Deep Cleaning Wash for Produce
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ธ.ค. 2023
- We share a method for deep cleaning our fresh produce that removes dirt, debris, pesticides and other undesirables and makes our produce shine.
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I noticed that you washed items from the “dirty dozen” list of fruits and vegetables, which are prone to higher levels of pesticides. This looks like such an excellent idea to help us ingest fewer of the harmful chemicals that are used in today’s big farming areas. You’ve inspired me to be more diligent about this!
-Brenda
If you store the strawberries in a mason jar with the lid on, they will last twice as long, I was amazed!
Yes, I've done this too! Works great, even for lettuce leaves.
Cleaning your grapes makes a huge difference in taste.....I wash everything..😊
I have always washed my fresh fruits and vegetables with vinegar but I’ve never thought about adding baking soda. That’s a great idea! Also I always store my berries, strawberries blueberries raspberries etc. in a mason jar in the refrigerator and that really helps make them last a lot longer.
I’ve used this wash for years. Before you begin though you need to remove those stickers from the peppers. Anything on the edges and underneath the stickers is not getting properly washed.
plus it's much harder to remove the stickers once they get wet, it was triggering me for sure 😂😂
@@PamLPamMe too.😂😂
I've heard those stickers are edible, but we always remove them
You can’t help yourself can you, smh! Be sure to correct someone smh! Try and control yourself, lol!
I promise you won’t die with that 1/4 inch sticker still on,smh! It’s never attractive to be a know it all!
This is my go-to for washing all produce! It will prolong the shelf life of all your greens too. 💚🙏🏼
Our daughter showed me this 9 mo ago. Fruit n veggie are clean and look good not waxy.
I've been washing mine like this and sometimes with lemon juice if no vinegar is available. One thing I would do differently is not to wash the strawberries until you are going to use them. I ran a strawberry farm for over 20 years and they fare better if washed/soaked right before use. Also remove your labels before washing they remove easier that way. I love your videos you always teach me so much. Dolly of Hibiscus House.
Loved your comment and tip! Thank you.
I wish there had been scientific before-and-after tests done to prove the effectiveness. The science part is what draws me to your channel. I, too, have read that baking soda and vinegar combined cancel each other out and equal water.
It's the chemical reaction of them mixing with each other that is what you need, not what's left after they're done mixing. I mix both together into a paste to clean my oven. Works wonders.
The container the strawberrys came in are great to keep. They come in SO handy to transport sandwiches and other picnic foods, foods for others and storage in the fridge for a few days. I use them when I give home made shortbreads with a serviette, or paper towel or doiley on the bottom! Look great with a sticky label abd tied with string or ribbon around. No more concern about containers being tmreturned!
I have been using vinegar to clean my grapes and berries for quite some time. I have found it helps with the shelf life of my berries. I have not used it with baking soda. Definitely going to try this!
Little fun tip for the grapes - I don't like to remove the grapes from their stems. I don't know why but I find it tedious. If you keep the bundle of grapes on a dish towel and then put another dish towel on top. Roll the top towel around using the palms of your hands, in a circular motion, it removes the grapes from their stems. I just love this method.
Thank you!!! Great tip.
This is how I clean all of our produce. I let it soak in the vinegar water for awhile before adding the baking soda. Rinse well and dry on kitchen towels before putting the fruit in glass jars. It lasts so much longer!!
The baking soda and vinegar cancel each other out. You should rinse the vinegar off before you do the baking soda bath if you actually want the good benefits
@@NoZeniththe baking soda reacts to the vinegar causing it to bubble up, which washes dirt off the fruit after the vinegar has done its job.
Thank you so much for this tip! I am trying to clean a ton of lemons from my mothers 50 year old lemon tree. The lemons are ginormous!
Wonderful! Jim
Love this idea. Have one recipe for one bean. Looking forward to making more kinds.
Thank you for the video. I would like to mention that also the fungicides that are used to prevent spoilage, while produce is transported or sits on a store’s shelf, needs more than water to rinse off. These chemicals are on every produce. Organic or not!
This works really well to remove the wax off of apples also.
I presume it will get the waxy stuff off tomatoes, too. I am going to give it a go.
Hi Rose, I keep a spray bottle of 50/50 white vinegar & water to clean produce as needed.
When I was taking treatment for cancer the dietitian taught me this technique! I still do it!!
Geeze I literally just eat them out of the containers. I should be dead by now.
😂 me too
@@jennygirl8849 A little dirt never hurt anyone. 😆
You aren’t alone!
It's the residual pesticides not the dirt that's damaging especially to a compromise system like my mom who has repeatedly had cancer and has a rather delicate system that doesn't need the additional stresses of pesticides and herbicides, let alone other microorganisms being ingested.
@NoZenith Yes, I understand that. I wash my veges in water but can't see me doing the vinegar. I have an aversion to vinegar. But I'm not saying it's not an ideal way to wash your vegetables.
Just washed 20 ripe persimmons I picked off the tree. They’re beautiful! This is a great idea, so simple too!
This is how I have been doing my produce for over a year and I love it!
It really gets a lot of sand out of strawberries, even after rincing them first.
With celery I cut off the bottom first and the dunk the ribs.
With greens I do it about 5 minutes and then toss through a salad spinner before laying out to dry.
I store strawberries in a mason jar and they last longer than the original plastic clam shell.
With lettuce I put in a container or plastic bag with paper towel on bottom and top and it lasts a long time. I've had romane last about a month in the fridge this way.
A friend who used to work at a supermarket deli taught me this long ago. I have white vinegar in a squirt spray bottle. I spray my produce to cover and let sit 10 minutes, rinse and drain. Voila fresh washed
Just vinegar?
Great tip, thanks!
Great Tip, especially today.. with all kinds of nasty stuff out there.
Thank you!
You're welcome! Jim
I have used vinegar but not baking soda but will now. You can store strawberries and other fruit in a quart jar with lid, keeps them fresh for days. So many great ideas, thank you
I work in a school kitchen, we wash all our produce in a prep sink like this, I'm always surprised how dirty grapes are! They always have the most debris left in the water.
Thanks for sharing.
👋🏻I've been using just a vinagar wash so I'll do this now.
I have been using a vinegar soak for a few years now. Keeps the produce fresh longer as well. I will add the soda now too! I take off the stickers on the bell peppers before soaking. I read somewhere that the only way to never have unwanted pesticides or weed killer in your strawberries is to grow them yourself. So I don't buy strawberries EVER even those that say organic
Thanks for your comment.
Might want to take off sticky labels. Will this remove the stuff they are spraying on our foods to preserve our food which is Not good for us to eat. Just asking
Awesome tip! Thank you.
Merry Christmas to You & Jim & your watchers 🎅🏽 🤶
I’m in south Louisiana. My grandfather was a strawberry farmer. We were always told not to rinse strawberries until just prior to use so they would last longer. I’m wondering if your strawberries did ok after a few days. Thanks
I would be Intrested in the results too
It has been a week since we made that video and they are just fine. But I think the advice from you and others about not washing them until just before eating is good and I will be doing that from now on. Thank you.
Berries, grapes and peppers are on the dirty dozen list, so if I don’t buy things on the list organic, I always to a wash like this.
I have never heard of this method, but I'm so glad I know it now! It makes perfect sense. Thanks Pam!
This was such an informative video. Thanks for sharing it. Your produce guide is a go to for me as well and has saved me a lot by storing my produce correctly. Keep those videos coming Pam. Thanks to you too Jim for doing all the videoing for us.
Thanks.
Haven't even watched the video yet, I just got here but thank you so much for your take on this as it's important to me
Thanks for the video. I think it’s a good idea to wash your produce however, it is also important to understand how plants ingest these things. It gets sucked into the roots system through the water through the leaves, and is actually thoroughly mixed into the fruit itself. Genetically modified produce literally has pesticide in the DNA of the fruit or vegetable. Certainly the more you wash off the outside of the fruit the better off you are. But by no means, are we removing all the pesticide. Which to me is why I get organic non genetically modified whenever possible.
I never thought of using these products to wash produce excellent idea
I thought so too! Thanks.
Thank you for sharing this great tip❤
Ty😊
Welcome to the club!
I use a 1:1 vinegar and baking soda in my washer when it needs cleaned. You definitely get the fizzies!
I will give it a try, thank you
My husband and I ALMOST bought a gadget on black Friday. It is the MIRA Food Detoxifier. But....after watchimg some videos, I get the impression you can only do a small amount at a time, and not sure that would be at all practical. But hey, maybe That Woman With A Gadget would want to splurge and review, lol!!!
Wow, so bright & pretty. We will definitely be using this wash. Thank You!!
Can you also discuss washing meat after removing from package.
From store. I do wash it off dry with paper towel or regular dish towel. I’ve found tiny bones, and dry unidentifiable items. Tv cooks don’t wash meat.
Another wonderful tip/ would be cool to see a before and after pic
That was interesting. I have used vinegar but not with the soda added. I will have to try that too!
Thank You!!!!!! ❤🌻
Thank you for this video. I've been looking for a way to clean my produce and didn't know how to do it safely and effectively. Thanks for sharing!
I've used vinegar for years. Never thought to add baking soda!
Several others have said the same thing, so I am glad this was helpful.
I apologize, but I didn't hear or see any notes on how much baking soda to add to each bowl. I would really appreciate it if you could let me know. I love your videos and watch them often! Thank you!
It seems like it isn’t a scientific method without washing them in plain water as well, to compare. I think the water would have washed off the debris just as well, but I have researched this and learned that washing produce in baking soda is the way to go for washing off pesticides. I’m sure vinegar will prolong the freshness of the berries and grapes because it kills the mold spores they may have.
Yes, there is a lot of science to this method!
Pam, I have been watching your and Jim’s videos for a few months now and recently subscribed. Great choice on my behalf. I also, have been washing my produce in ACV but the Baking Soda is new for me and will include as well. Now, since I am new, I was just wondering if the water from your faucet is free of hard metals. ..filtered water.
Hi rose! So glad I found you a few days ago on the presto electric canner. I love the data you’ve provided because the misinformation is scary. I’m a SAHM of 3 little girls under 3. So I would love to can food from my garden and protect my family. ❤❤
Thanks for your data and science! ♥️♥️♥️
You are so welcome
I have always used vinegar and salt in my water and soaking it. And I mix the two in the water first before I put my items in .
I could hear the peppers squeak. Big thank you for this will try. Any residual vinegar taste from the strawberries?
The mixture I've been using for years is 1:4 ratio 1 part vinegar 4 part water and 1 Tablespoon baking soda. Leave in about 5 minutes rinse well. Be careful with blackberries and sometimes blueberries. If you leave them in to long it will effect the taste.
Thanks for your comment.
I think Consumer Reports also has a recommendation for removing pesticides, dirt, and bacteria that involves soaking in baking soda and water wash for 15 minutes. I think they might have indicated why it works, but I don't recall. Thanks for an excellent video, as usual!
Thanks for this information!
I've been doing the baking soda & vinegar wash for years now. Not only do I feel that it cleans my produce but I love the fizz that I get. I do mine in my kitchen sink vs a bowl so I fill my sink about half way with water, put in the produce, sprinkle a decent amount of baking soda on the top of the floating produce, THEN add in my vinegar. After the fizzing goes away I swish everything in the sink and let it set for a bit before taking it out and setting in on a towel on my counter to drip dry. I have also added hydrogen peroxide to the water (no vinegar or baking soda) and had my produce soak in that mixture instead. Hydrogen peroxide is antimicrobial so that seemed like a good option as well. It all depends on what I have on hand at home.
Do you ever feel like the sink strainer never gets clean enough to add edible food in the sink? I just can't do it. It freaks me out. I see you tubers doing it all the time and I wonder how much bacteria stays in the strainer/drainer.
@@nanettemi800 I wash my sink on a regular basis but I also have a divided sink and use the non garbage disposal side for rinsing washed dishes which is the same side I rinse my fruit & veggies in so I'm not really concerned.
@@nanettemi800 Put your sink strainer in the dishwasher the next time you run a load. You can also clean your garbage disposal with soap and a brush; some of the black rings can be taken out and cleaned as well. It will not be sterile but will get rid of a few germs.
Need to remove the produce Labels! Otherwise all the insecticide, and other CHEMICALS remain.
Vinegar is a good rinse, but I hadn't heard of adding baking soda to it. I use GSE extract in water to clean my produce. It kills bacteria and cleans great!
Is GSE grapefruit seed extract? I'm reading the comments while I'm watching the video so I don't want to go away and Google it right now haha
@NoZenith Yes, it is! I use to disinfect everything. It's great stuff and good for your health, too.
@judykent5776 I remember as a little kid Y2K happening and people recommending getting grapefruit seed extract around to put drops in your water in emergencies instead of using bleach. It wasn't quite as effective but it was far better than nothing and easier on your system if you had to ingest it. They still recommended using bleach if you wanted to music to clean anything
I've been using Enzyme cleaner, it seems to get everything off of the lettuce and so forth, but this might be just as good, will try it.
I also found a spider in grapes. I was at work and had washed the grapes there then had them in a bowl on my desk. I would reach in every now and then, sometimes without looking, get a grape and pop it in my mouth. Turned around to get a grape and there sat a black spider on the inside of the bowl. I am terrified of spiders, no matter the size. Had to get a co-worker to kill it for me. I am retired now but to this day I’m leery of grapes 😊
Yes, I would lose my appetite for anything bug related on food.
Yikes! That would have scared me too!
Great tip! I make an orange vinegar that I just sprits on, work around and rinse off, but this is much more efficient! ☝
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Pam. Love your videos! Just wondering where you got your towels. I love them!
They were a gift from my sister. She got them at Williams-Sonoma.
I have been doing that for several years and it does work great. But stoped doing this every week.Thanks for the reminder for me. I need to plan this as a weekly doing after shopping is done. So everyone knows everything is ready to eat.
Thanks for sharing.
I wash my bananas with dish soapy water. Not for insecticides but for bacteria.
This has not affected the amount of time I can keep them.
WIth another cleaner that you can't get anymore, I found that my produce stayed fresh longer. My frig is also set to mid 30s which helps too
Thank you! I have been wondering if there was a homemade produce wash .
You are welcome.
I was everything in vinegar water! Even my home grown produce. Sometimes I use a little dish soap and a scrub brush.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the video. I have seen this before, but without instructions. Ps beautiful copper sink. Kinda jelly. Lol
You are welcome.
I am wondering two things: Why not mix the water, vinegar and baking soda FIRST, then add the veg/fruit? And, why didn't you remove the stickers on the peppers? Anything under them is not getting touched by the cleaning liquid! Thanks for the videos. I always enjoy them. Oh! And WHY does this method work? You are usually very good about explaining the scientific process. Why does this mixture remove dirt and pesticide and bacteria and . . . better than just plain water or detergent? If not, I will look it up and see if I can find a good explanation about why it works. Without an explanation, it is just speculation, even if lots of people do it and swear by it? And HOW do you know pesticides were removed; any testing? And did you wash the containers in the same type of wash? If not, why? If it takes vinegar/baking soda to remove the bad stuff, why just wash the containers? If it works with the containers, why doesn't it work with the fruit/vegs? Apologies for being so picky, BUT.
So changing the pH using baking soda usually removes a lot of the residual pesticides. I believe I saw those lab tests on Dateline a couple years ago? The reason you don't mix the vinegar and baking soda together is they cancel each other out and you don't get the benefit of the acid killing the bacterium or the pH shift of the baking soda. You're basically rinsing them in plain water. Doing a vinegar wash to get the bacteria killed and then doing a baking soda wash separately will have the most affect but I normally just pick and choose which method I'm going to clean with depending on what I'm cleaning
@@NoZenithThat's what I was thinking. I've read more than once that baking soda and vinegar cancel each other out resulting in just water. Acid vs alkaline. It would be better i think to do one first then the other. hmmmmm. . . . . . .
@@Marbleslite by putting veggies in water then vinegar then baking soda you get scrubbing bubbles.
I use baking soda and vinegar to clean my drains. I will be using this method to clean my fruits and veggies. Thank you
You are welcome.
Great video always wondered what I could use ,can you use this on lettuce as well
Why not try. I'm going to give it a try on lettuce!
Yes you can. Cut it. Soak it. Spin it dry
Nice job Pam. This is a great cleaning method. Used vinegar for years now will add baking soda. Thanks.
Used plain baking soda for years. I wait until I’m ready to eat berries before washing.
Thanks for sharing.
I have a very sensitive GI Tract. Sensitive to nearly all things sprayed onto store bought produce and washing with Soap and water or vinegar does not work for me. If I recall correctly, vinegar (acid) and baking soda (alkaline) cancel each other out to a neutral pH and I've never had success with it. I've tried a few commercial "organic" cleaners and found one that worked( for me) Nature Clean. No tummy issues after using it. Along the lines of 'treated' produce (for me) I have never found one that removed the "waxy" coating on l citrus fruits, all cf, except Mandarin Oranges. Don't ask me why. I don't know. What ever it is on citrus peel REALLY gives me incredible GI pain. So much so that even after washing then peeling, there is still some residual "waxy stuff" that gets onto the flesh and attacks my GI tract. Granted it maybe something naturally occurring in the peel but the way water beads on the peel does not change from before to after cleaning and can be scratched off with my finger nail. Bottom line, citrus are out of the question for me, although I can sometimes eat them without issue. Again, I don't know why. It isn't the type (cultivar). Is it where they are grown? Maybe. Again, don't know. That info isn't always specified on the store shelf nor on the citrus itself. I've tracked all of these things, because I like Lemons, limes, oranges and I really like grapefruit. So whatever is "coating" them doesn't just include dirt, pesticides and insecticides. Nor is that treatment on the list of things that must be listed according to Food Regulations. Treatments also include preservatives and other coatings to keep them "fresh". Do you sense that not all treatments are listed and known or need to be listed? Also, not all of these are guaranteed to be safe for "everyone" and for all ages. Why else is it recommended to "WASH ALL PRODUCE". Question: Why do they cause me such issue? Homegrown produce has never bothered me. 70 years and counting. If they bother me, what are they doing to everyone else? Stupid as it sounds, canned and frozen produce rarely bothers me. What happens to produce after leaving the field and going to the store shelf that doesn't happen to it when it goes to the factories that either freeze or can it?
Hi there I love your videos and thanks for doing this however you might want to look in research that brand of baking soda, not so good, I only utilize Bob's Red Mill Organic Baking Soda and all of his organic brands after researching Arm and Hammer.
Also I have always used apple cider vinegar, no longer use Bragg's due to change in recipe by owner that purchased that brand in 2019 very light and not so effective anymore for anything. I only now use Fairchild's brand, who was the original supplier to Bragg's back in the day, theirs is so much better in taste and effectiveness when used on veggies or skin or whatever drinking is so much smoother of course diluted.
Been doing for years and only found out about the recipe change last year! Please if you want do some research as I know you will :) again thank you for all you do learning so very much. Oh PS I usually put my drained bowl of whatever down in a large glass bowl and just fill it up a couple of times with clean water then drain.
Does this work with lettuce, spinach, leafy greens?
Yes, but I have always just used vinegar in the water. Now after reading the comments I am hesitant to also add the soda
Spinach and leafy greens have to be soaked and rinsed 3-4-5 times to get the sand and grit off of them. Using baking soda as a water softener might help.
I too have been doing this for years and I have found that I never taste the baking soda or vinegar when eat the produce and I firmly believe the produce stays fresh in the frig longer than without the wash.
I would like to buy baking soda by the barrel because I use it so much.
Great comment! Thanks.
I use baking soda and vinegar to clean our toilets. Never thought to use it for produce too!😅
LOL! A very versatile combination!
I don't know why baking soda is not available throughout the United States in cans as baking powder. I found it in cans in San Antonio Texas.
That would be great! I don't know either.
@@RoseRedHomestead I took an empty baking powder can and put a baking soda label on it and filled it with baking soda.
Is that a tablespoon of baking soda?
Great tip! And I hope your buying organic? Strawberries that aren't organic have the most pesticides 😳
To modify your statement, A-surface fruits . I only mentioned this so it's easier for people to research. A surface fruits are fruits that what you look at is what you're eating. Any berries are bad because they have a porous surface and they need to look really pretty so people buy them so they get flooded with pesticides, and a lot of it can get stuck in the surface
I think vinegar and baking soda cancel each other's cleaning properties?
I prefer baking soda only for removing pesticides.
Same question for me.
Pam, is there any way to actually ru tests before & after using the wash to scientifically prove it removes pesticides & kills. Bugs?
Not with any precision, but sometimes you can spot floating bugs after the wash!
Where did you get that size zip lock bags?
Just at the grocery store.
🥰🥰🥰
can you use apple cider vinegar?
I am sure that would work just as well.
I thought they sprayed a waxy substance on the fruit and vegetables just after harvest. If this is true, then wouldn't the pesticide be under the waxy coating? Can anyone help me understand? TIA!
Not all food is sprayed with wax. I know apples are. Not sure how this would work to remove the wax. I will do some research--great question.
Take the stickers off the peppers already
Don't the srawberries get soggy sitting in the water that long?
No, Jim
Where’s the science? That’s why I come to you.
Good question. Here is the article www.southernliving.com/veggie-wash-8406582
Majority of pesticides CANT be REMOVED, in the methods you just used!
I've seen lab tests, I think it was on Dateline I can't remember though as it's been over a year, but when they did their tests the vinegar killed bacteria and removes some of the mold spores that might have gotten on it that could cause it to mold quickly and the baking soda in a separate wash not ever mixed together, changes the pH which helps remove pesticides and herbicides as they are acidic and are broken down by the alkaline solution
How do you remove pesticides from your vegs?
I swish mine around in a not to sudsy dishwater then soak a few mins in white vinegar water.
Seems like what ever benefit you had from the vinegar you lost it with the baking soda. You lowered the pH and then brought it back towards 7.
There is more at work there than just the pH. The bubbling action dislodges dirt and pH alone can't do that.
How about hydrogen peroxide/ water mix, soak, rinse and dry? I'm asking your scientific advice btw! 😊
Here is an article that may help: hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/farm-food-safety-choosing-a-sanitizer-for-washing-fresh-produce/
The best thing to do is buy organic fruits and vegetables. At least NGMO produce. There is a list of the dirty dozen and strawberries and grapes are on the list. A lot of the chemicals penetrate into the produce and you cannot get it all.
Thanks.
I'd be worried that the vinegar would change the tasted of the berries......
It didn't seem to affect the taste, but I have noticed other people have a more refined sense of taste than I do, so you may just have to try it first! LOL
Have any of you tried this with raspberries?
Yes, it works great.