How do you wash your veg?

Do you just rinse? Or try to wash as much as you can? Peel carrots etc?

I've noticed more chalky substances on things like cabbage - and I assume it's pesticides... how on earth are we meant to get them off :?

Re: How do you wash your veg?

I read too quickly and thought the question was "how do you wash your leg?"

I use a dab of plain dish soap for peppers, tomatoes apples and such. Sometimes I just rinse - berries, celery, lettuce, spinach. I haven't noticed the chalky stuff you mention, but I toss the outer leaves of cabbage anyway.

Re: How do you wash your veg?

I have a little nail brush I keep for scrubbing hard vegetables and fruit, soft ones I wash in a basin of water then rinse.

I buy organic when possible and pick greens with insects on, they are a good indication of safe to eat veg and they can be washed off in salt water

Re: How do you wash your veg?

What a good idea!

Re: How do you wash your veg?

I may be a lone voice here but I think that most people are over-fussy about cleanliness. When I prepare the veg they get a quick rinse under warm water and the likes of potatoes and carrots get peeled.

Re: How do you wash your veg?

A wash in cold water.

Re: How do you wash your veg?

I rinse under running water, with a bit of a scrub and peel for the ones that need it. Outer leaves always come off of green veg. With stuff that is being cooked I rely on the heat to kill of any nasties and I always examine fruit and veg for freshness etc. before I buy. I try not to worry about pesticides. I do think about them, but it's difficult to be sure nothing has been used and I don't buy organic very often. Meg's idea about the insects is a good one.

Re: How do you wash your veg?

I don't grow vegetables these days but years ago any greens picked from the garden were thoroughly washed in lightly salted water to remove any insects - they were then rinsed again in fresh water. Outer leaves were always discarded.

New potatoes and carrots are always scrubbed with a vegetable brush, parsnips are peeled.

Peppers and tomatoes are thoroughly rinsed in a bowl of cold water.

Apples and pears are 'scrubbed' with a soft brush (although my hubby still insists on peeling his!); soft fruit is put in a colander and rinsed with cold running water.

Re: How do you wash your veg?

Same here.

Re: How do you wash your veg?

Thanks for the replies guys

I generally don't care about dirt/mud if I buy organic, so a quick rinse usually is enough for me (although I do scrub carrots instead of peeling)

However I can't always get organic and although I only buy 'quality' fruit and veg from shops like Waitrose and M&S I do feel they need washing, because even they use pesticides.

The main reason I was asking was because I think when the govt set pesticide-levels guidelines etc, they actually 'wash' the produce in a chemical solution to mimic us washing it - they don't actually wash it like we would. Which I think is odd - surely they need to do what people would do? I think it's fair to say most just rinse soft veg, and some brush harder veg (like pots and carrots).

So I do try to wash individual cabbage leaves in between my hands to try and get of as much of the 'chalky' substance as I can (which I assume are pesticide residues). As crops are sprayed many times a year I do it to all leaves not just the outer ones.

Next time you go shopping have a look a close look at green cabbage - see if you can spot that chalky white substance on it