by Wes Fessler |
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October 6 , 2010 |
A good start to preparing a healthy meal with fruits and vegetables begins with a good thorough wash.
Why it is Important to Wash Fruits and Vegetables
There are several good reasons to wash fruits and vegetables before they become a part of your meal. Let’s take a quick look at what happens to fruits and vegetables before they arrive at your home.
The Dirty Story Behind Produce
Fruits and vegetables enjoy the open, air and at times they are exposed to various elements of the outside world. They are bombarded by pesticides, which are designed to keep insects and animals from eating them before you do. They are crawled on by flies, spiders, caterpillars, and butterflies which may not be inclined to eat them due to the pesticides, but which have no concern about passing whatever foreign substances they have been in contact with previously to the fruit or vegetable in question. Birds and other airborne creatures, having no identifiable bathrooms occasionally rain down their excretions upon the fruit or vegetable as they travel to their various destinations.
(Clean Hands?)
At last the fruit or vegetable is ripe and ready to make its way to your neighborhood. It is now handled by pickers (clean hands?) and passed along to be transported to a warehouse, or if you’re very lucky, directly to a store. Upon arrival at the local grocery store, your fruit or vegetable is handled again by an employee (clean hands?) who artistically arranges it; nudging it this way and that, until its appearance is most attractive to you as a customer. Unfortunately, other customers arrive before you do (clean hands?), holding and turning your produce with scrutiny, and then fumbling it back to the pile for whatever reason.
If this short story has not convinced you to wash your vegetables and fruits, then I guess your reading ends here. If it has helped you to see a legitimate need for washing, then please proceed to the next section.
How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables
A few simple steps for washing fruits and vegetables can help to reduce the “gross factor," and greatly decrease the possibility of exposing yourself or your family to the consumption of a variety of contaminants that may be found on produce before it is prepared.
Clean Working Area
Be sure that your sink, counters, and all surfaces that will contact your produce are cleaned with soap and hot water before you begin.
Clean Hands
Wash your hands thoroughly (scrubbing for at least 20 seconds with soap and water) before handling your produce.
Scrub or Rinse Produce Thoroughly
Ideally, all surfaces of fruit should be scrubbed under running water. For all produce that is firm enough, use your hands or a vegetable scrubbing brush to physically rub down the food while rinsing it. Don’t be satisfied with just running water over fruits or vegetables unless they are too fragile for such physical contact. It is the physical contact and friction that is most effective in removing germs and debris as opposed to the simple act of running water over them.
Remove Outer Layers
Removal of peels or outermost layers of produce can be helpful in eliminating the areas that are most likely to have been in contact with pesticides and other contaminants. Washing and scrubbing should still be done before peeling or removal of outer layers takes place to reduce the risk of moving contaminants on the outside of the produce to the inside. Once the outer layer or peel has been removed, wash the knife, peeler, or other instrument used before further cutting of the produce is done. Rinse the produce under water to clear away any contamination that may have made its way from the outside of the peel (or outer layer) to the inside portion of the fruit or vegetable.
Drying Produce After Washing
It is best to use a disposable item such as a paper towel to dry produce after it has been washed. Cloth rags, although they may be clean, are more likely to harbor germs and bacteria. Complicated arrangements such as grapes should be allowed to drain and dry in a strainer or colander.
Complete Preparation
Once your produce has been dried, it is ready to eat, slice, or prepare by your method of choice for cooking or serving.
But wait...One more thing before you eat (clean hands?). Don’t forget to wash your hands again before you eat.
Related Articles:
Making Fruits and Vegetables Fun to Eat
10 Ways to Get Kids to Eat Healthy Trying to get kids to eat vegetables and fruits is easy for some, but harder for others.
A Family Vegetable Garden for Every Backyard
Gardening may not be for everyone, but even in the smallest yards there is room for everyone to garden.
Resources:
Produce Safety Safe Handling of Raw Produce and Fresh-Squeezed Fruit and Vegetable Juices, Accessed 10-6-2010
http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm114299
Food Safety Basics for Fruits and Vegetables
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/health_professionals/food_safety.html
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