Pin 129

Original pin:

http://www.aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com/2011/06/kitchen-kapers-diy-fruit-veggie-wash.html

Vinegar and water fruit wash to kill mold and extend the freshness of produce.

I bought some fresh fruit at the farmer's market last week and decided to try out this wash to see if it really makes a difference.  I usually give the fruit a good rinse with water, let it dry, and then put it in the fridge. I had grapes, strawberries, and grape tomatoes. And before you even ask--I disinfected the sink prior to doing this.

I brought them home and dumped them in.

The website promised me filthy water when I was through. This is a sample of what I had. A little turbulent, solids that settled to the bottom. Nothing I would want to drink, but not really filthy either. Mostly it was those little hairs off the strawberries and little grape leaf remnants.

Did it fulfill it's promise? My strawberries lasted only four days before they showed signs of mold. The grapes showed mold in two days. Both of these seem earlier than usual when I wash with just water. Plus, the strawberries seemed to have soaked in the solution because they oozed watery fluid out of them and they didn't taste very sweet. Can I attribute this to the vinegar wash versus produce quality to begin with? No. I only did it once so I don't have anything else to compare it to. But I do shop at this farmer's market every week, and these were the poorest tasting strawberries I've had all summer. 

One thing it did do was cause me to immediately sort out any suspect items that may contribute to mold earlier--there were a few icky grapes in the bag and one strawberry was mushy on one side.

Total cost:$0

Total time: 10 minute soak, then a rinse, dry, and sort of the fruit. 20-ish minutes total

Final verdict: Seems that a good wash with water is working fine around here. Probably won't spend any time on this one again.