Perhaps you had pie with your coffee or tea for breakfast this morning.  Maybe there’s still a little stuffing or cranberry sauce left-over to eat with your turkey sandwiches this week.  It has been a while since I had my pie, and ate it too.  Since we celebrate Thanksgiving in October here in Ontario, it is now but a distant and delicious memory.  So I have been experiencing envy of epicurean proportion as my eyes alone feasted on pictures and posts of tasty holiday goodness this week, compliments of all my American friends and family on Facebook.  Well here’s a little list I found on the EWG’s website to help us out at the grocery store when we stock up for the rest of our holiday meals as we head into December. It’s called

The Dirty Dozen

This is a list of the crops with the heaviest usage of pesticides… the fruit and veg that perhaps we might consider buying from the organic display as we wander the produce aisles in search of the perfect accompaniment for our Christmas hams, yams, turkey… tofurkey, tabouleh or quinoa.

This is not the only list of this nature floating around out there.  So why this particular list?  I chose this specific collection because they update it annually based on this current year’s specific pesticide usage.

Tis the season to be jolly and healthy!

Don’t forget to check out the other side of the list for foods lowest in pesticides as well.

The Clean Fifteen

And because it is the season of giving as well as shopping, cooking, baking and eating here’s a free printable PDF link for those of you who wish to download this handy little Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce to carry with you to the grocery store as a quick reference guide.

Happy, healthy holidays!

© Una-Melina // Worthy Books & Things, 2012.