How to Clean Vegetables

Filed in archive Latin Food on March 26, 2008

Why do you need to worry about cleaning your vegetables? Well, because the water used to rinse them before they get to the market isn't always clean. And large grocery chains at home and abroad sometime add wax to the water to make everything shiny and attractive... but the wax can trap bugs.

If it's something you're going to peel, then no problem. Rinse it well and peel away.

But if you're looking at lettuce or broccoli or some other veggie you can't peel, then disinfecting it is a good plan if you want to eat it raw.

These are a the options I know of:

* Iodine - Follow instructions, and rinse well with purified water afterwards.
* Microdyn - This is a popular brand in Mexico, BTW (easy to find). Follow the instructions on the bottle and make sure to let it sit for the full 15 minutes.
* Chlorine - Use very little (maybe 10 drops per liter) and rinse with purified water.
* Hydrogen peroxide - Quarter cup for a sink full of water, rinse with purified water.
* White vinegar - Spray and let them sit a few minutes, rinse with purified water or prepare.
* Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) - About 15-20 drops per quart of water, let them sit a few minutes, ready.

If you know of any others, fell free to jump in.