geraldalexander7
Junior Nomad
Posts: 97
Registered: 5-3-2017
Location: La Paz-Winter/California-Summer
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Fruits & Vegetables?
Do you sanitize your fruits & veggies?
We just moved to La Paz for the winter and my wife
Is getting mixed views about this.....any input would be appreciated.
Thanks
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tobias
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I never bother in mexico or the states. Then again I have seen several brits and canadians that drink tap water in mexico and I never do that.
I eat raw carrots ,tomatoes , onions and all sorts of fruit.
If you have a sensitive digestive system you might want to be careful.
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weebray
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Location: La Paz
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Quote: Originally posted by tobias  | I never bother in mexico or the states. Then again I have seen several brits and canadians that drink tap water in mexico and I never do that.
I eat raw carrots ,tomatoes , onions and all sorts of fruit.
If you have a sensitive digestive system you might want to be careful. |
I agree I would rinse off fruit and veg until your system gets used to its new neighbors. Over the years we have relaxed this practice but still
clean "street" stuff. You will get a bout of turistas from time to time but it will "pass". Water from the tap is safe but saline. We run it thru a
Britta.
Every beautiful beach in the world needs a few condo towers - NOT.
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motoged
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I have learned to avoid fruit such as strawberries which are difficult to clean....and rinse leafy greens....which tend to be difficult to find in
smaller communities....
Otherwise....brush my teeth with tap water....and will boil it for coffee (bodum/instant coffee....not drip machines).
Don't believe everything you think....
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bajamary1952
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I eat a LOT of fruits/vegetables here since I'm vegetarian and never had a problem. Rather than buying those over-priced produce washes in the stores
just rinse produce with white vinegar. Does the same trick at a fraction of the price. I usually only wash with potable water.
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AKgringo
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I grew up in gold rush country in northern CA. There are numerous canals winding through the county that were originally used by the miners, but
became part of the water supply for ranchers, and subdivisions.
The 1930's era subdivision where we lived was one of those that had untreated ditch water on tap! sometimes during the heavy winter rains, we had
muddy water on tap, which needed a day or so in a jug for the red silt to settle out. Tasted great though!
In the late 50's, when my family started spending a few months every winter near Manzanillo on the mainland, we found that over the years we had
developed an immunity from the "tourista" problems that seemed to be afflicting all the Canadians and other Gringos that we met!
[Edited on 11-9-2018 by AKgringo]
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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BajaBlanca
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Location: La Bocana, BCS
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I rinse veggies and fruit in tap water, but we have also lived here for 13 years. That being said, even when we first moved here, we didn't do
anything special and I don't remember trouble with tourista.
Guess what, though: when we would go BACK to the US for visits, I got sick every time. It was awful. Thank goodness that ended after 5 years or
so.
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surabi
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Fruit and vegetables are watered with non-potable water and in some cases, quite polluted water. You can take your chances, or you can err on the side
of caution. I saok everything I would eat raw, not if it's going to be cooked.
And aside from the water the crops are watered with, do you have any idea how many hands have touched that piece of fruit or carrot before you
unkowingly chomp on it? I worked in the fruit picking industry- would you bite into an apple without disinfecting it if you saw someone sneeze or
cough into their hand before handing it to you? How about if you had just seen them walk out of the bathroom without washing their hands?
Wanna take unnecessary risks with your health? Go for it.
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bajabuddha
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IF common sense could be pre-packaged, bottled or brewed there'd be another 'Richest Person In The World' record. The old-school rule for Mexico is,
"If it isn't peeled or cooked, wash it".
Or not, ya spends yer money, ya takes yer chances.
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
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There's nothing lost in being cautious. So why not do it.
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fandango
Senior Nomad
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I wash or soak all fruits and veggies in 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts clean water, in the US and Mexico.
It’s as surabi says, too many hands. E. coli is too common now.
sbwontoo
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Cliffy
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I've seen lots of porta-toilets in the picking fields but I've never seen a hand washing station next to them (both here and below the border) :-)
You chose your position in life today by what YOU did yesterday
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torch
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| Quote: Originally posted by Cliffy | | I've seen lots of porta-toilets in the picking fields but I've never seen a hand washing station next to them (both here and below the border) :-)
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a few years back in baja I was shocked to see really nice porta pottys with hand washing stations and an attendant - which i was told later was there
to make sure hands were washed
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SunDevil
Junior Nomad
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Registered: 8-13-2003
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We use bleach to sanitize water for washing vegetables that we don't cook. Instructions are on the bottle.
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Cliffy
Senior Nomad
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torch- interesting, I never saw that. Maybe some effort is being done
You chose your position in life today by what YOU did yesterday
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BajaBlanca
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I use vinegar as salad dressing - natural astringent!
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