We have all had the experience of opening the produce drawer in the fridge to find that the expensive food you bought has gone bad. Whether it’s limp lettuce or a moldy cucumber it’s annoying to toss spoiled food. I’ve found a solution to this problem! This produce wash helps keep my fruits and vegetables fresh for much longer. Not only that, my whole family enjoys knowing that all the produce is clean and ready to eat!
Benefits of produce wash
For this simple cleaning solution I use cold water, dish soap, and white vinegar. This combination kills most bacteria, removes dirt, and kills fruit fly eggs. It’s gross to think about but that’s one of the main ways fruit flies get in your house. Once you’ve got produce clean and dry, just package it up for storage and you’re set!
Get ready to wash!
First decide what you want to soak and wash the produce in. I buy a lot of fruit and vegetables every week so I usually use my kitchen sink. A large bowl or pot works well too. Choose something large enough to comfortably fit the produce in so that it’s covered with water.
I fill my well scrubbed sink halfway with cold water. Next I add about a teaspoon of dish soap and a half cup of white vinegar. This is something I just eyeball but feel free to measure if you like. I use regular Dawn dish soap. If you are using a smaller bowl just reduce the amount of dish soap and vinegar accordingly. Near the sink I lay out enough clean kitchen towels to set the produce on to dry after it’s done soaking.
Sort your produce for washing
I like to divide my produce into two parts, fruits and vegetables you eat whole and items that you peel. The ones you eat without peeling get washed first. It doesn’t really matter which order you work in though since you’ll be changing the water. Usually I run one batch through a fresh sink of produce wash then soak a batch of produce with peels in the same water. It’s still killing off bacteria and fruit fly eggs. Feel free to soak each in fresh solution if you prefer.
Soak in produce wash
Whichever item you decide to start with, go ahead and get it in the water. I soak several things at once to be efficient. Depending on what you’re working with, soak it for 2 to 4 minutes. I go with the shorter time if it’s something delicate like strawberries. Anything with a thick peel I go ahead and soak for the longer time.
Gently swish the produce around to submerge it in the solution. This is why you don’t want to crowd the sink or whatever you’re using to soak in. You want to be sure to get everything covered with the wash. After the produce is well aquainted with the solution, let it sit for the rest of the allotted time.
When you finish soaking that batch of produce, gently move it from the solution to a colander to rinse. Take a minute to appreciate how much dirt and yuck came off the produce into the water! Now drain or pour out the dirty water, rinse the sink or bowl and run a fresh batch of produce wash.
Rinse, dry, and store your produce
As mentioned above, now you need to rinse and dry your produce so you can store it. Typically I find it’s faster to use a colander for this step. Carefully move the fruit and vegetables to the colander and rinse with cold running water. I rinse everything really well and let it drain for a minute before moving it to the towel. If possible arrange the fruit and vegetables in the towel so they’re not touching. This will help everything dry faster.
Once you decide the produce is dry or nearly dry, move it to a ziptop bag or container for storage. Sometimes I line the bag or container with a paper towel if the item isn’t totally dry yet. I do this with berries, grapes, and cucumbers. They don’t keep well if they are damp.
I shop at Aldi primarily and often their produce isn’t ripe yet. Peaches and nectarines will ripen perfectly if they are kept at room temperature for a few days. Usually I set them out on a platter or tray to ripen up. A note about shopping at Aldi. I’ve shopped there for years and love it. It has saved us thousands of dollars! If you would like to see what I bought there in a month of shopping, then check out this post.
Now repeat!
Next I move on to more sturdy produce and finally the fruits and vegetables you have to peel before using. If you need to, go ahead and run a fresh batch of produce wash. For some large items like cauliflower, melons, pineapples, and broccoli you will need to turn them over to soak on both sides. Alternatively soak them in a deep pot or bowl so you can cover them with the solution.
If you are soaking herbs, be sure and use the shorter amount of time. Cilantro, parsley, and basil are delicate and can be ruined by the acid in the vinegar or by too much soaking. Sturdier herbs like rosemary or thyme aren’t so easily damaged. I store my herbs in small jars or glasses of water in the door of my fridge. The little bouquets will last a week or so that way.
Above you can see that the lemons, limes, and avocados are the last items I washed in this week of produce. If you buy non-organic produce like I do, this is a great way to get rid of the wax coating that’s on some produce. Apples, citrus, and cucumbers usually have this wax coating. It’s not that big of a deal with something you’re peeling but if you want to zest your lemons or eat a whole apple it’s nice to take that wax off.
Dry and store your freshly washed produce!
Get your final round of produce out of the wash, rinsed, and set out to dry. I like to take a moment and admire all the beautiful colors and shapes of the fruits and vegetables. This is also a good time to take a minute to clear out your produce drawers. Pull out anything that needs to be used right away and make room for all the fresh new produce!
I store some things in plastic bags. Broccoli, cauliflower, and squash goes in bags, usually with a paper towel to keep them dry. Bell peppers, lemons, and limes just go straight in the produce drawers. Usually I arrange avocados in a big bowl with the apples and bananas. Also fruit in big bowls just makes me happy! Keep an eye on the avocados so you can use them as soon as they are ripe or move them to the fridge.
Save money with produce wash!
As I mentioned in the beginning, using this produce wash has several benefits. We all throw out too much food. Really any amount of food that is thrown away is too much. It happens but you can easily reduce or eliminate waste. Everyone is affected by the high cost of food right now and one way to help reduce your budget is to eat everything you buy. Taking the time to wash your fresh produce really helps it stay fresh longer so you can use it all.
I have a large family and we prioritize eating as healthy as we can. This means I cook nearly all our food from scratch and we eat fresh whole food as much as possible. We also are a single-income family on a budget like so many other families. I spend a lot of our budget on fresh produce. Even though the up front cost seems higher than buying convenience food, mixes, and packaged snacks, in the long run it’s cheaper.
My goal with writing here on Ma Says is to share what I’ve learn about feeding a large family on a budget. That includes menu planning, shopping, cooking, food storage, baking, learning new skills, and being creative. Hopefully you can pick up a few new ideas from me that will help you care for yourself and your family!
