Fruits and Vegetables Washing Tips
02.11.09 / All Topics / Author: Jermaine Anderson / Comments: (23)
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Do you know where your carrots, potatoes, oranges and tomatoes have been? Unless your fruits and vegetables are organic, most likely they were produce in a field covered in pesticides and herbicides. Although the pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables are considered to be controlled at safe levels for human intake, I don’t want those chemicals in my body, do you?
Most fruits and vegetables are handled by several different pairs of hands in the fields, then in the warehouses, and finally again in the grocery store. Be aware that bacteria such as Listeria, Salmonella and E. Coli may be lurking on your fruits and vegetables, whether they are organically grown or conventionally grown. All of these bacteria can cause food- borne illness.
How to Wash Your Fruits and Vegetables Tips:
1) Begin by keeping your cooking area (kitchen top), refrigerator, cookware and cutlery clean.
2) Always wash your hands before preparing meals and handling fruits and vegetables.
3) Keep fresh greens, fruits and vegetables away from uncooked meats to avoid cross-contamination.
4) Avoid bruised, moldy and mushy produce.
5) Wait until just before you eat or prepare your fruits and vegetables to wash them.
**Fruits and vegetables have natural coatings that keep moisture inside, so washing them can make them spoil sooner.
6) Wash all pre-packaged fruits and vegetables, even if it is labeled pre-washed.
7) Wash all parts of your fruits and vegetables, even if you don’t plan on eating them. Bacteria can live on the rind of an orange or the skin of a cucumber, for example. Though you may peel them away and toss them in the trash, the bacteria can be transferred from the outside of the fruit or vegetable to the knife you use to cut them, and then onto the parts you will be eating.
**Gently rub fruits and vegetables under running water. No need to use any soaps, detergents, bleaches or other toxic cleaning chemicals. These chemicals will leave a residue of their own on your produce.