To enjoy the Earth and God’s provision is to enjoy fresh produce. Think about all the great flavors God has created: strawberries, grapes, peaches – they’re all coming in season. Yum!
Unfortunately, many of the commercially grown food that we consume is tainted with chemicals. Not so good. And we can’t all grow our own, nor can we all fit organic fruits and vegetables in the budget all the time. (Though it is easier than you might think.)
Wash Produce Well
So, it’s important to remove pesticides and herbicides from food before we eat it. One way to do that is to wash your produce well. You could buy the fancier (and more expensive) vegetable washes or you can simply mix equal parts of vinegar and water to clean away impurities.
It’s also good to wash delicate, soft items (like grapes and berries) by soaking them. Here I set a colander inside a large bowl. I filled them with berries and water and a few splashes of white vinegar. A gentle swishing to agitate and loosen grit and voila. Deliciously clean produce. I simply lift the colander out of the water, rinse gently and serve.
Just remember not to wash berries until right before use. Otherwise, they will mold quickly.
For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy’s Recipes every Tuesday.
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Oh never thought about using vinegar as a disinfectant! Duh..I use it for cleaning at home so why not? 🙂 Great tip!
I like the vinegar idea, I will have to give that a try. I assume that cutting it with the water it doesn’t leave any flavor behind.
Does that acid work similar to lemon juice in keeping the fruit “fresh” longer (like on cut apples)
That’s a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I just found your blog and I love it! I especially love all the recipes! I love to craft and cook so I’ll check back often!
I have to try the vinegar! I didn’t know that’s what made berries mold so quickly! I’ve always brought everything home and immediately washed it! Good to know. Just found your site, and I am learning so much!
That’s an excellent suggestion! Thanks for sharing. http://preparednesspro.wordpress.com
Vinegar is a great idea! I have gone as far as using soap before, but this is excellent!
Thank you for this post!
Glad I found your site and this article – I’ve been eating a ton of berries lately and was wondering about the best way to clean them as just water didn’t always seem to do the trick. Have you ever tried that machine thing that supposedly ionizes the fruit and veggies. I’m thinking about that but want to hear from someone who has used one.
Thanks for sharing the white vinegar and water for cleaning fresh produce! I love using white vinegar for cleaning, but have never washed my fruit with it. 🙂
I use Eat Cleaner Fruit n Vegetable wash on all produce when I get home from the store. Even berries. It helps them last longer( by at least a week!) and it removes pesticides and dissinfects
Sounds great. Is it expensive?
no! it’s like $7 for two bottles. they often have free shipping and deals. can’t go wrong. you should see how it removes the wax of a head of broccoli!!
Actually the vinegar wash will help them stay fresh longer!! Better to do it when you first get them and make sure they get dry then store them in the fridge. Read it on life hacker. here is the link if you want to check it out…. http://lifehacker.com/5888601/rinse-berries-in-a-vinegar-solution-to-keep-them-fresh-longer-and-mold+free
Uh, sorry to be a downer, but is this scientifically proven? Or where did this idea come from?
-Maggie, BS Chemistry, but haven’t been in practice for the last 12 years.
I was wondering the same thing. I’m of the understanding that most of the chemicals are actually IN the produce and can’t be washed off. I’d love to be wrong, but that’s what I’ve read most. The chemicals get into the plant at the cellular level. I also recently read something regarding fermenting vegetables that suggested vinegar kills off the good bacteria.
While it certainly can’t change the cell structure, it can wash away residue and bacteria: http://www.livestrong.com/article/255880-how-to-clean-fruits-vegetables-with-vinegar/ and http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14540742
Kelly,
Canned pickled veggies are often in vinegar, but ferments use salt or whey to make the veggies healthier with probiotics. So yes, a “fermented veggie” with vinegar is really just pickled, which doesn’t increase health benefits in any way that I know of. 🙂 Katie
I’ve read it in cooking magazines for years, particularly for washing away chemical residue and bacteria. Found a couple links that reference it: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14540742 and http://www.livestrong.com/article/255880-how-to-clean-fruits-vegetables-with-vinegar/ It certainly isn’t as good as buying organic, but you gotta do what you can.