Introduction

Do you remember when we could just wander out into the wilderness and pick fresh blackberries in the spring? No? Me either. Living in modern civilization has its advantages and its disadvantages. One of those disadvantages is not having control over the food that we eat. Not to be confused with not having the choice to choose what we eat. The average person purchases everything they need to live at a store. This is why we need to know how to clean our fruits and vegetables. Gone are the days of having freshly picked fruits and vegetables for most individuals. This isn’t the case for the lucky few. Congratulations to all of the women living my dream life out there. *Sigh*

You’re not here to listen to my discontent with city life and how I long to live in the country with a little farm. However, if you are interested… I’m not talking about a little house on the prairie dream. No, no. I’m thinking more like a little chateau in the south of France with streams, goats, and a modest garden.

Should you wash your produce?

It is important to wash your produce whether you live in the city and purchase from the grocery store or in the countryside and pick your produce directly from your glorious garden. The reason is because real food comes from mud. Most grocery stores aren’t purchasing from local farmers who grow food on their land. No, most grocery stores are purchasing their produce from government-funded corporations who use industrial machines to destroy- I mean, till the land. To help with the appearance and yield of the crop the produce and the ground it grows from are usually sprayed with chemicals that are harmful to the human body as well as the environment.

If you eat your produce without washing it first you must truly believe in the scripture, “It isn’t what goes into the body that defiles.” I respect that. For those of you who are still kind of suspect, let me tell you why you need to wash your produce.

Why wash produce

Everyone loves a good salad. We all love using big beautiful leafy greens as a wrap for our vegan burritos. Leafy greens can hide dirt because they have so many intricate folds. Fruit with thicker skin such as apples and mango require more attention because they’re often coated with a synthetic wax to give them a more shiny appearance. This is why we need to know how to clean fruits and vegetables.

Prepare your area

Before you begin washing your produce it is a good idea to wash your hands and wash your sink. You also want to make sure your cutting boards and utensils are clean. You want to have ample room to spread out your produce while they dry. Lastly, you want to make sure the containers you’ll be storing your produce in are clean and dry. This helps maintain the integrity of the produce that you’re going to wash as well as helps prevent cross-contamination.

How to clean fruits and vegetables

You’ll want to start by allowing cool water to run over your produce. This helps to remove any surface dirt and debris. It’s a good idea to utilize a produce brush for produce with thicker skin like potatoes and cucumbers. Using a brush can help you clean produce more thoroughly you’ll be able to really get into all of the crevices.

Let’s explore the best way to clean fruits and vegetables!

Is it better to wash produce with vinegar or baking soda?

According to the USDA it is better to use baking soda. Baking soda is said to help remove chemical residue, dirt, and other miscellaneous materials from fresh produce. Baking soda is an alkaline powder. It can be used to clean not only fruit but used in homemade cleaning products, skincare products, and oral health.

How to clean produce with baking soda and vinegar

I know someone is wondering if using baking soda and vinegar together is a good idea. You’ll have to be the one to decide the answer to that question. Baking soda and vinegar cancel each other out. One neutralizes the other. That’s what’s going on when you see that beautiful fizz. Vinegar has a low pH, making it acidic. Baking soda has a high pH, making it alkaline. Together, the two become neutralized.

How to wash produce with vinegar

Vinegar is known for its amazing ability to kill bacteria. It’s been said to be able to halt common foodborne illnesses. One would simply fill a large bowl or the kitchen sink with cool water and add 1-3 caps of vinegar. I would suggest that you not let the produce soak for a long time. Also, I encourage you to use vinegar on your more dense produce. I don’t find that produce such as strawberries and blueberries do well with vinegar.

How to wash produce with baking soda

Baking soda is a safe and affordable way to clean your produce. After you have rinsed and brushed your produce under cool water. Take a large glass bowl, or fill up your sink with cool water. Sprinkle a few tablespoons into the water. I typically eyeball this. If I have a large bowl I’ll add roughly three tablespoons. A smaller bowl would require less. A sink filled can have double. Keep in mind that baking soda is very alkaline, and you’d need an entire bathtub filled with water to neutralize a 1/4 cup of baking soda.

FUN FACT: The Egyptians used baking soda during their mummification process. 

The best way to clean fruits and vegetables,

Allow the produce to soak in the water for no more than 5 minutes. Anything more is too excessive para me. Soft produce such as raspberries I only let sit for about a minute. After soaking allow the produce to dry completely before storing.

Drying produce

Drying produce is just as important as cleaning produce. It would be counter-productive to go through the effort of cleaning your produce only to set them in dirty containers or onto countertops that haven’t been cleaned and disinfected. You can allow our produce to air dry by putting them on a clean cloth or paper towel. Go ahead and remove the excess moisture before laying them out to dry. This helps prevent bacteria from growing and helps the fruit and vegetables to remain fresh.

Storing produce

The way you store your produce is SO IMPORTANT. I implore you to invest in quality storage containers while on your journey to consuming cleaner, safer produce. Glass containers are the best in my opinion. It’s perfectly okay if you’re unable to afford to go out and purchase new containers. I started with recycling the glass jars from jam and pickles.

Take into consideration the way you see produce stored in the grocery store. If you purchased an item that was refrigerated, it should remain refrigerated. If you purchased an item that was sitting out in the open, it can remain out in the open. Also, take note of which items were positioned next to each other. Notice how the onions aren’t anywhere near the onions? The same should be visual in your home. Notice how the lemons aren’t by the potatoes? The same should be visual in your home. Typically items such as bananas, papayas, and kiwi are neighbors. Pay attention to the way you group your produce, it should mimic the way they’re stored at the grocery.

Summary

Washing produce can take some time. Whether you’re a person who gets their food delivered or if you do your shopping personally. Prepping your food takes time. I’d encourage you to go ahead and set that time aside every week. I do not suggest you purchase enough produce to last for an entire month. They just won’t last. If they do, please, tell me what sorcery it is that you do.

Produce is here to serve us humans. They provide our body with the additional nutrients and hydration that we need to thrive. Show these living entities the respect they deserve by preserving them properly. The better you treat them, the better they can treat you. Remember, food is medicine. It helps to treat and present dis-ease.

It’s important to know how to remove surface contaminants from produce, as well as provide additional support from a produce cleaner like baking soda, in addition to drying and storing your produce properly. All of these steps are imperative when it comes to understanding how to clean fruits and vegetables.

Thank you so much for reading this blog post. May you now have a better understanding of how to clean fruits and vegetables. Remember, all things are possible, they are! The best is yet to come and the odds are always in your favor. Take care!

-Aiyaken Sarai

This blog post was written without the assistance of AI