EWWWW!!! That came off my fruit?!

So a few years ago I was at a friends house for a play date with our kids.  As she was getting lunch together, I noticed the grapes soaking in water.  When I asked her about it she told me that she mixes water and vinegar together to clean the fruit.  Now, I am sure some of you have heard of this, but I never had.  Like I said in my post about the refrigerator, vinegar and water are a natural cleaner, I just didn't think to use it on my fruit.  So of course the next time I was cleaning fruit at home I tried it.  Can I just say, YUCK!!! There was so much dirt left over in the bowl after I dumped out the grapes!!!  I couldn't believe it!! All these years of just rinsing my fruit off with water!!  Now I know some people wash all of their fruit at once.  While this may save on time and maybe water, I don't suggest it.  It is best to wash as needed, you decrease the chance of it spoiling faster.  I know that when you wash grapes and you don't get them completely dry, the moisture locked inside a container can make it spoil faster.  This also works with veggies!! So, get out your fruit/veggie, a bowl(or your clean sink for bigger items), and some vinegar.  NOTE: If you are using your sink, make sure it is free of any chemical residues that may be there from cleaning.  I always put the fruit/veggie in the bowl/sink first.  Then I add water and a tablespoon (or more if needed) of the vinegar.  If you can't smell the vinegar, you probably need a little more. Let the fruit soak for a few minutes, then rinse and enjoy! :)

Something to think about...Do you wash the outside of your melons and pineapple before you start slicing?  Any dirt, chemicals, salmonella, etc. that was on the outside, will go inside once you make that slice.  Last year there was an outbreak of salmonella on cantaloupe!  Better to be safe then sorry and make sure it's all clean!

<3 Ashley