more (less fun) produce facts:
- all produce should be washed prior to cutting. e.coli, listeria, and salmonella (to name a few) can all be introduced into the flesh of a fruit or vegetable from cutting through unwashed and uneaten peels, such as with avocados and melons.
- all produce with a peel that is not local should be washed prior to peeling or ingesting. apples, pears, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, and especially citrus, are typically treated with an aerosolized mixture of "food-grade" wax, fungicides, and pesticides prior to packaging to retard spoilage during shipping. the further it travels, the higher the concentration. the wax may be "food-grade", but the fungicides and pesticides are not. that weird residue on your hand after you peel an orange?
this is what that is. if you ever happen to see someone stocking citrus at the store, look at the corner of the box they're unpacking. in tiny letters it will detail what combination of chemicals is used.
- whole, intact fruits and vegetables are always preferable to prepared versions unless canned or frozen. there are two reasons for this. the first is that producers choose lower quality (ugly, sometimes bruised or rotten) items for packaging. this is why we have items such as "baby carrots", which are just ugly or old carrots winnowed down and bagged for marketability. the second reason is because every slice into a fruit or vegetable exponentially increases its ability to act as a vector for food-borne illnesses. consider all those bags of chopped salad. now consider how often those bags are subject to fda recall.
- don't trust the "triple-washed" labels. typically,
a substance known as a "produce treatment solution" is used while processing and packaging ready-to-eat produce. this is essentially a weak chlorine that is continuously sprayed across the factory production lines. it's approved by the fda for both conventional
and organic produce, and is also used on the wet racks in grocery store produce sections. unfortunately, this can result in what is known as
viable-but-nonculturable food-borne illnesses. basically, the bacteria become undetectable, but remain infectious, making it difficult, if not impossible, to trace the source of an outbreak, thus prompting frequent food recalls by the fda.
- the best produce is fresh, intact, and local. this isn't always possible, but eating whole produce, grown within a reasonable distance and within its growing season, is one of the simplest ways to promote health. the best way to clean that produce is with a low concentration of biodegradable soap and physically washing and/or scrubbing.
- finally, all leafy greens (lettuces, herbs) and stalked vegetables (broccoli, celery, corn) can be "crisped", so before you throw away that wilted spinach or those limp carrots, try this; fill a sink or large bowl with enough tepid water to float whatever you want to crisp. the water temperature is important, tepid is generally 70 degrees. using a sharp knife, cut off a bit of the stem of each item you want to crisp. place the produce in the water for 10-20 minutes. remove the items and shake or pat with a towel to remove excess water, then place the items in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours. what you are doing is opening the plant's vessels so that moisture moves into the plant, then chilling it so that those vessels close and distribute the moisture within the plant's structures. more often than not, it will rehydrate beautifully.
