Organic vs. conventional food

The cover of the Red Eye yesterday got my attention,

organic inc.
Big price, big business -- big difference? We go behind the eco-friendly label to see if these products stand out

The best part of this article is that it lays out what is most important to buy organic, and what you can probably let slide. I love it when things are made easy for me.

My consensus:

Dairy and meat, buy ORGANIC
Processed foods, buy CONVENTIONAL (or better yet, don't buy at all!!)
Coffee, buy ORGANIC, and FAIR TRADE
Fruits and vegetables, buy peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, grapes, and pears ORGANIC
buy onions, avocados, and pineapple CONVENTIONAL

I think it's important to buy as many of your fruits and vegetables as possible IN SEASON and LOCALLY. Remember, too, that if your local farmers market is overwhelmed with asparagus, broccoli, or whatever produce is in season at the time, and it seems like there is little else to choose from (which happens a lot here in Chicago), buy it up! At home, you can blanch and freeze your vegetables to use sometimes as many as four months later.