Do you know how to clean produce? I’ve asked around and many people just run it under water, or soak for a bit, then drain. Does this really clean the produce? I think it may rinse off some dirt, but I’m not sold on the fact that its actually cleaning the food. I recently discovered that you can clean fruits and vegetables by soaking them in a mixture of white vinegar and water. I believe its a 10-1 ratio, but I filled a clean sink half way with cold water and poured in about a cup of white vinegar.
First I soaked 3 pints of strawberries I got from the farmer’s market. They taste so incredible, but rarely last more than 2-3 days before spoiling. My friend keeps hers on the counter, but mine spoil even more quickly and I end up with lots of fruit flies! This time, I soaked for about 10 minutes and laid them out to dry on some paper towel that was placed over a kitchen towel. I put them in the fridge and they are still fresh at day 5. There was A LOT of dirt at the bottom of the sink!
The beets came out pretty clean as well. I did gently scrub them with a vegetable brush, but I would not recommend using the brush on the strawberries.
I cleaned out the sink for round 2! Carefully drain the water, but if there is sandy residue at the bottom of your sink, use some wet paper towel to scoop it out, then discard in the trash. It is not recommended to allow sand (or coffee grounds) down your drain. Since sand is a bit heavy, it can collect in the trap and cause a clog and even possibly affect your garbage disposal. If your plumbing is older, you could be more at risk for plumbing issues. Better safe than sorry!
I soaked all the veggies for another 10 minutes. Once dried, into the fridge they went. This method worked really well. There are produce cleaners for sale at the grocery store, but now that you know how to clean produce, using the white vinegar you already have at home is a very economical alternative!
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