[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Heh. Sometimes sin is its own punishment.

We NEVER eat produce purchased from retailers until we wash it at home, and wash it thoroughly. My wife first soaks the produce (grapes and cherries are some of the worst offenders here) in a baking soda and water bath for a minimum of 20 minutes, then drains the water. The water, which is crystal-clear when the produce is put in, becomes varying shades of charcoal-grey when she pours it off. She repeats the process at least once (twice, for the more egregious offenders) before she rinses and spin-dries the fruit and stores it away. Same thing with leafy produce (romaine lettuce, fresh cilantro and parsley, spinach, etc.). The stuff picked and packaged overseas gets the most attention, but ALL of it discolors the water at least to some extent.

Who really knows just what is on that stuff that so discolors the water? But Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria are all spread from fresh (usually unwashed) produce. No, thank you. But if these pilferers insist on doing what they do, they may end up paying a much higher price than the one that they'd have paid at the checkout line.

I am wondering if SOAKING grapes and lettuce for 20 plus minutes might not SOAK the vitamins and taste out of them. People peel potato skins and throw them away, but that is where most of the vitamins are located.