How to: Safely Prep Fruits and Veggies

I exchanged a couple emails with a friend recently about how I clean vegetables for our salads. It got me to thinking that if this friend had questions, that others who are newer to overseas life might have questions, too. So, this is just a quick little post on what I do to prep the fruits and veggies we eat--specifically ones we eat raw.

When I was a kid living in Africa, my mom used to buy this stuff called Milton. It was a food-safe bleach that she used for washing all our fruits and veggies. It left a bit of a flavor but it was safer than the alternative! Over the years, my mom got to where she only used this for things that she didn't peel--like tomatoes. I have never seen a food bleach here in China, but you can find a fruit and veggie wash in the dish soap aisles of your local grocery store. I often have a thing of that on hand. Since we (and most locals) do not consider tap water safe to drink, I also don't think it is safe for leaving on my fruits and veggies.

In general, for anything that we are cooking, I don't worry. I use regular tap water and just wash however I want to make sure its free of dirt. The following is my method for other things:

Lettuce, fresh spinach, cilantro, green onions, or other leafy greens: I usually use boiled water* and veggie wash soap. I do a light scrub on the leaves between my hands. I then rinse them well with more boiled water. I lay out on a rack or towel to air dry a bit. I then store them in a ziplock, with paper towels layered in there to absorb some extra water. Sometimes I then use my salad spinner (Ikea!) if there is still extra water or dry the leaves a bit with paper towels.

Carrots, cucumbers, and other peeled vegetables: Wash well with tap water. Lightly towel dry and then peel. Or use boiled water and don't worry about drying.


Tomatoes, bell peppers, and unpeeled veggies: Use tap water and a little veggie soap to wash and then towel dry really well, or use boiled water and same method, but don't have to worry about drying as well.


Grapes and strawberries: These are two fruits I can think of that you don't peel. I generally wash them well in boiled water with the fruit/veggie soap. For grapes I then rinse and allow to drain in a colander before refrigerating. For strawberries I often do several rinses since they are really porous and grow on the ground. I then allow them to air-dry on a towel.


*Boiled water--When I know I'm going to be prepping lots of veggies, I try to remember to boil up tap water rather than use our bought drinking water. According to my mom, who is a certified travel health nurse, the CDC says water is safe for drinking after boiling for 1 minute. Yep, that's it. One minute. So I boil water for a minute and pour it out into mixing bowls and allow it to cool to room temperature before using it.


Disclaimer: This is what I do, and our family and guests have not gotten sick. I can't vouch for the water or cleanliness of veggies where you live. If others around you follow other measures, its probably good to learn from them, too!