Wash Fruit and Veg in Vinegar

[Jpharper78]

Read an article stating that washing your fruit and veg in white vinegar reduces pesticides and kills bacteria by 98%. On top of this it gets rid of the nasty wax coating you find on some fruits, even prolonging the life of some berries. I gave it a go and it works wonderfully. Fill your sink with cold water and add 1 cup of white vinegar and soak for 10 minutes.

[goldensmom]

Sounds easy. Thanks for the tip.

[profnot]

This sounds like a good idea but I can't use because my whole town is on septic.

Perhaps I can wet a paper towel with vinegar, towel off the fruits/veges, then discard paper towel. I'll give it a try!

[Float On]

profnot - can you use baking soda with septic systems? That is I think the main ingredient in those produce wash sprays they sell at the grocery store.

[Rosemary]

profnot, why not use a cloth towel? I use cotton dish towels (woven, not terry) for many purposes in the kitchen, for instance, draining tofu.

[mamalatte]

Do vinegar and septic systems not mix? I was not aware of that -- what is the problem that arises?

Also, love this suggestion about washing vegetables. I usually just halfheartedly rinse with some water and dry, and the other day I was thinking this probably isn't doing much good at all . . .

What is the best way to wash fruit? For example, I usually don't wash fruit until right before I eat it, because otherwise it seems to go bad faster. So, I am usually washing one item at a time, so I don't picture filling up the whole sink with water and vinegar. Maybe I could just mix up some of the combo in a sprayer? Do you really scrub it too, or just gently rinse? What about something like grapes or berries where you really can't "wash" each one?

[Tussiemussies]

We just moved into a place with septic and no one warned us against vinegar, althoughI wouldn't run a sink full of vinegar and water down, but using a spray bottle is maybe a good, less use age way to do it.

Mamma, I would just spray the grapes and then rinse them off under water...

Personally I wouldn't use my sink as a basin since even though it is clean it still harbors bacteria, I would just spray and rinse. Jut my opinion though...

[Gardenarian]

Here's an article about washing berries in vinegar - it prevents mold, too. I just hate it when strawberries get moldy before I get a chance to eat them.
"Rinse Berries in a Vinegar Solution to Keep Them Fresh Longer and Mold-Free" (http://lifehacker.com/5888601/rinse-berries-in-a-vinegar-solution-to-keep-them-fresh-longer-and-mold+free)

[SvenV]

If I would do that I need really much of vinegar :)... So I think it a bit a waste of vinegar... that is my opinion

[Rosemary]

I keep a spray bottle of vinegar at the kitchen sink, and use it to wash produce just before eating. When washing leafy things, I put them in the salad spinner, spray with vinegar, mix with my hands, then add the water to wash. We don't go through vinegar that quickly, and I use it for cleaning the counter and sinks, too.