When shopping for fruits and vegetables, it's not always possible to purchase organic.  It could be due to cost, availability or even poor quality.  At times, that organic pear might be in worse condition than the conventionally grown option.  The local produce vendor may not carry organic grapes, yet carries organic apples.  In most areas, the organic fruits and vegetables are higher priced than conventionally grown (as it stands - organic produce is more expensive to grow), which renders it prohibitive for those on a tight budget. 
                        
We all want to purchse the best food we can, including fruits and vegetables organically grown without pesticides.  Unfortunately, given the state of the economy, it is not always possible to exclusively buy organically grown produce.  Many people will regularly purchase specific organic items together with foods that may or may not be organic.  Yet, as far as fruits and vegetables are concerned, some are grown with more pesticides than others.  According to a study conducted by The Environmental Working Group (EWG), thick-skinned foods such as avocados, mangoes, and bananas carry less pesticides than celery, peaches and apples.  Their website lists the 10 best and 10 worst fruits and vegetables according to toxicity levels.  A link to their site can be found here.  You can print out their shopping list and even get an application for your cell phone so you can refer to it while shopping.

Here is how the EWG lists the best and worst fruits and vegetables on their site as (the full list can be found here):

10 Most Toxic Conventionally Grown Fruits and Vegetables (in descending order of pesticide toxicity levels):
Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers (11 different pesticides found on a single pepper)
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes
Pears (86 percent of samples tested found with detectable pesticides)

10 Least Toxic Conventionally Grown Fruits and Vegetables (in descending order of pesticide toxicity levels):
Cabbage
Bananas
Kiwi
Asparagus (7 percent of samples tested found with detectable pesticides)
Sweet Peas
Mangoes
Pineapples
Sweet Corn
Avocados
Onions (1 pesticide found on a single onion)

It is best to buy organic when shopping for items that rated lower on their list, such as: pears, grapes and apples.  On the other hand, it's certainly helpful to know when you are debating between a $5.99 avocado and a $1.99 avocado.

How do you determine whether to purchase organic produce?