That's why fruits and vegetables are washed

Fruit and vegetables are washed, no matter if it's from the supermarket, market stall or from the health food store. Why this is and you will find tips for proper washing here.

Residues of pesticides are sitting on the shell

Sometimes it is quite tempting to grab the fruit immediately after shopping and not to wait for it to be washed. Even with the vegetables may come up with the idea to give it unwashed in the pan. But you should not do that because on the surface of fruits and vegetables can be residues of pesticides as well as bacteria or fecal germs.

Also organic products should be washed

Washing also applies to products that bear, for example, a bio-seal. Although this guarantees that they are grown without pesticides, artificial fertilizer or sewage sludge. But that does not mean that they are free of sand, soil, bacteria, mold or worm eggs. Organic fruit or not, the goods are harvested, packaged, transported, stored, sorted, resorted, wandered through more or less customer hands, until they then found their destination with you.


Ready-to-eat ready-to-eat salad becomes a germ spinner

The packaging of ready-made salad advertises that the salad has already been washed. You should nevertheless wash it thoroughly before eating, although you will buy it because it is already ready to eat. Stiftung Warentest found germs in almost every second sachet during a test in 2013. The fact that the lettuce leaves are cut up, germs find good conditions to multiply at the destroyed leaf structure. The manufacturers try to counteract by pumping a protective gas in the bag. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment points out in a statement from 2011 on the rapid microbial spoilage and advises persons with weakened immune system to abstain from the consumption of raw sprouts and packaged pre-sliced ​​mixed salad as a precaution.

So you can wash vegetables and fruits

Generally speaking, under cold water 98 percent of all bacteria are washed off after about 15 seconds. Longer you should not lift your fruits and vegetables under the tap, because otherwise the vitamins say goodbye. Fruit such as apple or pear can be rubbed off well while washing or even use a vegetable brush. Soft fruits such as berries are best poured briefly into a container filled with water and then left to drain in the sieve or spread on a paper towel. Because the fine skin of the berries is attacked by washing, they are now not so well protected from ruin. But if they are only washed shortly before eating, the protective skin does not matter. When washing lettuce it is similar to the berries: it does not belong under the current tap, but may be in the prepared water. In his case, the coarse is first removed, it should be comminuted properly only after washing to get vitamins and nutrients. For peeling vegetables such as carrots, washing before and after peeling is recommended so that the peeler or knife does not transfer the pesticides or otherwise.

Make anti-pesticide spray mixture yourself

To remove bacteria and chemical residues from heavier fruits and vegetables, you can make an anti-pesticide spray mix yourself. For this you need:

  • 1 spray bottle (do not take the used one from the balcony)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp vinegar white
  • 1 cup of water

With it you spray the surface. Everything with peel let it act for 10 minutes, the salad is enough for a few minutes. Then rinse thoroughly or water well. For soft-shelled fruits such as berries, this method does not work and the mixture may penetrate the fruit. The mixture itself is harmless and you can keep it for a few weeks.

Editor's tip: A practical salad spinner can also be used to prepare and serve salads (for example, buy online here).

Mayo Clinic Minute: Quick Tips for Washing Fruits and Vegetables | March 2024