The following crops are ranked by highest pesticide load (1, peaches) to lowest (45, onions) by the Environmental Working Group. Download their wallet-sized pesticide guide. Prioritize purchasing organics for the lowest ranked crops, and head to the farmers markets listed in our Guide to support local farms.

Earlier this month, I celebrated one of my favorite holidays – the beginning of farmers market season!  What with the rising prices of oil and gas, and the popularity of books like Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, plenty of people are thinking more about buying local and organic.  That being said, sometimes farmers markets can be a daunting place, especially for newbie visitors.  There are sometimes strange fruits and vegetables, crowds of people you might not know, and masses of dogs and children. 

How do you navigate the market?  And how can you be sure you’re buying something you want?  In this article, I’ll take you on a guided tour through market day with some simple lessons about market etiquette and include questions you can pose to farmers to make sure you’re getting what you want.
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Becki Walker writes about farmers market manners on Fridays and crafts recipes. We're running a recipe a day until May 22nd.

I consider myself a somewhat philosophical person, as do, I imagine, a goodly number of people who read this blog.  Chewing over questions in our brains is a good exercise for our mental mastication muscles, but I’ve taken the teeth out of one question: for the purposes of this blog, the chicken comes after the egg. Yesterday we ventured into the shelled world, today we’ll focus on our feathered friends. More...

Becki Walker writes about farmers market manners and crafts recipes. Search our database for a farmers market near you, and leave your review.

As we scavenge our cupboards and refrigerators in search of the next great meal, we often overlook some of the more common ingredients in our pantries.  We pass over these foodstuffs because they seem less glamorous than other treats lurking in our kitchens, but that doesn’t make them any less tasty. With a little creativity, you can create a classy meal out of nearly anything, including today's special ingredient: eggs. Pickled, frozen, aged, and sauteed. More...

Becki Walker writes about farmers markets and crafts recipes. Her farmers market guides start with an exploration what Organic Certification means.

There are a few ingredients a cook can’t live without. Mark Bittman of the New York Times offers up an excellent article regarding kitchen staples (Fresh Start for a New Year? Let's Begin in the Kitchen), featuring foods like real lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and walnuts… but there’s one item I can’t imagine ever cooking without – garlic, the little bulb that can do anything!

I’m not the only one – garlic has been gracing kitchens since the dawn of time. More...

This post is dedicated to a green with what seems to be multiple personality disorder. Today, we examine endive, or rather chicory. Or frisee. Or grumolo. Or succory. Or escarole. Or witloof.

Endive/chicory/etc. is botanically referred to as Cichorium endivia.  However, within that species, there are a number of varietals – including radicchio, untarelle, and Belgian endive. The two main varieties of endive we eat in the US are broad-leaved (escarole) and curly-leaved (frisee, which is also a technique for wilting leaves in oil). We usually eat only the leaves of the plant, but if you travel to Louisiana, you’re bound to see chicory coffee. This coffee doesn’t have lettuce leaves in it – it contains ground Cichorium root. Do yourself a favor and drink a cup or two with a beignet – it’s delicious. More...

Becki Walker writes about food and crafts recipes. In this Fridays series, she examines the culture of farmers markets.

Nearly everyone’s heard (probably over and over again) that one of the best ways to lower your carbon footprint and love the planet is to eat less meat, especially red meat.  Eating less meat’s better for your health, too – when you’ve removed meat from your plate, there’s more room for foods lower in fat and calories, like fruits and vegetables.  But what if, even after trying to be the best environmentalist ever, you’ve still got a craving for something fleshy? More...

Becki Walker writes about food and crafts recipes. In this Fridays series, she examines the culture of farmers markets. Here she explains Certified Naturally Grown, an alternative to USDA Organic, and shopping on a budget using the food chain model and pesticide guides.

Over the course of the next few articles, I’ll be examining the farmers market.  I’ll cover how to get to know your farmer, shop on a budget, and experiment with more “unique” fruits and vegetables. Before heading to the market, though, it’s important to know some of the terminology you’re likely to find there.  Just what does organic certification mean?  Are there alternatives?  Which foods are most important to buy organically?

To be organically certified, a farm must be inspected by an agency approved by the US Department of Agriculture.  Products that are 95 – 100% organic can display the organic seal on them.  Products with at least 70% ingredients may state that they are “made with organic ingredients.”  However, anything less than 70% organic cannot include the seal on its label. More...

How I passed Home Ec in middle school is a mystery to me. I wonder about this between Google searches on uses for stale bread and other things I would’ve simply tossed in the trash in my pre-care-about-the-Earth/need-to-save-money days. My mom has lost more than a little sleep wondering how I was going to make it as an adult in this world, what with my willful ignorance regarding all things domestic. I heard her mutter, more than once, “necessity will teach you!”

Oh, has it ever. Let’s just say school’s been in session in a big way since I became a mom and had to stop calling a can of Red Bull breakfast. Since my son was born and saving money became my way of earning it, I’ve come up with a few Home Ec hacks of my own. A while ago it dawned on me that ultimately everything we do has an environmental impact. Everything. Including, of course, the way we go about the care and feeding of our families. More...

Honest Eats is our newest seasonal recipe blog by Eric Robertson of Souped Up Cafe.

Heirloom winter squash are to autumn what Rainier cherries are to summer. They are an emblem of October and we’re lucky here in Seattle to have access to so many varieties. Getting a hold of some locally grown pumpkins and cooking them up to highlight their natural, earthy sweetness will really bring a seasonal flair to your kitchen everyone can appreciate, not to mention a chance to show off your culinary prowess. More...