Peeling the skin makes it almost organic.

As Cafe Kim has told us before, if you have a limited budget to spend on organic produce, you should save those dollars for the fruits and veggies known to be the worst for pesticides:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Grapes (Imported)
• Pears
• Spinach
• Potatoes

And if you simply can't, Mary Ostyn, author of Family Feasts for $75 a Week, has a great tip to limit pesticide exposure in conventionally grown produce:

Bananas and mangoes are just not meant to be in the refrigerator. Most fruit, in fact, tastes so much better at room temperature, bringing out maximum juiciness and sweetness. But you can't leave fruit out unless you also want fruit flies.

You can thwart them using one of those pricey containers and vinegar-based solutions sold at places like the Gardener's Supply Company, or you can make your own trap. A mom posted a link for a cheap and easy DIY version in Recipes. Here's how to make it:

Oxo cherry and olive pitter; $13

The Williams-Sonoma catalog came today, and I'm drooling over this cherry pitter from Oxo. I really need this. My kids go wild for sweet summer cherries, and I want to make cherry tarts for a barbecue I'm planning. (Plus, it also works for olives, and you never know when the day might call for a strong martini.)

Have you ever tried to de-pit a cherry with a paring knife? Not fun; it takes a LONG time. The cherries come out mutilated, and I'm left with stains on my hands, counters, and clothes. It's too much work for something that should be easy and enjoyable.

My 6 year old is pretty good with pits now. When he was younger, he'd just swallow them. Not just the pits from cherries but from plums and nectarines, as well. I'd imagine it feels like a ball of sandpaper sliding down your throat. Yuck!

What's the one (and only thing) that would cause me to pass up a juicy burger at a summer barbecue? Flies buzzing around the meat platter. Grody!

Summer barbecues and picnics are breeding grounds for bacteria and food-borne illness simply because perishable food is often left out in warm weather for way too long.

Here are some food safety tips to keep in mind this summer whenever you're cooking or eating outdoors.

Moms in the Green Organic Natural Simple Living group had a discussion recently about buying organic milk vs. regular milk. Some moms think organic milk is too expensive (almost double the price of regular milk); others cut back on other items because they think organic milk is a priority...

What do you think?

Here's a question I've been hearing a lot with respect to the swine flu outbreak:

Is it safe to eat pork?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is safe to eat pork and pork products. Here's why...

Photo From DeliciousOrganics.com

The Food and Drug Administration is warning people not to eat raw alfalfa sprouts (including sprout blends that may contain alfalfa sprouts) until further notice because they may be contaminated with salmonella...

As I'm sure you've heard by now, pistachios and pistachio products (like ice cream, cake mixes, and nut bars) have been recalled over fears of possible salmonella contamination.

I'm shocked to hear about this so soon after the peanut butter salmonella scare from a couple months ago...

Buying all fruits and veggies organic just isn't financially possible for many of us, right? But it is recommended that if you can't buy the following spring produce items organic, then you shouldn't be eating them at all...

Photo by Momof3cuties

Are your little ones always underfoot in the kitchen? Do you have a budding chef on your hands?

Here's everything you need to know about how to cook with kids...