OK! Now that I am living in Baja (Ensenada), I'm starting to get more involved with cooking again and need to know how to properly clean fruits and
vegetables. I remember many months ago reading some posts about the dangers of eating green leaf type veg's without rinsing them in a solution of
iodine (at least I believe it was iodine). Same rule applied when it was a fruit like tomatoes or peaches where you would normally eat the entire
fruit without peeling them.
The post mentioned that the Mexican farmers used insecticides that were much stronger than what was legally allowed in the US, hence the need to
thoroughly rinse them in this solution before cooking or eating. True? Not true? Is there another method that would suffice?
Thanks.DENNIS - 5-1-2007 at 12:18 PM
BB1A ----
Don't they use iodine for water purification? Think they do. I suppose a dilute solution woudl be good for washing veggies. Wouldn't want to
overdo it. Your food might taste like old bandaids.Fred - 5-1-2007 at 12:23 PM
I just rinse them in the Mexican water you are not to drink. Haven't been sick once in Mexico. Been going since the 60's.Bob and Susan - 5-1-2007 at 12:26 PM
exposure unnecessarily to iodine can damage the thyroid.
a damaged thyroid can affect your skin your lungs and reproductive organs
i''d think you'd want to stay away from iodine
just get used to he water
of course who know what's in a hostess twinkie and they taste GREAT!!!DENNIS - 5-1-2007 at 12:28 PM
Deep fried twinkies. The hit of the Del Mar fair. Healthy too.Cypress - 5-1-2007 at 12:31 PM
Anybody ever heard of "Peroxide"?BajaBruno - 5-1-2007 at 12:46 PM
Like Fred, I just rinse well in the local water; however, many Mexicans dip any veggie they can't peel into a dilute bleach solution. There is
actually a product in many Mexicans stores for doing this, but I suspect it is just bleach.
I guess Fred and I and others have been doing it right--just water, and a brush when appropriate.
I'm glad I looked this up, because the Dearly Beloved's mother uses a bleach solution and has beat me up for years because I don't. I'll send her
this little tidbit of info . . . bajajudy - 5-1-2007 at 03:42 PM
I also use tap water. The water that comes out of my tap smells like it already has enough bleach in it anyway.
Here is a funny(to me) story
I was at the organic market a few weeks back and a lady that I hadnt seen in years walked up to speak. We starting chatting about the market and how
lucky we were to have it. Then she proceeded to tell me that she just loved the vegies and that she took them straight home and washed them in one of
those over the counter washes. I said, WHY? She said to get all the bugs out. I told her that the wash was not for bugs but for the nasties that
get in the fields when the workers dont use the porto toilets. Plus I told her the bugs prove that the vegies are organic.
Here she is paying top dollar for organic vegies and then going home and dousing them in chemicals...duh
Which brings me to a question I have always had. Why do people think that they have to wash their vegies in Mexico but dont in the states....in 9 out
of 10 cases they are the same vegies, just reaching different destinations.Bob and Susan - 5-1-2007 at 03:45 PM
they gas them to ripen them in the states
gas kills EVERYTHING including the taste!!!
[Edited on 5-1-2007 by Bob and Susan]coconaco - 5-1-2007 at 08:59 PM
organic means the farmers spray at night.bajabound2005 - 5-1-2007 at 09:51 PM
You're supposed to wash them????
All kidding aside, for stuff I'm cooking, I was them in good ol' pila water in the sink. If it's to be eaten raw (lettuce, tomatoes, berries) I wash
them in the pila water then rinse them in fresh drinking water. We're still here to tell you about it.
[Edited on 5-2-2007 by bajabound2005]woody with a view - 5-2-2007 at 06:12 AM
Quote:
in 9 out of 10 cases they are the same vegies, just reaching different destinations.
i'd think in 9 out of 10 cases it's the same guy grunting in the field in different destinations.....beachbum1A - 5-2-2007 at 08:44 AM
Well, it appears that the consensus is to wash your fruits & veggies in "local" water only and not in any special solution.
Good enough for me but I wonder why they made such a big deal out of the dangers if you didn't. Hmmmmmmmmm
Should I stock up an some extra TP just in case?! Fred - 5-2-2007 at 08:52 AM
Beachbum......wash, eat and enjoy....................have a beer with your meals and that will take care of everythingDENNIS - 5-2-2007 at 11:56 AM
BB1A -----
Extra TP is a given in Mexico. Three things you never want to run out of.......film---gas---Pacifico and TP.
I meant four.beachbum1A - 5-2-2007 at 02:25 PM
Gotta get you updated Dennis; film type cameras have almost gone the way of rotary dial phones. Now it's "don't run out of batteries for your digital
camera" (but you were right on with the other three-esp. the Pacifico) Sharksbaja - 5-2-2007 at 03:14 PM
So the water that is unfit or unsure is not good enough to drink but good enough to rinse with. Wow, I'm cornfused. My mama never taught us those
thangs!Bob and Susan - 5-2-2007 at 03:59 PM
tp...
we have our supply too...
just in case
AmoPescar - 5-3-2007 at 01:02 AM
HEY THERE beachbum1A...
REGARDING THE WASHING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
I don't want to sound like some kind of nut who is paranoid, BUT...it is VERY important that you wash ALL of your fruits and vegetables before using
and consuming them. There are too many instances and reported cases of food borne bacterias and parasites to take a chance at not doing it. I'm sure
you've heard on the news of the many instances E. coli and other problems which have occured recently and in the past as well. Washing may not be a
guarantee against all of these problems, but can prevent them in many instances. Other simple sanitation practices can also help prevent problems.
There are studies showing that even prewashed and bagged vegetables and salad mixes can have very high levels of bacterias which can cause you to
become ill. Most people don't know that it is even important to wash items such as melons, which can have bacterias and organisms which can be
transmitted to the edible interior when cut. If you've ever opened a case of fruit in which some pieces have become moldy and rotten, you'll
understand the need for that.
IN BAJA - I would wash using only fresh bottled water or other water that you know is safe. Water from Pilas and other sources can be contaminated and
not be safe. If you were ever to see inside some peoples Pilas, you would know what I mean.
IS WASHING ENOUGH - MOST food safety experts feel that washing and some other simple sanitation practices are enough. MOST experts agree that no other
additives or chemicals are necessary to do the job. Use of them can impart bad flavors to the food and some could even be dangerous if used in the
wrong amount.
WASH AIDS - Buy yourself a couple of cheap tools to help wash.
1. VEGETABLE/FOOD BRUSH - for washing dirt and such off surfaces of melons, carrots, other root vegetables, etc.
2. COLANDER - a plastic one can be bought for as little as $1.00. Use for rinsing and draining.
3. SALAD SPINNER - use for washing lettuces and other leafy greens and spinning them dry. Mine was only $3.00-4.00 at Wal-Mart.
4. PLASTIC BOWL - or some other container which is smaller than your sink can be very useful for saving water.
If you want more information about this subject, all you need to do is go to GOOGLE and type in "washing vegetables." You'll find page after page of
information from all the leading universities and their agricultural extensions.
And again....You don't need to become paranoid and obsessive compulsive about it. Some simple care and a little time and money is ALL it
takes to be safer.
Miguelamo
[Edited on 5-3-2007 by AmoPescar]Capt. George - 5-3-2007 at 04:47 AM
buy lots of veggies, tacos y cerveza. Wash the veggies, then throw them away and eat the tacos..........
throw in some jalapenos and 2 cases of ass wipe and you'll have no trouble in Baja.beachbum1A - 5-3-2007 at 09:48 AM
Thanks Amopescar, the salad spinner really makes sense. Didn't see much use for one when I lived up north but here in Baja -it'll work! Anything to
eat a little more healthy is good in my book.
