Top Tips For Washing Fruit & Veggies

We eat a lot of veggies and fruit in our house. Like, A LOT! So to keep everything as fresh as possible for as long as possible I like to prep it for optimal storage as soon as possible after getting it home from the shops. I’ve definitely noticed the shelf (fridge?) life of fresh produce increase after taking a few extra steps, so it’s well worth the effort. I’m all about preventing as much food waste as possible!!

So here’s a walk through step-by-step of how I prep my fruit and veggies to get the most out of them;

Buy in season and as local as possible

Before I even get onto all the step-by-step stuff it’s important to note that there’s no point going to all the effort of prepping and storing your produce if it’s already limp and not at it’s best because it’s been sitting in cold storage for ages or being shipped from some far flung corner of the earth. So my number one rule is that I only buy stuff that’s in season, super fresh and sourced from as nearby as possible. Why buy kiwis flown in from the US when we’re a stones throw from New Zealand?

Prep everything ASAP

I know the last thing we feel like doing after slogging through the front door with all the groceries is take the extra time to trim, wash and prep everything properly to go in the fridge. But I promise it’s worth the effort when it means you extend the lifespan of your food that let’s face it, who isn’t feeling the pinch with groceries globally costing what they do these days! Not to mention the ease of having everything ready to eat straight out the fridge. It saves water washing everything in one go and will increase the chances of more things being eaten spontaneously and extras getting added into lunchboxes if the prep is already done. Kids! Husbands! Do you hear me!?! EAT that food!

Inspect your haul

Before washing, check each item for signs of freshness. Discard any fruits or vegetables that show signs of spoilage, mould, or unusual discoloration to ensure everything is in a similar state. Just one mouldy raspberry can spread and spoil an entire punnet. So fish out all the soft, squishy “meh” looking bits. Trim off outer leaves that look a bit battered and bruised such as the ones often on cauliflower, celery etc. But don’t be too hasty, the soft tender cauliflower leaves right near the cauliflower heart taste delicious and don’t forsake things like broccoli stalks, that once trimmed of any woody bits are just as delicious if diced and cooked with the rest of the veg.

Remove chemicals & dirt the natural (and cheap) way

We all know by now that anything bought in supermarkets is sprayed within an inch of it’s life with chemicals, but feeding a family an all organic diet isn’t usually in the budget either. So to compromise I use vinegar to strip the chemical residue, dirt and bacteria from my produce, helping to extend the time before it starts to spoil. But some things just don’t like vinegar and can be damaged by the acidity and can absorb the taste even. Then I discovered bicarb! Whatever you call it, baking soda or sodium bicarbonate it will give your fruit and veggies a spa-like treatment leaving them clean and cleansed of chemicals and zapping any bacteria and mould that would ordinarily accelerate it’s demise. But also won’t leave a funky vinegary after taste.

Get your clean on!

• Fill a large bowl or container with water, add a tablespoon of baking soda (bicarbonate soda) and a splash of vinegar, insert your fruit or veggies, allow to soak for a few minutes and then scrub with a brush or rough cloth.
• Start with the harder more robust things likes apples, pears, citrus, grapes etc. Working your way down to the softer more fragile things.
• Refresh the water/bicarb mix when it starts to look too dirty. Save soft and porous things like raspberries and strawberries till right at the end and only use bicarb to avoid the vinegar being absorbed and spoiling the soft fruit faster than necessary.
• Finally, rinse your veggies with fresh, clean water again.
• For leafy vegetables and things with lots of crevices like cauliflower, broccoli etc, using a salad spinner can be a great help to remove all the excess water.

Storage solutions

The only thing I don’t actually wash is leafy greens (spinach, salad leaves, lettuce, kale etc) Excess moisture causes them to rot faster in the fridge. So I keep these vegetables unwashed until it comes time to use them. If you prefer prewashing so your greens are ready to use, wrapping them in a clean tea towel or paper towel, or butchers paper will help absorb the excess moisture. Just keep in mind that this may over dry the greens and cause some wilting, so they won’t keep quite as long. To get the longest life out of your leafy greens, remove and discard any brown or slimy leaves and then store the rest in an airtight container.

I invested in some fruit and veggie storage containers that have a sieve insert which helps keep the produce dry and not sitting it’s in own juices as it drains a little more in the fridge. They also have little air vents in the lid which are ideal for soft fruit like berries to prevent moisture build up and lets the ethylene gas (the gas that ripens fruit) escape the container.

Get the kids involved

Not only will it make the whole process go faster, but you can have conversations around different types of fruit and veggies. Teach your kids about the importance of washing fruits and vegetables before eating them. This will instil healthy habits early on by involving them in the process and explaining why cleanliness matters. As well as getting them to explore different kinds of foods in their raw “fresh from the farm” state will encourage more curiosity around different tastes and textures, especially if you have a fussy eater or a veggie phobe.