An easy step by step guide on how to clean produce. Thoroughly cleaning your produce removes pesticides and germs from your fruit and vegetables. Washing your produce when you arrive home makes mealtime quicker and prevents bacteria from spreading in your kitchen.
Washing produce is an essential step for prepping a meal. It helps remove any chemicals, pesticides, and bacteria that may be lurking on your food.
What Veggies to Wash
There are some fruits and vegetables that you will want to wash right before you use them - mushrooms and berries, for example. Washing these items ahead of time can cause them to mold or spoil quicker.
Most other produce can be washed ahead of time to allow for easy meal prep. These items include potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens, herbs, apples, bananas, grapes, and oranges, to name a few.
How to Clean Produce
I always wash my produce when I arrive home from the grocery store. As I’m unloading the groceries, I place all my produce in a large bowl or the kitchen sink, depending on how much produce I have. I have a large single basin sink, so I found using the extra-large bowl saves on water.
I add all my veggies and fruits to the bowl, but I leave any herbs or delicate greens to the side because they do not need to soak for as long.
Once in the sink, I add one cap full of Castile Soap to the bowl or sink {I used Dr. Bronner’ s}, fill with cold water until the produce is covered, and soak for 10-15 minutes. Or, until I remember to come back and rinse them. The herbs only need to soak for about 5 minutes.
For potatoes that have a lot of extra dirt on the skin, I’ll scrub them down with a scrub brush after soaking.
Once the soaking is complete, drain the water and rinse the produce under cold water. I place the fruits and veggies on a clean kitchen towel until completely dried, then store accordingly. You may want to flip the produce after the top is dry to dry the bottom as well.
Produce Storage Tips
Proper storage will help extend the life of your produce. Cucumbers, squash, avocados, lettuce/leafy greens, green beans, peppers, mushrooms, berries, citrus, celery, and carrots are best stored in the refrigerator.
Potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, apples, and bananas are best stored on the counter or in the pantry.
A few extra minutes of work when you arrive home from the grocery store will save you additional time during the week.
Do you wash your produce when you arrive home from the store or when you are ready to use it?
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How to Clean Produce
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 0 servings 1x
Description
Thoroughly cleaning your produce removes pesticides and germs from your fruit and vegetables. Washing your produce when you arrive home makes mealtime quicker and prevents bacteria from spreading in your kitchen.
Ingredients
- Sink or Large Bowl
- 1 Cap Full of Castile Soap
- Cold Water
- Scrub Brush as Needed
Instructions
- Add all produce to bowl or sink. Leave any herbs or delicate greens to the side for now.
- Add soap to the bowl or sink {I use Dr. Bronner’ s}.
- Fill with cold water until the produce is covered.
- Soak for 10-15 minutes. Add the herbs at the last 5 minutes.
- Once the soaking is complete, drain and rinse the produce under cold water.
- Place on a clean kitchen towel to completely dry and store accordingly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: How To
- Cuisine: All
Keywords: clean produce, produce, cleaning produce
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