How to Properly Clean Fresh Produce

Wondering how to properly clean fresh produce? I share all the tips below including the benefits to cleaning your produce.

Why You Should Clean Fresh Produce Before Consuming

Washing fresh produce with cool to warm water is always a good idea. However, taking it a step further and using baking soda and vinegar is best practice to ensure you properly clean your produce.

By properly cleaning your fresh produce, this helps to reduce the amount of dirt, chemicals, pesticides, bacteria and other germs that may be present. I also highly recommend purchasing organic, especially when it comes to produce on the dirty dozen list. This will initially reduce the amount of chemicals present, such as glyphosate. However, it is best practice to use baking soda and vinegar regardless if you purchase organic or not.

The Baking Soda Method

When it comes to produce such as root vegetables, squash, or melons, scrubbing with a stiff brush under warm water will help to wash away excess dirt and bacteria.

When it comes to other produce such as berries, leafy greens, apples, tomatoes and pears, using baking soda will help to properly clean the produce. To do so, place the produce within a large bowl and fill it with lukewarm water, adding 4 teaspoons of baking soda. Allow the produce to soak for 15 minutes. Then drain the water and thoroughly rinse off your produce. Once you dump the water, you will see all the excess dirt that was previously on the produce that is now gone. I especially like to do this with produce purchased from the farmers market, to remove excess dirt and bugs.

The Vinegar Soaking Method

If you want to take it one step further, I recommend using the vinegar soaking method. After soaking your produce in baking soda, next, place the produce within a large bowl and fill it with lukewarm water, adding 1/4 cup of vinegar. Allow the produce to soak for 15 minutes. Then drain the water and thoroughly rinse off your produce. This will remove even more dirt, while also killing bacteria and removing some pesticide residue.

If you’re looking to learn the next steps to prolonging produce shelf life, you can purchase Eat Well, where I dive deep on several tips and tricks that can save hundreds of dollars each month.