Last time I mentioned an article I read about cleaning produce. I read about it on this blog. And she linked her readers to this article. The article explains the difference between organic and inorganic food. Mostly what it focuses on is how organic food is grown with no pesticides; therefore, when you eat the produce you aren't ingesting any pesticides. But obviously, most of us (including me) cannot afford organic produce. So this article points out the produce that tends to harbor the most pesticides and offers alternatives with less pesticides. I highly suggest skimming through the list. It all really surprised me.
Now back to the blog. She gives a suggestion for how to clean those pesticides off your produce. It's simple enough.
Soak it in 3 parts water 1 part vinegar for an hour. Rinse and eat! That simple. She put a colander in a bowl to make it simpler to drain.
Of course I tried it.
I soaked mushrooms, a green bell pepper, spinach, grapes, and blueberries.
The berries, grapes, and bell peppers turned out great. They stayed good for a really long time, and I felt like they were clean when I ate them.
As for the mushrooms and the spinach....it didn't turn out too well. The spinach was a definite no go. I didn't have a good way to dry it, so it went downhill fast, and I had to throw it away. In defense of the mushrooms, they didn't seem too fresh when I bought them in the first place. I didn't have an efficient way to dry them either. So they went in the trash as well.
Another problem: I felt awful pouring out all that water. That probably wouldn't bother every person, but it really bothered me.
So have I done it again? Nope, sure haven't. I don't really have the time. Would I do it again? Yes, maybe. If I have the time. Mostly for apples, grapes, bell peppers, and the occasional eggplant I buy.
The problem is, this really isn't a zero-waste solution. You're using an excessive amount of water. You're still buying produce that has had pesticides used on it. Most of the produce has those annoying little stickers on them. Organic really is the way to go. The word has been turned into this fashion statement unfortunately. But when it comes to produce, something you don't buy prepackaged and processed, something you can just put in a mesh bag and go. It's just the right thing to do in my opinion.
So yes, this post was essentially pointless. I screwed up. But that's what I'm here for. To screw up, so you don't have to. Making mistakes is the only way to learn sometimes. I'm really hard on myself, and obviously hate wasting anything (especially food), so I've been kicking myself for weeks on this, dreading sharing it. But I told you I'd tell you about it, so there it is.
My next story to share is a success thankfully, but you can still tell that I'm a total novice at this. It's a funny story though. After this week I have an entire week without tests, so I'll definitely be able to share soon. Looking forward to it.
