and vegetables from the Clean 15 list rather than the Dirty Dozen list can reduce their consumption of pesticides by 92 percent. I do hope this helps someone and I thought it important enough to share with my new group of friends at Just A Pinch. My husband & I try our best to stay environmentally conscientious. With health problems always on the rise, we feel it detrimental to our well being. This info below comes from website: http://www.takepart.com/news/2011/06/14/apples-top-the-dirty-dozen-list-of-most-pesticide-contaminated-produce

(4 ratings)
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For dirty dozen & clean 15 for 2011

  • THE DIRTY DOZEN
  • 1
    apples
  • 2
    celery
  • 3
    strawberries
  • 4
    peaches
  • 5
    spinach
  • 6
    nectarines - imported
  • 7
    grapes - imported
  • 8
    sweet bell peppers
  • 9
    potatoes
  • 10
    blueberries - domestic
  • 11
    lettuce
  • 12
    kale/collard greens
  • CLEAN 15
  • 1
    onions
  • 2
    sweet corn
  • 3
    pineapples
  • 4
    avocado
  • 5
    asparagus
  • 6
    sweet peas
  • 7
    mangoes
  • 8
    eggplant
  • 9
    cantaloupe - domestic
  • 10
    kiwi
  • 11
    cabbage
  • 12
    watermelon
  • 13
    sweet potatoes
  • 14
    grapefruit
  • 15
    mushrooms

How To Make dirty dozen & clean 15 for 2011

  • 1
    An apple a day keeps the doctor away, as long as its organic. Otherwise, you could be setting yourself up for a lot more trips to the doctor's office. That's because 98 percent of conventionally-grown apples were found to be contaminated with pesticides, according to a new study released by the Environmental Working Group on Monday. And that was AFTER they had been washed. That puts apples right at the top of their "Dirty Dozen" list of produce that consumers should buy organic whenever possible.
  • 2
    This was the seventh year in a row that EWG analyzed 53 fruits and vegetables to which fruits and vegetables still contained pesticides when they were ready to be eaten, which means that most of the samples in the study were washed and peeled before they were tested. The twelve with the highest contamination levels get the dubious honor of landing on the "Dirty Dozen" list. Those with the lowest concentrations of pesticides make the "Clean 15" list.
  • 3
    Among the other notable findings this year: Herb cilantro makes an appearance for the first time. EWG found 33 unapproved pesticides on nearly half of all the cilantro samples tested, the highest percentage of unapproved pesticides on any item tested since the EWG started tracking data in 1995. Cherries dropped off the dirty dozen list, but lettuce found its way back on. Pesticides are associated with a host of health problems in humans, including neurological deficits, ADHD, endocrine system disruption and cancer. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) estimates that consumers who choose five servings of fruits and vegetables from the Clean 15 list rather than the Dirty Dozen list can reduce their consumption of pesticides by 92 percent.
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