How to Wash Produce

After hearing about pesticides and the dirty dozen, you may want to know how to wash produce to make it as safe as possible for you to eat. Do you need to go out right now and buy manmade produce wash? Do you need to use soap? Do you even need to wash produce? For the answers to these questions and more, keep reading below. 

Do I need to wash produce?

The short answer is yes, wash your produce. You may not be able to get all the pesticides and bacteria off of your fruits and vegetables, but you can get a lot off during a good wash. It is true that even if you don’t wash your produce you are not likely to be hurt by any pesticides on the fruits and vegetables, but think about that guy in the store who has to touch every single peach before he picks the one he wants. You’re going to want to wash that guy’s germs off.

What should I use to wash produce?
There are produce washes available to purchase or recipes for homemade solutions to make, but water will do just as well. Run your produce under the faucet with running water for about 30 seconds.

via Modern Farmer

Do I have to peel any vegetable with a skin?

Don’t worry about peeling vegetables with skins - just wash them thoroughly. You may want to buy a produce brush to really give your produce with skins a good scrub. If you do want to peel your produce, make sure you wash it first to avoid contaminating the inside with bacteria.

Do I need to wash homegrown or organic produce?

Yes, you should wash all produce, no matter where it comes from.

When should I wash produce?

Wait until right before you are going to use the produce to wash it. Bacteria can grow in the fridge that you will want to wash off and getting some produce wet before putting in the fridge can increase the speed of mildew and rot. 

All in all, you shouldn’t worry too much about how to wash produce you’re eating. Just give it a good rinse and you’ll be fine!