Homemade Produce Wash
Unless I am picking produce straight from my garden you bet your bottom dollar I’m washing that stuff. Not even just for the pesticide factor, but also because I have little kids and know what gross places their hands go and how much they like to touch at the grocery store ha.
I also have adopted the method of washing all my produce and taking it out of it’s original packaging before putting it in the fridge. I know, you might be thinking that’s crazy, but we seriously waste so much less produce because of this! Open the fridge drawer and that apple or cucumber is ready to eat! One less step at preparing a snack or dinner during the week when were in a rush.
I use a mix of washing methods depending on the produce. We purchase the spray and use it occasionally on apple, oranges and such. I love soaking our berries in straight vinegar and water. Or baking soda and water. They taste SO fresh afterwards and are sure to get out and last remaining bugs. You could also use apple cider vinegar.
I actually put these three methods to the test to see their results on strawberries.
I found that the baking soda water after soaking had the most “debri” and the color of the water had changed. But I also noticed on some of the over ripe strawberries they started to turn black in their soft spots.
The vinegar and branch basics also removed a lot of dirt and the water color slightly changed. They both tasted SO fresh afterwards, and have stayed fresh in the fridge for much longer than if I left them in their original packaging.
To see the video of these results, go check out my instagram reel.
If you’d like to try these recipes for yourself, here you go!
Vinegar & Water
1:3 ratio of vinegar to water
1 cup vinegar
3 cups water
soak for 10-15 minutes.
Branch Basics & Water
(per their site) 1tsp of branch basics
“sink full” of water – I just did the bowl I was using.
soak for 10 minutes
(You can also use their all purpose spray if you want a quicker clean)
Baking Soda & Water
1 tsp of baking soda
2 cups water
soak for 10-15 minutes.
I also always set out all my produce to dry fully before putting it in the fridge. Washing and drying has proven to not only clean my produce, help my family not waste so much, but also has helped my produce last significantly longer than if I didn’t wash it.
You can also research the best ways to store your produce to make it last longer. Like storing your washed lemons in a jar of water.
I hope this helps your family! I also provide a great list of clean produce sprays in my kitchen guide as well!