1. Apples: "Eaten daily by many children, 98 per cent of conventional apples had pesticides." I've been buying organic apples for a while now since they've become more widely available.
2. Celery: "Highly contaminated, celery tested positive for 57 different pesticides." Ugh. I predict a rush on organic celery.
3. Sweet Bell Peppers: "Bell pepper [that's capsicum to us] tested positive for up to 15 pesticides on a single sample."
4. Peaches: [M]ore than 60 pesticides have been found on peaches," according to thedailygreen.com
5. Strawberries: This one really annoys me. Youngsters just love strawberries and they're a lunchbox staple for our daughter and probably many other schoolchildren.
6. Nectarines (imported): "Every sample of imported nectarines tested positive for pesticides."
7. Grapes: "As a category, grapes have more types of pesticides than any other produce, with 64 different pesticides."
8. Spinach: Cannelloni stuffed with spinach is my Sunday night go-to dinner and I often whip up spanakopita too. I'll be tracking down organic spinach for sure.
9. Lettuce: "Seventy-eight different pesticides were found on lettuce samples." I'm a terrible gardener and have never managed to successfully tend a pot of lettuce for more than a couple of weeks. But that's about to change. I'll be harvesting my own leaves from now on.
10. Cucumbers: Eighty-one different pesticide residues were found on cucumbers. Raita and Greek salads are staples in our house - and so too now will be organic cucumbers.
11. Blueberries (domestic): "Domestic blueberries tested positive for 42 different pesticide residues." Thank goodness then for locally grown Omaha Organic Berries which supply blueberries fresh, frozen and even in ice-cream.
12. Potatoes: Ninety-one per cent of potato samples tested positive for pesticides.