Moira
>My question is, which veggies would it be more important to get at the
>health food store and which, if any, would be ok to get at the Safeway or
>whatever?

I saw a great article about this a while back (which even mentioned an url)
describing research which looked at lots of the pesticide level residue
testing over several years and listed produce items from least tainted to
most tainted. I'm going by memory here (but myabe a serious search online
would undercover the article):

Least tainted:

avocados
grapes (USA not import)

Most tainted:

strawberries
celery
romaine

Being a sucker for such info (and not willing to pay for all-organic
either) I remember that after I read it I would pay extra (and still do)
for organic celery and romaine (both staple veggies for me) when I could
without too much hassle. Of course the listing didn't deal with the issues
of trace minerals or particular chemical fertilizers or other potential
problem areas with commercial produce. In the end you'll find a balance
that you are comfy with, but in the mean time don't beat yourself up trying
to find "pure" produce. It can become a case of diminishing returns and/or
simple frustration.

If you search for the url you might try adding "defence" and/or "council"
to the strings--I vaguely remember those words being in the name of the
organization sponsering the research. And if you find it, share it, eh?

Cheers,
Kirt

Secola  /\  Nieft
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