Page 86 - Family Resource Guide Spring/Summer 2025

HEALTHY FOOD RESOURCES NORTH STATE PARENT FAMILY RESOURCE GUIDE SPRING/SUMMER 2025
BUY MOFGA CERTIFIED ORGANIC
Tips for Eating Organic on a Budget
Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen: Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce
To avoid toxic pesticides in food, it’s best to purchase organic produce. But organic produce is not always available and not always in the budget. Some produce is more likely to be doused with pesticides than others.
The Environmental Working Group has analyzed 46 fruits and vegetables and found a dozen that are most contaminated with pesticides and 15 that had the least amount of pesticide residue. Use their lists to guide you to healthier choices when shopping for conventional produce. Go to ewg.org for more information.
Buy directly from local, organic farmers
Cook from scratch
Transition gradually to familiarize yourself with prices and products.
Plan meals around seasonal ingredients
Dirty Dozen
Strawberries Spinach
Kale, collard & mustard greens
Grapes Peaches Pears
Nectarines Apples
Bell and hot peppers
Cherries Blueberries Green beans
Buy in bulk.
Preserve what is in season.
Eat what is abundant
Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm for weekly shares of the harvest.
Grow your own.
Clean Fifteen
Sweet corn Avocados Pineapple Onions Papaya Asparagus Honeydew melon
Kiwi Cabbage Watermelon Mushrooms Mango Sweet potatoes Carrots
Reprinted with the permission of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Adapted with permission by MOFGA from Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN). © 2016 by Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
86 North State Parent Family Resource Guide Spring/Summer 2025 • www.northstateparent.com