new thing

Ever since I saw a pin on Pinterest about washing your fruit with vinegar, I have been researching it a lot! It is reported that cleaning fruits and vegetables with vinegar can kill approximately 98 percent of bacteria. 

There are so many different variations, but in the end I have started using an apple cider vinegar wash in a bowl (you can use white vinegar too). Basically you fill a bowl with one part apple cider vinegar and 3 parts water (or something similar) and you let them soak and mix the berries gently. After soaking you wash them in cold water and pat dry. Easy! (I was shocked by the dirt at the bottom of my bowl.)

For hard skinned fruits and vegetables, you can fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray them directly and then rinse under water.

Here are some resources I found:

http://www.realfooddigest.com/how-to-wash-your-produce/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14540742

http://www.livestrong.com/article/255880-how-to-clean-fruits-vegetables-with-vinegar/

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/cleaningtipsandrecipes/qt/Produce_Wash.htm

I feel better knowing the fruit and vegetables my kids are eating are pretty free of bacteria and dirt.