How To Clean Produce- Fruit and Veggie Wash

Hola friends!

Lets talk some fruit and veggies!

If I get the opportunity to buy organic food, I often times take it. For the simple reason is there is often times less ingredients and they are normally cleaner (as in less processed/ preservatives).

I live in a tiny rural town in North Dakota that has a population of about three thousand, so our grocery store is pretty small. I will give them props because they are getting more and more organic options all the time! But when it comes to fruit and veggies its slim pickins.

Have you ever heard of the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) release an annual list of foods with the most pesticide residue aka Dirty Dozen. On the flip side they also have a Clean 15 List which are foods that tend to have the least pesticide residues.

Now, if you are in my position and can't buy organic fruit and veggies all the time, I have a trick for you!

So whats the purpose for a fruit and veggie wash??

It is to help remove pesticides, wax, dirt, bacteria, and other residues that are on your produce. Its pretty crazy to think about what can be on your apples from Mexico or your bananas from Africa.

How do you make the wash?

Its super easy. I just wash my sink and fill it with cool water. Then add a quarter to a half a cup of vinegar (can be apple cider or white), a teaspoon of baking soda, and a few drops of lemon essential oil. Let it soak for 10 mins, I normal stir it a few times. Drain the sink and I normally rinse everything off then store in the fridge. Talk about SIMPLE.

The biggest difference I have noticed with doing this wash is that the produce seems to stay fresh longer! Which is a win win because produce is expensive here in our little town.

I'm not a huge fan of plastic but these produce keepers from Princess House are awesome for keeping things fresh. I like how the bottom can come off and you can use the container like a strainer. There is also a vent on the side you can open and close for certain produce.

Make sure you give your fruits and veggies some lovin'!

Until next time, happy trails my friends!

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