Veggie Wash

Summer is upon us. In fact, today marks the official first day of summer. With summer comes tasty, delicious, healthy fresh fruits and veggies.  With produce comes the eternal question of organic vs regular vs who knows what else.  Suffice to say, organic produce comes at a premium, and sometimes it's hard to justify the cost when they can be twice as much as the non organic stuff.

You've probably heard of the "dirty dozen" by now, the produce that contains the most pesticide residue, but in case you haven't they are: 

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Domestic blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Sweet bell peppers
8. Spinach, kale and collard greens
9. Cherries
10. Potatoes
11. Imported grapes
12. Lettuce

But don't freak out too much yet. Pesticide isn't always a bad thing.

Last month, I learned of a veggie wash recipe from a guest post on Couponing to Disney that is not only economical but should help rinse off a bit of those pesticides.  My initial worry was that it would make my produce smell or taste vinegary but much to my glee, it didn't, even after soaking some blueberries in it for about an hour. (I'd forgotten about it. Ooops!)  Here's the recipe:


Produce wash:

1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
2 TBS baking soda
2 TBS lemon juice

Mix all ingredients and put in a clean spray bottle. Spray your produce well and let sit for at least 5 minutes before rinsing with clean water. Note: Make sure to first mix ingredients in deep container since there will be some fizzing from the baking soda & vinegar.