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Bought some Florida tomatoes but half afraid to eat them. How long do germs stay alive on firm surfaces like tomatoes or apples. I planned to take a tomato and mayo sandwich to work today.
Sanitizing tomatoes?
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Wash them just like you wash your hands after handling them.
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I've always rinsed fruits and veggies with cold water rubbing gently so I don't damage them, especially apples because you can still see some of the white residue pesticide on some of them. I don't use soap because I'm afraid I might taste some of the soap if I don't wash all of it off.
Never got sick that I know of from this method. :wink2:
Never got sick that I know of from this method. :wink2:
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The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) notes that there is currently no evidence of COVID-19 transmission through food or food packaging.
According to Dr Tamika Sims, the Director of Food Technology Communications at the International Food Information Council, "Yes, there can be a virus transfer risk if someone carrying the virus sneezes onto your produce and within hours you touch it and then immediately eat it — but the chances of this occurring are slim."
However, you still should "sanitize" or clean your fruits and vegetable before eating them. These are the steps you should take before handling your fruits and vegetable once you get home:
Wash your hands first. Remember, you have just been in the nasty outside world and you need to get rid of any nasty stuff you may have come in contact with.
Don't clean your produce until you are ready to eat it. Just put it where you normally would. You don't want to wash off the natural protectants the produce has and you don't want to add any additional moisture which could promote bacterial growth.
When you are ready to use the produce, rinse under cold water and be very thorough. Use cold water, NO BLEACH!!, and put it in a colander to promote free flowing of water.
Rub produce if needed, scrub if warranted (potatoes, watermelons, etc..). If you don't eat the rind, use a mild soap when scrubbing, I use Dr. Bronners or Dawn, because you want the rind clean when you slice through it.
There are commercial produce sanitizers that you can add to a sinkful of water, I have no experience with them, that you can put things like lettuce in. Just be sure to rinse them and spin them dry.
The one thing I want to stress is DON'T do anything to the produce UNTIL you are ready to it it.
According to Dr Tamika Sims, the Director of Food Technology Communications at the International Food Information Council, "Yes, there can be a virus transfer risk if someone carrying the virus sneezes onto your produce and within hours you touch it and then immediately eat it — but the chances of this occurring are slim."
However, you still should "sanitize" or clean your fruits and vegetable before eating them. These are the steps you should take before handling your fruits and vegetable once you get home:
Wash your hands first. Remember, you have just been in the nasty outside world and you need to get rid of any nasty stuff you may have come in contact with.
Don't clean your produce until you are ready to eat it. Just put it where you normally would. You don't want to wash off the natural protectants the produce has and you don't want to add any additional moisture which could promote bacterial growth.
When you are ready to use the produce, rinse under cold water and be very thorough. Use cold water, NO BLEACH!!, and put it in a colander to promote free flowing of water.
Rub produce if needed, scrub if warranted (potatoes, watermelons, etc..). If you don't eat the rind, use a mild soap when scrubbing, I use Dr. Bronners or Dawn, because you want the rind clean when you slice through it.
There are commercial produce sanitizers that you can add to a sinkful of water, I have no experience with them, that you can put things like lettuce in. Just be sure to rinse them and spin them dry.
The one thing I want to stress is DON'T do anything to the produce UNTIL you are ready to it it.
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Yep, I wash produce to, especially stuff that comes in contact with the ground.
If I intend to eat the rind, but not cook it, I may not use soap. Perhaps a vinegar wash, but CV-19 is easily killed by warm to hot water and then I put it in an ice water bath to cool it down quick.
Berries and other delicate produce I find that I am buying more organic than before. And just doing a thorough cold water rinse with running water into the bowl.
If I am not going to eat the rind, then I will use soap, and probably scrub it a bit. Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Avocados, etc.. Mainly due to the sawing action of the knife could bring contaminants into the flesh.
When you bring berries home in their little plastic containers, just put them directly into the fridge, the little "blanket" at the bottom helps absorb ethylene gas and keeps the berries lasting longer.
If I intend to eat the rind, but not cook it, I may not use soap. Perhaps a vinegar wash, but CV-19 is easily killed by warm to hot water and then I put it in an ice water bath to cool it down quick.
Berries and other delicate produce I find that I am buying more organic than before. And just doing a thorough cold water rinse with running water into the bowl.
If I am not going to eat the rind, then I will use soap, and probably scrub it a bit. Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Avocados, etc.. Mainly due to the sawing action of the knife could bring contaminants into the flesh.
When you bring berries home in their little plastic containers, just put them directly into the fridge, the little "blanket" at the bottom helps absorb ethylene gas and keeps the berries lasting longer.
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Didn’t know the little blanket under berries actually served a purpose! Thanks.
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Pretty sure that also absorbs liquid as it does under raw meat.
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ktownskier, I don't know how to it it!:surprise:Maybe I'm not old enough?
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pbbbllltttt (the sound you make when blowing a raspberry)
Yes, I blew it Little Miss Nikki.
Both the Raspberry and my typing!!:devil3:
That should have been how to eat it.
And, it should have been "Yes, I wash produce too (as in also, or as well)
You must have had a good weekend to be so feisty.
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Wash that organic stuff, too. Organic means that instead of fertilizing with chemical fertilizer they use manure. I rent out some farm land. The farmer grows organic vegetables for grocery stores and restaurants. They put a huge quantity of chicken manure on it this year.
There is a process called Blanching, where you dip things in boiling water.
This boiling water kills , kills, kills.
And the short time that produce is in the water, does not harm the fruit.
Small berries, you must be very fast, but they survive too.
Then dry them on a paper towel.
Of course you use a utensil to place the fruit, and remove the fruit.
Never your hands.
ED
This boiling water kills , kills, kills.
And the short time that produce is in the water, does not harm the fruit.
Small berries, you must be very fast, but they survive too.
Then dry them on a paper towel.
Of course you use a utensil to place the fruit, and remove the fruit.
Never your hands.
ED
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Also organic does not mean no pesticides. Some natural pesticides can be used and still called organic.
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I just rinse and rub thoroughly with cold water.
My wife bought a cleaner specifically for fruits and vegetables.
So I guess if you are that concerned, you could find something like it. Try Amazon. You wont get it today, but you will have it.
I think the report/article above is wrong concerning chlorine bleach. I use a bleach solution to clean aquarium decorations. Then rinse well and set them in treated water before they go back into the tank.
My water has chlorine in it and we drink it.
I would say some bleach water is a good idea. Just wash them in the bleach treated water then rinse well.
My wife bought a cleaner specifically for fruits and vegetables.
So I guess if you are that concerned, you could find something like it. Try Amazon. You wont get it today, but you will have it.
I think the report/article above is wrong concerning chlorine bleach. I use a bleach solution to clean aquarium decorations. Then rinse well and set them in treated water before they go back into the tank.
My water has chlorine in it and we drink it.
I would say some bleach water is a good idea. Just wash them in the bleach treated water then rinse well.
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Yes, our water is treated with chlorine to make it safe. But, do you smell the chlorine when you drink the water?
When you clean the the aquarium and then rinse it, does it still smell of chlorine?
I think ingesting any amount of chlorine when you can still chlorine is probably not good for you.
The same for produce, if you can smell the chlorine on the produce, then you should rinse it further.
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To me organic means more $$$ for the product. I don't buy organic anything, and I grow my own tomatoes. Just planted 6 tomato plants and 18 various pepper plants.
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I tend to agree with you on organic. However if you ever drink organic milk, you may never go back to regular milk.
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I drink skim milk, yes it's like water but 1%,2% or whole milk tastes like cream now that I'm used to it.
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Me too. Skim milk. But buy whole milk for Mashed potatoes, etc.
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We use whole organic milk for everything. I also use whole everything. There is not one food item in the house that has low fat or reduced fat on the label
Of course some foods are naturally low in fat anyway.
Salted butter, no margarine and I even have a tub of lard in the fridge. If it was less expensive, I would deep fry in lard, not vegetable oil.
Lard makes fries the best in the world!!!!!
Oh...Sorry. There is one thing. Bud Light. I do drink light beer unless I'm eating out.
I really love Dos Equis dark draught beer. The big one! Ice cold.
I get this each time I go for Mexican! I love Mexican.
Of course some foods are naturally low in fat anyway.
Salted butter, no margarine and I even have a tub of lard in the fridge. If it was less expensive, I would deep fry in lard, not vegetable oil.
Lard makes fries the best in the world!!!!!
Oh...Sorry. There is one thing. Bud Light. I do drink light beer unless I'm eating out.
I really love Dos Equis dark draught beer. The big one! Ice cold.
I get this each time I go for Mexican! I love Mexican.
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