Top Five Vegetables that Taste Better Organic

The movement towards a more organic and sustainable food system has grown based on the desire to avoid chemicals in food including pesticides as well as genetically modified produce, but many people don't realize that organic food tends to taste better as well.

Many of the top restaurants in the world choose organic produce to add extra flavor to their dishes and for good reason: organic food simply tastes the way nature intended because of it is grown in more fertile soil that hasn't been damaged by years of pesticide overuse.

The top five vegetables that taste better organic list includes many favorites and staples in most kitchens, but many people who haven't tried them organic in a while just may be surprised when they taste them in their more pure form.

5. Spinach- A member of the infamous "dirty dozen" list of produce containing the most pesticides when grown "conventionally," spinach is widely available in organic form and it's definitely worth the extra buck or so for more nutrition and perhaps just as importantly, more taste.

Give organic spinach a try in your next recipe as it has a rich flavor and works wonderfully in salads, something even the kids might be able to enjoy for the first time.

4. Bell peppers- Regardless of whether they're green or red, these peppers taste much better organically. The price can be fairly steep in comparison to other produce, but it is worth it if you're using these in a special dish or need to put it in a juice for recovering from a sickness for instance. Peppers are loaded with anti-oxidants, especially the organic ones grown in more fertile soil.

3. Carrots- Personally, I had a hard time keeping/putting carrots down until I started buying them organically. That's a big part of why they're on the list of the top five best-tasting vegetables to eat organic. Now I am able to incorporate these important vegetables, which are picked with eye-healthy vitamin A among other nutrients, into my diet and juices with ease.

2. Celery- Another infamous member of the dirty dozen, "conventional" celery is sprayed heavily with pesticides. That takes away from both the taste and the healthiness of this vegetable, which is important for cleansing the body because of its high water and vitamin content. While it's not the best-tasting vegetable to begin with, the organic celery tastes much more palatable especially with some organic peanut or almond butter on top or in juices.

1. Tomato- The ubiquitous tomato is available all over the U.S. regardless of the season but it tastes much better organic and eaten in season from local producers.

A court ruling in 1893 actually determined that the tomato is a vegetable even though it has many properties of fruit, by the way. It's not surprising then that it is among the best-tasting vegetables.

As the movie Food, Inc. proclaimed, many of the tomatoes in supermarkets are "notional" at best, not the real thing, because of the various processes used to ripen them early and chemicals used on them. Genetic modification has also been used in tomatoes as well.

But spend a little extra next time you're at the store or farmer's market for an organic tomato and you'll notice the difference right away: the tomato is easily one of the top five, if not the best-tasting vegetables when bought organic.

Sources: Organic.org "The Dirty Dozen" http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214

Tomato ruled a vegetable: http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showthread.php?64936-1893-Supreme-Court-Ruling-Tomato-Legally-a-Vegetable