When Is The Right Time To Wash Your Fresh Produce?

Whether you get it from the farmer's market or the grocery store, one of the best things you can do for your health is to eat lots of fresh produce in a variety of colors. Don't forget to buy those fruits and veggies in season (not doing so is one of the biggest mistakes people make when shopping at the supermarket). But if you bring your colorful haul into the kitchen and immediately give everything a rinse before storing it away, you might want to think again.

The right time to wash your produce isn't before it gets stashed away in the fridge, pantry, or counter basket — it's right before you're going to cook or eat it. Even if you give your produce a whirl in the salad spinner, the water clings to the surface, creating a moist environment where bacteria can flourish; leading to your produce going slimy faster (who has the big bucks to shell out nonstop for fresh produce in this economy?).

In almost all cases, some running water is all you need to wash your produce correctly — no fancy detergents and certainly no bleach. And yes, you should be washing everything, including produce you plan to peel. While the peel does protect the flesh inside from bacteria, when you cut into it with a knife the blade will disperse any bacteria it touches on the surface to the flesh as it slices through.

Peel off any produce stickers and remove any twist ties before you get started. Further, when it comes to leafy greens, you'll want to pluck individual leaves off before rinsing so that the water can get at the dirt that might be lurking in the core. You could also soak the leaves for a little bit as well. For root vegetables and mushrooms you can give them a brush under running water to help remove dirt and debris. Also, if you buy bagged produce, like spinach, and it says it was already washed, you don't need to do it again — it's clean!