There is something that we can do to kill microorganisms on our raw vegetables.
1. Buy some "regular" Clorox bleach. On the label it should say Active Ingredient: Sodium Hypochlorite 6%. There should be no other active ingredient. If there is, don't use it.
2. Mix a small amount of the bleach into a container of water (one teaspoon per one gallon of water). The water should be cool or cold, not warm or hot. Use this mixture right away because bleach evaporates fairly quickly once air hits it.
3. Place your vegetables into the water/bleach mixture. Put a plate or something on top of them to keep them down in the water. Let them soak for ten minutes. Vegetables that are tightly bound together (cabbage, spinach, lettuce, etc.) will have to be seperated. Cabbage may only need the outer leaves seperated since the head is so tightly bound.
4. After ten minutes, pour the water/bleach mixture out. Refill the container with plain water (this is for rinsing) and let the vegetables soak for another ten minutes.
5. After ten miunutes pour the water out and place the clean vegetables on a towel to dry out. When the air makes contact with the vegetables, any remaining residue of the water/bleach residue will evaporate. This procedure can be done with fruits also.
If you are in a bind for time, focus on the grown-in-the-ground vegetables. Organic vegetables need to be soaked also since manure is commonly used in the growing of all vegetables.
This is a fairly standard procedure for decontaminating vegetables. The bleach is better than vinegar or hydrogen peroxide because it kills a wider variety of microorganisms. Both the Red Cross and EPA provide guidelines for using bleach (sodium hypochlorite) for decontaminating vegetables. A university professor some years ago initiated this procedure.
NOTE: The above information was compiled about 5 years ago. Before applying this information, be sure to check with the manufacturer of Clorox and make sure that no additional ingredients have been added that would make Clorox unsuitable for decontaminating fruits and vegetables. Also, go to the websites of the Red Cross and EPA and check to see what their latest recommendations are regarding the use of bleach for decontaminating fruits and vegetables.
