As spring sets in we enjoy more sunny days and warmer weather. Gardens and farms across the country begin to send their produce out and it will soon appear at the local farmers markets and produce sections of grocery stores. Their colorful displays call to me, begging me to take them home. I feel it’s important that we get our daily dose of fresh fruits and veggies. I enjoy purchasing fresh looking produce and I love it even more if it’s from a local farm.

Bringing home this colorful array of nature’s goodness always brings questions from my kiddos. “Can I eat that?” or “I’m hungry.” are just a few of the first things I hear as I try to put away the groceries. Sometimes I even find an open contain of strawberries or bags of grapes with about half missing before I can even get them into the fridge. I guess this is just to be expected living in a house with 4 growing boys.

I have to admit this makes my stomach turn a little when I see the fruits and veggies missing. I always think who touched that or what pesticides were on that? Maybe I’m a little OCD when it comes to cleaning my fruits and veggies but I really feel like it’s important.

It is estimated by federal health officials that nearly 48 million people get sick by contaminated food each year. This is often caused by produce that has been contaminated. There are many ways produce can become contaminated. It can happen during the growing season, by animals, by harmful substances in the soil and water, and by the many people that handle the produce as it is processed from one place to another. We can even contaminate produce after we purchase it by the way it is handled and prepared. All of this heightens my OCD about cleaning fruits and vegetables before they are eaten.

So here are a few tips I’ve picked up for and thought I would pass along.

1. Always wash your hands for about 20 second with warm soapy water before and after preparing produce.
2. Cut away any damage or bruised areas of the produce before preparing.
3. Always wash produce before you peel it. This prevents dirt or bacteria from being transferred from the outside of the fruits or vegetables to the inside.
4. Use a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm produce like melons.
5. Throw away the outer leaves of lettuce and cabbage.
6. Dry fruits and vegetables with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Follow these tips to enjoy healthy and cleaner produce.