How To Wash Fruits and Vegetables
Lots of people touch, sniff and sneeze on produce — from the farm to the grocery store. So even if you're enjoying organic and local farmers market fruit and veggies, you're bound to encounter dirt and germs (and some pesticide residues) from all the caring hands it passes through.
But don't buy fancy produce washes. Make your own! It's cheaper and avoids plastic containers.
Tip: Wash produce before eating, NOT before storing (which will make it rot faster).
Tip: Firm-skinned produce, such as melons and citrus fruits, needs warm water, a scrub and rinse. Soft-skinned produce, such as strawberries or grapes, needs a soak for a few minutes.
Choose a simple, unscented, liquid castile soap. Add a squirt to a sink full of water. It's just like washing your hands to remove germs!
Eco-friendly dish soap
Use what you have with water, such as unscented and antibacterial-free dish soap, which meets these criteria.
Vinegar
Fill a sink with warm water and add plain white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), one part vinegar to four parts water. Soak, then rinse.
Vegetable glycerin
It's a plant-derived, simple cleanser found at organic grocers or health food stores. Use with water to scrub produce. Rinse. Note: Add a squirt to a 500 ml spray bottle.
Soap nuts
Stir a few soap nuts into water to release the natural saponins in their shells. Make the solution as needed. Note: Soap nuts can be used a few times before composting — maybe do a load of laundry?
But don't buy fancy produce washes. Make your own! It's cheaper and avoids plastic containers.
Tip: Wash produce before eating, NOT before storing (which will make it rot faster).
Tip: Firm-skinned produce, such as melons and citrus fruits, needs warm water, a scrub and rinse. Soft-skinned produce, such as strawberries or grapes, needs a soak for a few minutes.
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| Wash produce before eating, NOT before storing, to prevent rot. |
Five ways to wash fruits and vegetables
Eco-friendly liquid soapChoose a simple, unscented, liquid castile soap. Add a squirt to a sink full of water. It's just like washing your hands to remove germs!
Eco-friendly dish soap
Use what you have with water, such as unscented and antibacterial-free dish soap, which meets these criteria.
Vinegar
Fill a sink with warm water and add plain white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), one part vinegar to four parts water. Soak, then rinse.
Vegetable glycerin
It's a plant-derived, simple cleanser found at organic grocers or health food stores. Use with water to scrub produce. Rinse. Note: Add a squirt to a 500 ml spray bottle.
Soap nuts
Stir a few soap nuts into water to release the natural saponins in their shells. Make the solution as needed. Note: Soap nuts can be used a few times before composting — maybe do a load of laundry?
Sincerely,Lindsay Coulter, a fellow Queen of Green
source: www.davidsuzuki.org
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