When I come in the door from grocery shopping, my first move is to clean out my sink, give it a quick scrub down with vinegar, and fill it up with water and vinegar solution for my produce (or you could just wash in a bowl). (I do about 2 cups white vinegar - of course, no measuring is involved here. Measure with your heart 😂) In goes my produce... (yes, even things with peels! You touch before eating and if you have kids, they do too and then likely shove them in their mouths!😅)... for about 10 minutes while I put away everything else, and then I lay it all out on the counter to dry (this step is very important! You don't want it to remain moist and allow bacteria to grow)
Why wash your produce? Well, all of our food - even organic produce - has been on a journey to your grocery store and home. Who knows what fumes they've been exposed to, whose hands have touched them, or what bacteria they've been in contact with since being picked. This is why we really try to get our produce from local farmers (true "farm to table") so the journey is much shorter & we really know how it's grown, but this isn't always practical or realistic.
One thing to understand - organic does not automatically mean pesticide-free or chemical-free. It means that if pesticides were used, they must be derived from natural sources, not synthetically manufactured. So giving both organic and conventional produce a rinse is a good choice! You will be SHOCKED to see your sink water after soaking. And bonus: I actually find my stuff lasts LONGER when doing this.
Produce I do NOT soak: potatoes, onions, garlic, berries, grapes, mushrooms, lettuce, greens(spinach kale etc), herbs. I find these things fare better if washed as used.
And no, I'm not worried about the sink germs. I worry more about the yuckiness on the food. 🙂
Do you give your produce a wash like this or do you wash as you eat?
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