DIY Fruit & Vegetable Pesticide Wash

I’ve been making cold-pressed juices a few times a week. Somehow, drinking fresh juice made me think about the cleanliness and safety of them in a way that I never do in cooked food. As I have not decided to buy organic produce, I’m concern also about the pesticide residual in them.

So I did some research and found a trusted homemade wash recipe to help reduce the pesticide residue in them. Some recipes use baking soda and citrus juice. The former which is not as common and the latter has short shelf life. The recipe I’ve chosen is the most convenient of all; requiring only salt and vinegar.

MATERIALS

Vinegar 1/4 cup
Sea salt 2 tbsp

INSTRUCTIONS

To make veg and fruit wash, simply mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 2 tbsp of sea salt. Or you can follow the steps below:

1. Soak fruits and vegetable in a clean basin filled with filtered water

2. Add vinegar

3. Add salt

4. Soak for 20 minutes

TIPS

• While this recipe uses two non-perishable items (vinegar and salt) hence more convenient, it might make more economic sense to use 1 tbsp of citrus juice (e.g lime juice) and 2 tbsp of baking soda. I will be making this soon when I get hold of the items.
• As I don’t want to be measuring 1/4 cup of vinegar every time I wash my produce (which is almost everyday), I found a small glass bottle and put a mark on the label. It’s now situated near the basin in which I soak fruits and vegetables. All I need to do is to pour that amount up to the mark to reach to a quarter cup.

Do you normally soak your veggies?