Best way to wash your produce

Several years ago (geesh, I have been starting out a lot of blogs that way lately....a sign that I truly AM getting "old"), before most grocery stores had a "Natural and Organic Foods" section, before the internet (did I really just write that?) and the age of information, I had a friend. This particular friend was a nurse. She was sweet as pie and to date, she is the only person I have ever attempted making sushi rolls with. I was just at the beginning of my conscious eating stage at this time. I remember having a conversation with her about organic verses conventional produce. The talk must have become slightly heated because I do not remember anything in detail about the conversation except the part where she looked at me rather annoyed and said with slight disgust, "Well, I DO peel the skins" meaning from her conventional produce. This was her way of telling me that she felt the skins carried all the pesticides and it is easy enough to get rid of the chemicals by peeling the fruit or vegetable. I stopped talking at that point-and quickly changed the subject.

gorgeous carrots soaking in peroxide with water

The easiest way for me to articulate how pesticides, fertilizers, and chemicals infiltrate fruits and vegetables is to imagine a white carnation flower in a vase. Fill the vase with water and several drops of red food coloring. Not long and the white carnation will be pinkish-red. The water is absorbed into the stem and continues into the outermost edges of the flower. The same process happens with farming and cultivating produce, except often there is an added process with applications of outer spraying or dusting. What the fruit or vegetable is grown in, becomes part of itself, throughout. It is not just an outer layer, for most fruits and vegetables, that is affected.

Colored water is absorbed throughout the flower

It is well known that the skin of most fruits and vegetables carry with it most of the nutrients and fiber that makes that particular food healthy (assuming it is organically grown). By choosing to eat organic, one can eat the skins without worry, and the whole apple for that matter!

Even though 95% of the produce I bring home is organically grown, I still put it through a rigorous wash. One never knows how many times an apple has been touched, dropped on a floor, etc. It's a good measure to take.

Pile O' produce needing to be washed!

Here is my regime, my husband LOVES to help me do this after our Whole Foods bi-monthly trip (she writes facetiously):

1 large bowl of ice water and 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide

1 large bowl of ice water and 1/2 cup of white vinegar

large strainer

paper towels

produce storage bags (mesh, paper, plastic)

Do all your produce at the same time, to save on time and water. Start with the "cleanest" items that have edible skins, like your apples, pears, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, etc. Using the same water as you go for each item(s).  Dip in the hydrogen peroxide bath first, for 10 min., then on to the vinegar bath for 10 min. Rinse with plain water, dry, then place in most appropriate bag for freshest storage (potatoes in paper, apples in mesh bag, cucumbers in plastic, etc.) By this stage, you might have very slightly dirty water, but plenty clean for the next round of produce such as potatoes and produce with non-edible skins (melons, bananas, avocados, citrus fruits, etc.)

Take off any stickers, then start with cleaner produce first

All these rules drive my husband bananas- no pun intended- but when we spend our hard (ok, his) earned money and drive 2 hours round trip to get beautiful, organic produce, there is protocol to follow to ensure that our efforts and money do not go to waste.

So here are some "rules" to follow: Do not clean the following fruits or vegetable until you are ready to prepare them:


1. strawberries - can get mushy quicker if water sits in between berries
2. raspberries - almost always get mushy within 24 hours if wet
3. asparagus -tips get wet, then slimy quick
4. mushrooms -brown, bruised and slime quickly after washed
5. onions -don't need to be washed, the skins keep 'em clean
6. only clean lettuces and leafy vegetables (including herbs) ahead of time if you plan on getting out the salad spinner- and make sure to put some paper towels in with the washed lettuce as it helps keep it fresher, longer with less wilting/spoilage

Usually the lettuce sold in bulk (not in sealed bags or plastic clam shell containers) are the freshest, buy them when you can!

After soaking lettuce in peroxide & water, then vinegar & water, rinse well and, in batches, spin out the water

Prepare a new, clean bag, with clean paper towels inside and clipping the top closed. This helps keep the lettuce crisp and fresher for longer.

2 bags of fresh, clean lettuce ready for the fridge!

Soak and clean potatoes as all other produce, then let or pat dry before putting into paper bags

Ready for whenever I want to use them!

The beauty of it all is when I reach in the fridge,  for the night's meal preparation, and everything is sparkly clean and ready to be used! It's also great for the kiddos to grab an apple or a carrot and just go.