Most berries should not be washed until they are being used. Excess water can cause premature spoilage for delicate, antioxidant-rich fruits like blueberries and raspberries, even gooseberries.
(Because blueberries are so delicate, running them under the water may cause breakage) Swish the berries around and drip dry! REMEMBER- Make sure to rinse berries 'as you go'… rinsing them all at once can cause them to absorb the water and become mushy too soon!
Cleaning blueberries before you eat them is an important way to remove mold and bacteria as well as pesticides. The easiest way to wash them off is by rinsing them under a gentle stream of cold water, although you can use vinegar for extra cleaning power.
People should thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating them. Produce that the manufacturer has prewashed does not require further rinsing, however. There are two main risks of eating unwashed fruits and vegetables: bacterial contamination and pesticides.
As a rule of thumb, washing with water reduces dirt, germs, and pesticide residues remaining on fresh fruit and vegetable surfaces. Washing and rubbing produce under running water is better than dunking it. Wash fruits and vegetables from the farmers' market, your home garden, and the grocery store.
When last tested in 2014, blueberries contained over 50 different pesticides. Testing in 2020 and 2021 found 54 different pesticides — about the same amount. Two insecticides, phosmet and malathion, were found on nearly 10% of blueberry samples, though the levels decreased over the past decade.
Blueberries
Unless you plan to eat them immediately, there's no need to jump the gun on washing blueberries. These small summer fruits last longest when stored in the back of the refrigerator, and washed just before eating.
The takeaway: Since organic produce isn't any more or less likely than conventional to carry a scary disease, and since even organic fruits and veggies might contain traces of pesticides on their skins, always wash it, just like you would any other produce.
Clean fruits and vegetables before eating, cutting, or cooking, unless the package says the contents have been washed. Wash or scrub fruits and vegetables under running water—even if you do not plan to eat the peel. Germs on the peel or skin can get inside fruits and vegetables when you cut them.
Place blueberries in kitchen colander. Run cool water over the blueberries to get them wet. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda over the wet blueberries. Use your hands to gently distribute the baking soda throughout the blueberries, and continue to agitate for 30-45 seconds.
Dip in white vinegar.
After the quick rinse, to further extend the freshness of your blueberries, mix three parts water with one part white vinegar and briefly dip the berries in the mixture. The vinegar solution further removes dirt and debris from the porous skin.
To dry berries after washing, carefully spread them in a single layer on a tray or baking sheet lined with paper towels. Gently pat the berries dry with another paper towel.
Wash strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries in either cold or cool water. Doing so removes pesticides, dirt, and mold. 4. Gently dry berries on the countertop.
Immerse your berries in the water and gently stir in order to wash. Let the berries soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the berries in a colander and rinse under running water. Place berries in salad spinner lined with paper towels.
Commercially frozen blueberries have been washed—use them directly from the bag. Refrigerate thawed blueberries and use within 3 days. Use any frozen blueberries within one year of purchase.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you wash your produce to avoid food-borne illnesses like norovirus, which is the country's leading cause of disease outbreaks from contaminated food.
Washing Produce at the Packinghouse/Processor
It is common for produce to go through a postharvest rinse prior to arriving at the grocery store. Produce is washed in order to clean the produce, and to remove any microbial contaminants (e.g., Listeria, Salmonella, E.
Lemons – Lemons are the ultimate detox fruit. In fact, one cup of fresh lemon juice provides 187 percent of your daily recommended serving of vitamin C! They also contain more potassium than apples and grapes. Squeeze some into your water in the morning and on top of fresh salads and fish to get the full benefit.
According to the experts from The Environmental Working Group, white vinegar comes with acetic acid, which can dissolve chemicals such as pesticides present on the skin of fruits and veggies. The acid can also kill about 98 percent of bacteria on your produce.
Avoid blueberries that are bad look for soft or shriveled berries or ones that have any signs of mould. If you see juice stains in a container of blueberries, the fruit might be old and bruised.
1. Strawberries. Nearly all non-organic strawberries were contaminated with pesticides (99 percent), and they were the produce most likely to stay contaminated, even after they were washed in the field and at home.
Baking soda removes up to 96% of pesticides from fruit and vegetables.
It's simple really: just give them a quick bath in a vinegar and water solution the moment you get them home, dry them, and place them in a clean container lined with paper towels. The vinegar helps to kill any mold that could cause them to spoil, and this method can make them last as long as 10 days in our house!