How to lower your pesticide exposure

January 7, 2012 — Worried about the safety of store bought food? Mike McGrath names the crops that are the most peppered with pesticides and explain which ones are easiest for a home gardener to produce. Plus: organic answers to all your growing questions.

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I just read a list of the 10 ‘dirtiest foods’ in America—the ones most associated with outbreaks of food poisoning, like cantaloupes, scallions, packaged lettuce, and peaches. I have also seen a ‘dirty dozen list’ of produce with the most pesticide residues. I can’t afford to buy everything organic on my modest income, but I would like to limit my exposure to the worst offenders, and I do have a garden. So I’d like to put some fruits and vegetables that are either the ‘dirtiest’ or most chemically contaminated at the top of my planting list. But I need to balance this wish with ease of growth and my odds of success. So—which do you consider to be worth the effort to grow yourself? Get the answer »