Even if you grow your own organic vegetables or you purchase organic fruits and vegetables, it is necessary to wash fresh produce properly before using it or eating it. Although organic produce is free of pesticides and chemicals, there may still be dangerous bacteria living on the surfaces of organic fruits and vegetables. Take the time to wash your fresh organic produce before serving or preparing it for eating.
Wash your hands thoroughly using warm water and soap for at least 15 seconds prior to handling or preparing any food in the kitchen.
Place the produce you want to wash into the colander. Place the colander under running water and lightly spray the produce with water for a light, initial rinse.
Use a vegetable scrubber to scrub the surface of organic potatoes, root vegetables and carrots. Peel these vegetables with the vegetable peeler for vegetables that are most likely to be free of dirt or bacteria.
Use your hands to scrub the surface of grapes, apples, plums and other smooth fruits. Rinse the fruits under cool water after scrubbing with your hands.
Wash the outer surfaces of melons with cool water. Use the vegetable scrubber to scrub thoroughly at the rinds prior to cutting them open.
Place berries in the colander and rinse them thoroughly with cool running water. Drain the berries over a plate and serve.
Wash the outer rinds of citrus fruits prior to peeling or cutting. Use the vegetable scrubber to thoroughly scrub all surfaces and rinse the fruits under cool water.
Run water thoroughly over leafy vegetables such as herbs, spinach and lettuces. Remove the outer-most leaves and discard. Wash each leaf separately. Place the washed leaves into a produce spinner to dry them, if desired.
Dry the washed produce with paper towels. Serve or prepare immediately or store in the refrigerator.