John Myers
If you buy fruit and vegetables from conventional agriculture, you can be sure that they contain residues of toxic pesticides (pesticides, fungicides). But even organic food can be contaminated with environmental toxins from exhaust gases or with bacteria. Simply washing often does not help. So what to do? How do I properly wash fruit and vegetables?
Chemical residues, bacteria, fungi, and foreign fingerprints
The best solution is, of course, to buy organic fruit and vegetables that have been grown far from any road or industry. But “things” can also stick to organic vegetables that are not particularly important. Bacteria, for example, or fungi. They can always be present, even when there is no longer any visible soil clinging to organic or conventional produce.
You often don’t know how many hands have already touched your fruit before you finally bought it. Water alone won’t remove all those agricultural toxins, bacteria, fungi, and foreign fingerprints from your food. So you need to clean them thoroughly with a special detergent.
Peeling does not protect
Even if you plan on peeling your fruit and veg, it’s better – and more advisable – to give them a thorough cleaning first. Let’s say you have a nice, ripe melon. They cut them without washing them first. The knife will automatically transport the bacteria and fungi present on the rind into the inside of the melon. The previously clean pulp becomes a perfect breeding ground for microbes and pathogens of all kinds.
Dishwashing detergents are not suitable
Some people wash fruit and vegetables with ordinary dish soap. Many pesticides can be removed with it, but not all. Those that remain can still be harmful enough to your body to cause gastrointestinal distress, for example.
What’s more, you’re probably eating the residue from your dishwashing liquid with every portion of fruit and vegetables you eat. Ordinary dishwashing detergents or cleaning agents are really not suitable for being consumed with relish and can in turn trigger health problems.
A vegetable brush will not remove pesticides
What do you do with sensitive products such as berries and apricots? You will hardly be able to brush them with the vegetable brush without injuring the fruit. If you soak them in water, the fruit loses its aroma, valuable vitamins, and crunchy texture – and the toxic residue (at least some) is still there.
Homemade fruit and vegetable cleaners
While there are fruit and vegetable cleaners available in supermarkets, it’s much easier to make your own homemade mix. It’s at least as effective as store-bought products, but costs a fraction of the price and is made from ingredients you most likely already have at home.
The exact recipe can be found below. Spray your fruits, salads, and vegetables with such a harmless and inexpensive homemade cleaning agent, leave it on for a few minutes and then gently rinse it off with water in a colander.
In this way, the sensitive skin of the fruit is protected, but chemical residues and bacteria are reliably removed. In addition, homemade fruit and vegetable cleaners – in contrast to many chemical cleaning agents – do not affect the taste of your food in the slightest.
Clean fruit just before use
Please only clean your fruit and vegetables just before use, otherwise, they will spoil faster because not only dirt, chemical residues, and bacteria are removed, but also the natural protective covering of the fruit.
You should also thoroughly clean any products that are obviously sold for immediate consumption. These are e.g. B. Salad mixes that are pre-washed and packaged cut into bite-sized pieces. Especially in sealed plastic packaging, bacteria and fungi can multiply to their heart’s content.
Recipes for fruit and vegetable cleaners
Fruit and vegetable cleaner 1
- 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract
- 1 tablespoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 new spray bottle
Fruit and vegetable cleaner 2
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 new spray bottle
Caution: When baking powder and vinegar are mixed together, it foams up properly. So mix the ingredients carefully and slowly and use a deep container so that nothing foams over.
Mix the ingredients thoroughly and pour them into the spray bottle. Spray the fruits and vegetables to be cleaned with the cleaner, wait for 5 to 10 minutes and then rinse the food with plenty of water.
The shelf life of the vegetable cleaners
The two vegetable cleaner recipes are produced in small quantities (200 (No. 2) to 400 ml (No. 1)), so that the mixtures are used up within four to six weeks at the latest if vegetables and fruit are eaten regularly.
Basically, however, due to the antibacterial ingredients, they also have a longer shelf life and can be used up to 6 months after production if you want to produce them in larger quantities. For safety reasons, however, we would not recommend storing it for such a long time.
