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According to the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) these are the fruits and vegetables least likely to be contaminated pesticides.
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mangos
Asparagus
Sweet peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Sweet potatoes
12 Foods You Should Always Buy Organic - Dr. Andrew Weil (http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02985/12-Foods-You-Should-Always-Buy-Organic.html - broken link)
When tested these had the highest pesticide load in them:
Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes
Things that have some kind of 'shell' such as oranges, lemons, avocados, pineapples, watermelon, etc. do not contain much pesticides unless you eat the outside.
The 'things that you should always buy organic' list are good items to purchase organic, but keep in mind that vegetables such as root vegetables and low flowering plants like spinach and lettuce will always pick up contaminants found in the soil whether they are organic or not.
Which brings me to a good point; plants (and trees) soak up what ever is in the soil that they are planted in. Organic does not mean that these foods are grown in pesticide-free manners, or that they are planted in soil that is pure as the sun. It just means that certain chemicals and compounds are not used. There are organic means of pesticides that the consumer may or may not be cool with, and like I said, whether something is organic or not does not mean that the soil is not contaminated from other sources. It is not uncommon for organic crops to be grown close enough to non-organic crops for pesticide cross-over to occur.
Buying organic used to be a fringe 'luxury' up until a few years ago. Now it is big business and all major produce companies and farmers (Dole, Del Monte, Green Giant, etc.) either have an organic operation on the side or are the parent company of smaller 'family owned' operations. You will probably be surprised at who owns whom.
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