Organic Produce
Lee's Marketplace Produce hosts a growing variety of organic selection. Lee's team members understand the importance of organic options to keep your family healthy and happy. Team members keep items clean, specifically marked and separated to keep items clear of pesticide from farm to your house. Integrity is key in displaying and selling organic produce, and Lee's team members understand this.
Organic produce is grown not only pesticide free for the health of the consumer, but friendly to the environment. During traditional farming, harsh chemicals can leak into the runoff causing pollution downstream. While farming organic produce, toxic chemicals and hazardous pesticides are not used. Instead, many farmers will add nutrients to their fields by adding compost, manure, and organic clover crops. Farmers can build nitrogen naturally by growing clover and tilling it back into the soil. This helps plants grow healthier and stronger.
Lee's Marketplace is constantly growing and changing its organic section based on the market selection through warehouse and local grower throughout the season. Lee's purchases the majority of its organic produce through AFS Associated Food Stores, which is a CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmer) certified organic distributor.
Lee's also tries to keep in stock organic varieties of the famous Dirty Dozen'. These items are fruits and vegetables that are known to have a high pesticide residue on them at purchase. These items are: strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, peaches, celery, grapes, pears, cherries, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, & potatoes.
While Lee's is growing its organic, natural selection keep in mind the Clean 15'. These are items that in contrast, have the least likelihood to contain pesticide residue. So, keep an eye out for: sweet corn, avocados, pineapples, cabbage, onions, frozen sweet peas, papayas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplant, honeydew, kiwifruit, cantaloupe, cauliflower, and grapefruit. These items are a wonderful pairing for a chemical and pesticide free pantry.
On top of a selection of seasonally appropriate organic produce, enjoy a variety of pre-mixed organic salads, dressings. With mixed salads focused on spinach, kale and other healthy power veggies, to varieties of mixed leafy greens for the entire family, you will find the selection you are searching for and the perfect dressing to accent it.
For more information about the Federal Government's strict guidelines for organic certifications, click here.