Clean Harvest

We have had a pretty good harvest from our tiny garden this year, thanks to the cooler weather and rain. We have plenty of yellow pear tomatoes, which Mark has made into an amazing salsa with the jalapenos and chili peppers that we were lucky to get. We didn't get very many zucchini, which also was thanks to the weather. I did get one yummy loaf of zucchini bread out of it! I'm actually relieved to not have a large bounty that I have to deal with. I feel lucky to have used the rhubarb for cobbler and jelly, and to have a few garlic and onions to store. The spaghetti squash was by far the best producer, an organic grown plant that I got from O'Tooles Garden Center and ended up with five nice sized squash.   

I wash my fruits and vegetables with a diluted dishwashing soap, especially those I purchase from the store. I imagine other shoppers doing just what I do, touching each piece, deciding if it's worthy. After many, many hands on the apples, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes, not to mention the possibility of contamination from fertilizers and other chemicals, I feel better about washing my food before I cut it. I also want to wash off the wax, which seems like an obvious carrier of dirt and germs. I ALWAYS wash cantaloupe.

Recently I have seen a lot of posts about washing foods. It's definitely a must to wash as many foods as possible, considering how many people are sickened, or have died from e-coli and other scary bacteria. My way of using soap (another great use for Dawn) may be extreme, according to the other posts. Most suggest that simply washing with water is enough, or soaking in a bowl of water for 5-10 minutes to kill bacteria and wash away pesticides. Others recommend 1:4 ratio of vinegar and water. One I read was for a capful of bleach in a gallon of water. I did read that the "veggie wash" that you spray on, when tested, did virtually no good at all. The most important thing is to wash it, and for tough skinned fruits and veggies, use a veggie brush to give them a quick scrub.

For smaller fruit and those that can't be scrubbed, like blueberries, grapes and strawberries, I soak them in a vinegar & water solution to prevent molding. I've been doing this for years, and it always helps to keep the fruit fresh longer too. 


I have never had a problem with using soap, but it may be unnecessary after all. I have never had soap residue from using Dawn; after all it rinses off our dishes, and the same holds true for my veggies. I still feel a bit unsure about simply rinsing, or soaking, with water. How do you wash your fruits and veggies?