The “dirty dozen” of produce refers to those fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticide residues. If you’re going to buy organic versus conventional produce, these are the foods to buy.

Since agricultural practices change, The Environmental Working Group (EWG) creates an annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides to reduce your exposure to chemical pesticides.

It ranks 48 popular fruits and vegetables by their pesticide loads. The rankings are based on lab tests done [mostly] by the USDA, which tests more than 34,000 samples of common food crops for pesticide residue.

Rinsing and peeling conventional produce does not remove all of the chemical residue. Some plants absorb pesticides through the peel.

Nor does washing and peeling change a food’s ranking, because the USDA lab tests produce as it is typically eaten: washed and, when applicable, peeled.

But the EWG underscores that the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks from pesticide exposure. In other words, eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating enough fruits and vegetables at all.
 
WHY SOME PRODUCE HAS TO BE “DIRTY”

Crops differ in their hardiness—whether they’re more or less susceptible to intense heat, cold, rainfall, drought, fungus or other disease, etc.

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but it also has the highest amount of pesticide residue. The solution: Buy organic! Photo courtesy US Apples.

Organic farmers use natural pesticides and fertilizers—no chemicals. The expense of growing crops this way leads to the higher cost of organic produce.

Some shocking statistics:

Eat all the asparagus you like: They’re one of the most pesticide-free veggies. Photo courtesy California Asparagus Commission.

THE 2015 “DIRTY DOZEN” FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Ranked from highest (dirtiest) to lowest (cleanest of the Dirty Dozen) are some of our favorite fruits and vegetables:

 
Wow!

We’ll also buy more of the Clean Fifteen, produce with the least amount of pesticide residue.
 
THE “CLEAN FIFTEEN” FRUITS & VEGETABLES

 
As an American consumer, the choice is yours!
  

After limited pickings during the winter months, spring has begun to yield food treasures. But you may have to be a good treasure hunter to find things that are new (to you) and special.

One tip is to ask when you see something unfamiliar, like the fuzzy green “beans” in the photo. They’re actually green (unripe) almonds.

For a window of three to four weeks, reports Hannah Kaminsky, green almonds may be hiding in plain sight at your local farmers market. You may need a sharp eye: Less known products are often placed behind the more popular fare. Writes Hannah of these immature nuts:

“One would never mistake them for the raw or roasted almonds they can become, which is part of the appeal. Catch familiar nuts on the unripe side and you’ll be treated to a whole new snacking sensation.

“The fuzzy exteriors belie a firm, crunchy texture, wholly edible and entirely delicious from the outside shell to the kernel. Their short window of availability is dictated by the maturation of the almond, as it grows and transforms into the crunchy nut we all know and love.

“You can also add them to salads, whole or chopped; use them for garnishes on chilled soups (make Spanish chilled almond soup with them!); combine them with spring peas; or otherwise toss them into any raw or cooked food.

“But they’re best when allowed to shine solo. At most, cure them in a lightly sweet and sour brine, and you’ll have the stuff of pickle plate dreams.”

Their soft-yet-firm texture can be like a grape, depending on how unripe they are when picked. But there’s a sense of the nut it’s going to become.

Almond lovers: Head to your farmers market, or find a friend with an almond tree!

[2] To stop ice cream cones from dripping out the bottom, press a mini-marshmallow into the bottom, or cut up a standard marshmallow (photo © Tèo Gelato).

If you received marshmallows for Easter and are looking to do more than snack from the box, you can make hot chocolate, s’mores, or rocky road brownies, cookies or ice cream.

You can add them to peanut butter sandwiches and pancake batter, sliced or cut to size. You can make fruit and marshmallow skewers, or recipes with marshmallows from ambrosia salad to sweet potatoes.

You can dip them in chocolate fondue. Add them hot or cold cereal. Toss coffee-flavored marshmallows into hot coffee.

Use them as a pie topper: Bake the pie at 400°F for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the marshmallows are toasted.

Or, try these less obvious uses for marshmallows:

 
 
HOW TO KEEP MARSHMALLOWS SOFT

Marshmallows should be stored in an airtight container. But if they begin to harden, you can:

 
 
IF YOU HAVE TOO MANY MARSHMALLOWS

Stick them in the freezer, in the storage bag with the fresh bread.

 
 
TO UNSTICK MARSHMALLOWS

If your marshmallows have clumped together, unstick them by placing them in a plastic bag and adding a teaspoon or two of cornstarch or powdered sugar.

Seal the bag and shake it vigorously to evenly coat the marshmallows. They should begin to come apart in a few minutes.
 
Check out the history of marshmallows and much more about these sweet pillows.
 
 
National Marshmallow Day is August 30th.
 
 

Tartan, familiar in Scottish kilts, is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colors. Originally woven wool, it is now made in many other materials, and can even be found as wallpaper.

Nineteen of the 56 delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence came to America from Scotland or were Ulster Scots, who had been living in Ireland. Others, like Thomas Jefferson, had Scottish ancestors.

Today, more than 11 million Americans claim Scottish and Scotch-Irish roots, making them the eighth largest ethnic group in the U.S.

You don’t have to be of Scottish ancestry to celebrate. Our family celebrated every holiday that involved food), a tip for food-loving families.

You can celebrate with traditional Scottish foods like haggis, Scottish pie (filled with ground mutton), smoked salmon or tatties (mashed potatoes) and herring.

Or you can kick back at the end of the day with a glass of Scotch, or a Scotch cocktail.

But we suggest a Scotch and chocolate tasting.

SCOTCH & CHOCOLATE TASTING PARTY

Paiing chocolates with wine and spirits is even more enjoyable than drinking the Scotch—or eating the chocolates—by themselves. If you haven’t already seen our wine, spirits and chocolate pairing guide, take a look.

While we like Scotch from all over Scotland—the flavors vary substantially due to the local water and microclimate—it’s easiest to pair chocolates that have flavor notes similar to the Scotch, for example, smoky, peaty Laphroaig single malt Scotch, paired with single-origin chocolates that have smoky notes.

Here’s what you need to know to have your own party.

Here’s some tartan trivia from Laphroaig & Wikipedia to share at your festivity:

If you’ve forgotten to bring a gift, or if you receive an unexpected gift and want to reciprocate, you don’t have to sneak out to the nearest store.

Instead, sneak onto the Internet and send a gift certificate via email. It will be in the giftee’s email box in minutes.

Chocomize.com sells ready-made and make-your-own chocolates. Our favorite is the customized chocolate bar, where you pick your chocolate (dark, milk or white) and up to five toppings—candies, fruits, nuts, spices and special decorations (crystallized flower petals, 24 karat gold flakes).

There are more than 70 topping choices. Special Easter toppings include caramel “quail eggs,” carrot cake candy corn, peanut butter speckled eggs and a white chocolate “Happy Easter” plaque.

Jelly beans are available year-round—along with Junior Mints, M&Ms, mini marshmallows, Oreo pieces, Pop Rocks, Reese’s Pieces, toffee bits and much more.

Head to Chocomize.com.