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Q. Dear Umbra,

I was recently at my local farmers market and spied some beautiful apples. I asked the farmer how they were grown, and he kindly explained that they were not organic, but that he does try to minimize pesticide use and only uses water-soluble pesticides and sprays a minimum of a month before harvest. He said that the rain washes it all away by the time they are picked. I used to be totally happy to support local farmers even if they weren’t organic, but now I’ve got two little kiddos, and I’m getting pickier about what we eat, not just where it was grown. So what do you think? Is he right, that these apples are safe? I’m having a hard time finding other sources of local, organic apples. Thanks!

Monte Hudson, OH

A. Dearest Monte,

Until you mentioned your sweet, apple-cheeked children, I was going to let your farmer’s fuzzy claims slide, because I am a firm believer in supporting local agriculture. However, scientists are finding more and more reasons to avoid feeding pesticides to children. And apples, as it happens, have won the dubious distinction of being the pesticide-iest produce on EWG’s Dirty Dozen list, as well as being flagged by Consumer Reports.