I Love Vinegar ...

... yes, I do!

I Love Vinegar,

How 'bout you?!?

(Feel free to picture me with pompoms right now)

So, vinegar's pretty much da bomb. It can do all sorts of things, like kill mold, become salad dressing, and apparently, even stop cats from fighting. Basically, it's a miracle substance.

A friend recently wanted more information about how I use vinegar to wash my produce. This is very unscientific -- although I have read several times (and sorry I can't cite the sources; I've now forgotten) that vinegar works as well as commercial produce washes alone, and that washing produce in water alone tends to leave pesticide residue on the surface.

So I put a big splash of vinegar in a bowl (to measure -put in enough to make the sound "glug, glug.") Then I fill the bowl with water and put the fruits and veggies in for a couple of minutes. Then, I pour the veggies into a collander and rinse with cold water. Before storing them, allow them to dry completely.

Here are a few questions I've received about this process:

Q: Don't your fruits and vegetables taste like vinegar?

A: No.

Q: Please elaborate.

A: As long as you rinse them in water first, they taste fine.

Q: Do you do this just before you eat them?

A: You can. But if you are trying to eat fewer processed foods, sometimes it's easier if you wash all of your produce when you get them from the grocery store. I try to do that, except when I am being really lazy.

Q: Should I wash things with a peel, like avocados?

A: Yes! Cutting into such veggies can cause cross-contamination, as your knife slices through the peel and then into the part you eat.

Q: How did you learn all of this amazing stuff?

A: I am a genius. Also, my friend Kelly is a domestic goddess teaches me the ways of the truly tidy.