We all know organic fruits and vegetables cost more. The question is, are you getting more for your money?

Organic produce is growing in popularity, and many people are willing to pay a premium price to help the environment and reduce their exposure to pesticides.

Most would agree organic farming is more environmentally friendly - there's less soil erosion, less pollution of the groundwater, and it's more energy efficient.

But are organic products really any better for you?

Organic farmers say feed the soil and you feed the plant. Researchers at Washington State University are trying to find out if doing that results in better fruits and vegetables that are more nutritious.

"The initial research we're doing is very encouraging that organic food may be healthier," says WSU Professor John Reganold.

Reganold has been studying organic farming for 25 years. He says it will take a bit longer to know for sure if organic farming produces better produce.

"We're starting to find that organic food may have more antioxidant activity, more vitamin C and generally just be more nutritious," he said.

Here's what WSU researchers are doing: They found 26 virtually identical strawberry farms in California. They're growing the same variety of berry and have similar soil conditions; 13 are organic. 13 are not.

They're finding that the organic strawberries have more vitamin C and antioxidants and they taste better.

"we're finding that organic strawberries are sweeter," said Reganold. "And that's blind taste tests."

One thing to remember; organic does not mean free from bacterial contamination. That's one of the lessons learned from the current spinach E. coli outbreak.