All Produce Needs a Good Bath Before Eating!

When Super Snack Lady visits classrooms and passes out produce to kids the students often comment that the produce is "wet".  Super Snack Lady simply explains that all produce is washed before she brings it to the classroom.  While most kids think this makes sense it begs the question of, "Why do I need to wash produce before I eat it?" Depending on where the produce comes from it can have pesticides, salmonella, or other bacteria on it.  Not to mention that everyone at the store touches the produce before you purchase it.

During classroom visit kids say things like, "At the store there is water spraying on it.  Isn't that washing it off?"  Or even, "I rub the apple on my shirt to clean it off, doesn't that count?" NO IT DOESN'T COUNT!!! All produce whether it is apples, leafy greens, celery, or anything else needs to be properly washed.  So that brings on the next question, "How do you wash produce?!"

Well Super Snack Lady washes her produce with a white vinegar and water solution.  For every 1 part of vinegar you put 3 parts of water.  Typically Super Snack Lady washes her produce in her sink by plugging the sink and then adding the water and vinegar.  However you can easily make the cleaning solution in a spray bottle and spray onto your produce.  Make sure you rinse the produce off after cleaning it too!  Cleaning produce with a white vinegar solution is proved to clean 98% of dirt, bacteria, and grime off of produce.

This is what the water looked like
after Super Snack Lady recently washed
celery in her sink.  Not only is the
water cloudy, but there is visible
dirt on the bottom of the sink.

After the water is drained there is
a ton of dirt at the bottom of the sink.
YUCK!  Super Snack Lady is happy
that the dirt is in the sink and not
on her yummy produce!