If you can't go Organic, at least try this

I don't think most family and friends realize that our house went "Organic' shortly after Pirate's birth. We only buy organic milk. It is very expensive but we decided that certain things that the kids eat and drink all the time, we would commit to buying organic. This also includes juice, crackers and snacks, and fruits and veggies. It doesn't mean that we don't feed them junk food or processed food because we do that too! Since the kids don't really eat any meat, we haven't committed to organic meat just yet. It is great that Costco and other retailers are really beginning to offer the organic variety now. Since we can't always buy organic fruits and veggies, I have found a fabulous recipe for fruit and veggie cleaner to counteract all the chemicals that is sprayed on our produce before it makes it into our homes.

Here's the list of the "Dirty Dozen". The 12 produce items that you should buy organic. We aren't always that good in our house. Depending on finances, hot sale items, and the store we are at determines if it's organic or not.

http://www.greenthinkers.org/blog/2006/06/organic_dirty_dozen.html

I do clean all our fruit and veggies with the following. I got the recipe from the book, Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano. My luck, I will get hit with some copyright crime for reprinting it but it was posted on Oprah's website too!

Ingredients:

1 cup of water

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 Tbsp. baking soda

20 drops of grapefruit seed extract (available at local health food store)

Combine all ingredients in a large container. Then transfer to a spray bottle with a pump. (Don't mix ingredients right in spray bottle. You will have a science experiment, just like you did in the 5th grade - trust me)

Spray on produce and rinse thoroughly after 5 to 10 minutes.