Why do we eat organic?

A good friend asked that very question today and I was eager to fill her in. Growing up in ultra- conservative, very republican Orange County, the switch to organics over four years ago was the second event that convinced family we'd become true Oregonians. The first was when our son started hugging trees. Literally.

Anyways, we're pretty used to addressing this question and our answer has never changed. To us, the small insects, bugs and rodents that pesticides are designed to kill aren't that much larger than babies and small children. So what kind of damage might pesticides do to our kids?

We also worry about cancer, development problems, and diseases, which have been linked to pesticides and other chemicals used in farming - in fact, so many chemicals are used in our farmlands that the US has been found to have the worst soil in the world.

Like many families, we don't buy everything organic. So how do we decide what to buy organic? Well, the Environmental Working Group has identified the least and most contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables so that we can make informed choices to lower our pesticide exposure. We do our best to buy the Dirty Dozen organic and others when available and priced right.

You can visit the EWG site for a clip-able wallet guide to buying safe produce. It's a handy guide to bring to the market so that you can buy safely, especially when you're on a budget and can't buy everything organic.

We eat a lot of fruit and vegetables in our house so it's important to us to make sure they're safe for our family, especially the kiddos. We're all looking forward to Farmers Market season which starts soon, where we'll have so many options for chemical-free, local produce.

How do you decide which fruits and vegetables to buy organic? Are you growing any of your own?