Sanitizing Greens

[gfweb]

I've always been phobic about raw greens and all the bugs they can infect me with.

 

Not corona...I'm not putting arugula in my nose. Its the GI bugs and hepatitis that concern me.

 

What are people doing to wash their greens? 

 

I'm thinking of using dilute chlorox (which FDA approves at 200 ppm which is about a tsp per quart).

 

 

 

 

[weinoo]

4 minutes ago, gfweb said:

I've always been phobic about raw greens and all the bugs they can infect me with.

 

Not corona...I'm not putting arugula in my nose. Its the GI bugs and hepatitis that concern me.

 

What are people doing to wash their greens? 

 

I'm thinking of using dilute chlorox (which FDA approves at 200 ppm which is about a tsp per quart).

 

I just triple wash them at home in changes of tap water...never had a problem.

What about using vinegar?

[heidih]

Nothing. No issues. Eat lots. But one works within one's comfort zone.  What "bugs" are you concerned about? It appears most recalls are from very handled/processed  greens. I do not go there.One of my farmers hands me a bunch and I may rinse off dirt but that is it - again - my personal way.

[gfweb]

14 minutes ago, heidih said:

Nothing. No issues. Eat lots. But one works within one's comfort zone.  What "bugs" are you concerned about? It appears most recalls are from very handled/processed  greens. I do not go there.One of my farmers hands me a bunch and I may rinse off dirt but that is it - again - my personal way.

 Norovirus, E. coli, Salmonella, HepA,... that stuff.

 

Unless I grow it myself, I have to buy at a supermarket so there's plenty of opportunity for supply chain contamination.

 

@weinoo I've seen descriptions about using diluted vinegar but I have my doubts.  All of the food borne stuff infects you after passing through the pH 2 or so stomach so its pretty acid resistant esp if only exposed for a minute.

[chromedome]

The most common recommendation is simply plain running water, in conjunction with otherwise-sound food handling practices.

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/7-tips-cleaning-fruits-vegetables

 

Some sealed, pre-washed products are safer without further washing...

 

https://extension.umn.edu/food-service-industry/wash-or-not-wash-recommendations-fresh-produce

 

..but yeah, you can use a (very) weak bleach solution if you want to.

https://extension.umn.edu/growing-safe-food/produce-wash-water-sanitizers

 

The latter two references are aimed at professionals, but whatever...

[Eatmywords]

My sister has been preaching the need to do more than rinse for years.  I think she uses that Veggie Wash All Natural (amzn).  Dawn too for some stuff w seems nuts.  We've argued over the need.  We'll continue to do no more than wash thoroughly while we await news of the side affects from using these products.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Eatmywords (log)

[KennethT]

I could be wrong, but living in the US, I'm not concerned about things like HepA and other water borne bugs... if I lived in Vietnam or India, that would be a different story.  Here in the US though, what I'm concerned about is contamination during picking in the fields - like if the field workers went to the bathroom, didn't wash/sanitize their hands and spread it all over the lettuce or something. But I think that's relatively rare, when compared to areas whose water supply is contaminated with HepA.

 

If you're really concerned, a lot of these water bourne bugs have vaccines - I get them every few years since I travel to places where it's known to be in the water supply.  Sure they're not 100%, but nothing is, right?

[Alex]

This is what I use. Germs don't stand a chance, plus I get that great wok hei aroma and taste.

 

 

 

 

But seriously, folks, I just use lots of plain water. 

Edited November 5, 2020 by Alex (log)

[dcarch]

There is really no reliable way to sanitize many kinds of vegetables.

 

If you look at a 3-D scanning microscope of a vegetable's surface, you will see the surface is like the moon surface, full of cracks, craters, hills, valleys. Plenty of nooks and crannies for pathogens to hide. 

 

Due to surface tension of water, water cannot get in these nooks & crannies very well, unless you use strong soapy water, which destroy surface tension. But then, it will take a lot of effort to wash out the soapy taste.

 

Ultrasonic power can do a better job of getting into tiny places thru cavitation. Ozone is a power agent for sterilization. They do sell vegetable sterilizer which uses both ultrasonic and ozone generator.

 

dcarch

 

 

 

[Eatmywords]

8 minutes ago, Alex said:

This is what I use. Germs don't stand a chance, plus I get that great wok hei aroma and taste.

 

 

 

And a wonderful timesaver when finishing multiple creme brulees!

[BeeZee]

When COVID panic levels were high (wipe all of your groceries) I soaked my fruits and veg in a dilute solution of Dr. Bronner's castille soap/water. They recommend about a 1/4 tsp per large bowl of water (volume of water not defined).

[gfweb]

35 minutes ago, dcarch said:

There is really no reliable way to sanitize many kinds of vegetables.

 

If you look at a 3-D scanning microscope of a vegetable's surface, you will see the surface is like the moon surface, full of cracks, craters, hills, valleys. Plenty of nooks and crannies for pathogens to hide. 

 

Due to surface tension of water, water cannot get in these nooks & crannies very well, unless you use strong soapy water, which destroy surface tension. But then, it will take a lot of effort to wash out the soapy taste.

 

Ultrasonic power can do a better job of getting into tiny places thru cavitation. Ozone is a power agent for sterilization. They do sell vegetable sterilizer which uses both ultrasonic and ozone generator.

 

dcarch

 

 

 

 

And pathogens have been shown to be within  the "meat" of the plant as well.

[Joe Blowe]

I have no experience with the following, just passing along some links:

 

https://www.latimes.com/la-fi-magicwater23-2009feb23-story.html

Quote

The stuff is a simple mixture of table salt and tap water whose ions have been scrambled with an electric current. Researchers have dubbed it electrolyzed water...

[...]

The hotel’s kitchen staff recently began disinfecting produce with electrolyzed water.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysed_water
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978085709085050019X
• https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/augustseptember-2010/activated-and-electrolyzed-water-a-brief-review-of-a-new-generation-of-cleaners-and-sanitizing-agents/
• https://www.amazon.com/Hypochlorous-Generator-Self-Made-Disinfection-Sterilization/dp/B088NWQZS9/
• https://www.fakespot.com/product/sodium-hypochlorite-solution-generator-2000ml-capacity-self-made-disinfection-liquid-making-machine-and-portable-disinfect-machine-sterilization-rate-reaches-99-99-for-daily-cleaning

Edited November 5, 2020 by Joe Blowe
added relevant info (log)

[weinoo]

I mean, one could also just stop eating raw greens/raw vegetables of any sort.  Just cook the shit out of everything, and pretend it's collard greens.

[palo]

7 hours ago, heidih said:

Nothing. No issues. Eat lots. But one works within one's comfort zone.  

I never wash veggies, just rinse off dirt if present - still alive and kicking.

 

p

[gfweb]

4 hours ago, Joe Blowe said:

I have no experience with the following, just passing along some links:

 

https://www.latimes.com/la-fi-magicwater23-2009feb23-story.html

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysed_water
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978085709085050019X
• https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/augustseptember-2010/activated-and-electrolyzed-water-a-brief-review-of-a-new-generation-of-cleaners-and-sanitizing-agents/
• https://www.amazon.com/Hypochlorous-Generator-Self-Made-Disinfection-Sterilization/dp/B088NWQZS9/
• https://www.fakespot.com/product/sodium-hypochlorite-solution-generator-2000ml-capacity-self-made-disinfection-liquid-making-machine-and-portable-disinfect-machine-sterilization-rate-reaches-99-99-for-daily-cleaning

 

Sort of like a salt water pool and chlorine generator.

Interesting, but why not just dilute chlorox? Same difference, no?

[liuzhou]

One of my local restaurants has it cracked.

 

[Mjx]

@gfweb I'm partial to the guidelines suggested in Guess What Came to Dinner? It focuses on parasites, but also addresses bacterial and viral contamination, and the solutions are simple and cost-effective.

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, Mjx said:

@gfweb I'm partial to the guidelines suggested in Guess What Came to Dinner? It focuses on parasites, but also addresses bacterial and viral contamination, and the solutions are simple and cost-effective.

Oh god, I'm never leaving my house!

[gfweb]

4 hours ago, Mjx said:

@gfweb I'm partial to the guidelines suggested in Guess What Came to Dinner? It focuses on parasites, but also addresses bacterial and viral contamination, and the solutions are simple and cost-effective.

What does she suggest?

 

 

[Coogles]

I bought a little ozone generatror for my parents to use.  Just put the greens/fruits/vegetables in a big bowl of ice water, drop in the air stone, cover and turn on the generator.  It runs for about 10 minutes, then drain and dry the greens.

[Susanwusan]

On 11/5/2020 at 2:58 PM, gfweb said:

I've always been phobic about raw greens and all the bugs they can infect me with.

 

Not corona...I'm not putting arugula in my nose. Its the GI bugs and hepatitis that concern me.

 

What are people doing to wash their greens? 

 

I'm thinking of using dilute chlorox (which FDA approves at 200 ppm which is about a tsp per quart).

 

 

 

 

Milton solution is safe for baby feeding items, I imagine it would be safe for food.  If you leave the leaves in salt water (salt has antibacterial effects), any insects will end up rising to the surface.

[kayb]

Easy answer: Don't eat greens.

 

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, Susanwusan said:

Milton solution is safe for baby feeding items, I imagine it would be safe for food.  If you leave the leaves in salt water (salt has antibacterial effects), any insects will end up rising to the surface.

 

Milton solution is dilute chlorox and salt.

[paulraphael]

I've never heard of anything that will sanitize raw greens reliably. Chromedome's recommendations are the standard ones and are probably the best bet, but there's still some risk if you're serving someone who's got real immune system problems. 

 

At home I just do a quick rinse, unless dealing with something like leeks that are full of sand. Never had a problem, but we're not feeding vulnerable people here. I think that for the seriously immune-compromised, greens should be cooked.