How to Clean Fruit and Vegetables

Fresh fruits and vegetables, whether they are organic or not, need to be thoroughly washed before eating. Produce may have pesticide residue as well as harmful bacteria which can also be present on organic produce.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vinegar
• Fruit & vegetable wash
• Vegetable brush

1. Wash all fruits and vegetables when you get home from the market so they are ready when you need them.

2. Fill a pot or dish pan with warm water, adding a cup of vinegar. This will be your produce wash. You can also buy fruit and vegetable wash in your produce section. If you choose to use store bought fruit and vegetable wash follow the directions on the packaging.

3. Thoroughly but quickly scrub down each piece of produce with a vegetable brush and your vinegar water. Soaking produce in water can cause nutrients to be lost.

4. Rinse produce thoroughly and pat dry with a clean towel or paper towels.

Tips & Warnings

• Even if you won't be eating the skin of the produce you should still wash it as bacteria and pesticide residue can be transferred from your skin to the peeled food.

[mrosen777]

on 11/9/2009 I believe the FDA says you only need water for washing fruits and veggies, yet I don't see how that removes oil-based residues, such as the ones that gloveless shoppers transfer when hunting through produce bins? Even organic fruits and vegetables are filled with oily fingerprints - a bag of nectarines could easily keep any CSI busy for days and days. Who knows what folks were handling, wiping or picking before visiting the produce department. There’s a fascinating video that explains more about the problem, and shows how to remove anonymous fingerprints and other residues. Towards the end they compare a head of broccoli that's only been washed with water to one that's been fully cleaned. The glaring difference is a real eye-opener – this clip appears at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKLL6c_WBKM .