Washing produce

To get off the crud. You need to wash your fruits and veggies whether they are organic or mass produced. It gets off the dirt, bacteria, fungus, insects, slugs and any chemicals that were used. Wash them just before you cook or serve them instead of cleaning them all at once and then putting them away. They'll stay fresh longer.

Unless you like licking the ground!. Not only are there germs and bugs in produce, but often they are sprayed or coated with waxes to maintain their moisture and appearance during shipping. Listen, when I was a kid, there was a big to-do made about produce that came from out of the US -- it was considered unsafe. While we import many foods now, why take a chance with foreign pests entering your intestines? It doesn't take that long to wash your food, I promise.

Wash Everything. Hey There... I can't say that I agree with the "foreign bugs" comment - I'd probably trust those before I trust ours... but... I'm a people watcher... I watch people in restaurants and stores... I watch people pick up fruit, smell it (by letting their noses touch it), and put it down... with the same hands that they've sneezed, picked, coughed, or scratched with... I've seen people sneeze, cough or speak (with the saliva spray) over produce, and I've seen produce roll on the floor (think of rainy days, or anything a shoe can track in), and put right back in the stack... If we can spread germs by touching a doorknob, I'd assume it's just as easy to spread/catch them through produce. I've also heard that rodents and bugs in supermarkets, trucks, and what-have-you tend to hang out where the food does... So, I wash EVERYTHING. Produce. The tops of cans/bottles, milk containers, meat, and EVERYTHING ELSE. I'd rather be neurotic than sick... Be well...

Wash At One Go. I feel lazy washing them as I use them, because then I am usually in a hurry to eat or cook. So I make it a habit to wash the produce before I store it in the refrigerator. That way it is ready for me whenever I need it. And seriously, do not let the apparent cleanliness fool you. You must wash them. It is just too dirty to eat otherwise.

What doesn't kill you.... If you've lived this long w/o washing veggies, then I'd say you've developed a good resistance to whatever may be on your veggies. If you're lazy like me, you can also buy pre-washed/cut veggies too.

Extra minerals. Actually, if you buy organic and local produce, not washing thoroughly can give you extra minerals. If you don't buy organic however, you must wash the veg to get rid of the pestisides and chemicals that are on them.

Aside from getting rid of dirt and bugs.... I don't know if this is an urban legend, but I have heard stories of food-borne Hepatitis A being contracted through eating unwashed produce. That's enough to make me wash my produce all the time, even if it looks clean.