The first day of Spring, March 19, 2024, brings sunshine and fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Seasonal foods refer to the times of year when certain foods are at peak, either in terms of harvest or its flavor.
This usually means the food is available, at its freshest and the least costly on the food budget
Other than year-round foods, imported and shipped-in foods, fresh produce you should being to see include: Asparagus, Artichokes, Avocado, Cabbage, Spinach, Green onions, New Potatoes, Peas, Snap peas and Snow peas, Radishes, Scallions and Sweet Onions. Spring fruits are apricots, strawberries, cherries.
Why Wash Fruit and VegetablesEvery year, nearly 48 million people fall ill from food contamination, including sickness caused by fruits and vegetables. Animals, dangerous substances in soil and water, poor hygiene of food employees and several other reasons can lead to contamination.
For example, produce may have pesticide residue as well as harmful bacteria. Bacteria such as Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli may all be lurking on your produce, whether they are organically grown or conventionally grown. These bacteria all cause food-borne illness and need to be washed away.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and health professionals report that fresh fruits and vegetables, whether they are organic or not, need to be thoroughly washed before eating.
Wait until just before you eat or prepare your fruits and vegetables to wash them. They have natural coatings that keep moisture inside, and washing them will make them spoil sooner.
Wash all pre-packaged produce, even if the label claims they are pre-washed. Clean the whole thing - even the parts you don't eat. Bacteria can live on the rinds or skins of foods like bananas, potatoes or rutabagas. Though you may peel them away and toss the coverings in the trash, the bacteria can be transferred from the rind to the knife, then on to the part you're cutting.
First Steps to Wash Produce
Start by keeping your kitchen countertops, refrigerator, cookware and cutlery clean. Always wash your hands before preparing meals and handling fruits and vegetables.
Wash Hands and Surfaces. To stay safe when cleaning fresh fruits and vegetables, always begin with clean hands. wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling them. Also, thoroughly wash any surface they touched, including knives and cutting boards. Never cut or peel fruits and vegetables before washing them, as this can contaminate the flesh.
Always dry produce with a clean cloth and cut away damaged areas before serving. When working with cabbage and lettuce, discard the outer leaves but do not fail to wash the inner leaves.
Prepare Solution. Cleaning produce with vinegar helps kill bacteria to ensure your fruits and vegetables are safe for consumption.
According to Colorado State University, blending lemon juice with the vinegar mixture makes it more effective by increasing the acidity. This can help kill increased amounts of bacteria, including E. coli.
Prevents Spoiling. Washing berries with a vinegar solution offers additional benefits -- it prevents them from molding within a few days of purchase. When shopping, choose unbruised and undamaged produce. You should always wash oranges, melons, squash, pineapple and other produce with inedible rinds -- cutting or peeling the produce will transfer contaminants to the edible flesh.
Washing Fruits and Vegetables
Fill a spray bottle with solutions. Spray each piece of produce with vinegar water to coat them and then scrub down the produce quickly and thoroughly with a vegetable brush.
Gently rub fruits and vegetables under running water. Don't use any soaps, detergents, bleaches or other toxic cleaning chemicals. These chemicals will leave a residue of their own on your produce.
Firmer items, such as apples and potatoes, can be scrubbed with a vegetable brush while rinsing with clean water to remove dirt and residues.
Remove and discard the outer leaves of lettuce and cabbage heads, and thoroughly rinse the rest of the leaves.
Rinse berries and other small fruits thoroughly and allow them to drain in a colander.
Rinse all the produce thoroughly with water and pat dry with a clean towel or paper towels.
Note that even if you won't be eating the skin of the produce, you should still wash it because bacteria and pesticide residue can be transferred from your skin to the peeled food.
Commercial Washing Solutions
You can also buy fruit and vegetable wash in your produce section. If you choose to use store-bought fruit and vegetable wash, follow the directions on the packaging.
Commercial sprays and washes really aren't any better than cleaning thoroughly with plain water, so don't waste your money on them.
* Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Eating, eHow, Nutrition, Wikipedia
Choosing the cuisine and recipes for the meal -- especially buying recipe ingredients from your local grocery store -- has a lot to do with what food is available. Over the course of a year (through the growing seasons) what foods can you expect to find to help you plan your next meal or week of meals.
For example, some foods that are ripe in March are not there for picking in August. Some food are more readily available in one part of the world. Foods might have been affected by unexpected weather conditions, draught or infestation.
You can get foods out-of-season fruits and vegetables, but the cost increases that include shipping from far away markets can blow the food budget.