Today is Tip Tuesday and today I offer a tip about buying organic produce.

When I walk into a supermarket the choices of organic produce are numerous and quite often more expensive than conventionally-raised produce. When you walk into a Whole Foods (or as I like to say “Whole Paycheck”) almost all the produce is organic. Farmer’s markets are a mixed bag of organic and conventionally-raised produce.

Some cooks make a serious commitment to eating only organic produce for health or other personal reasons. As for me, I buy organic produce whenever possible, and affordable, but all the produce we eat is not organic. So how to decide?

The Environmental Working Group published a shoppers guide which identifies The Organic Dirty Dozen – fruits and vegetables with the highest amount of pesticide residue, and The Clean Fifteen – conventionally-raised fruits and vegetables with less pesticide residue. Their guides help me direct my food dollars toward organic produce with the most bang for my buck.  Download the guide or iPhone app, or order a refrigerator magnet here.