Question:  What is that white film on the outside of grapes?

Answer:  Although it appears to be some sort of pesticide residue, the white film on the outside of grapes is a naturally occurring wax.  The grapevines produce it to protect the grapes from loosing moisture.  So, although we always encourage you to wash every fruit and vegetable you eat, you don’t have to go crazy scrubbing individual grapes.  It is not harmful at all.

So far, there have been close to 1,000 reported cases of salmonella saintpaul.  It has been linked to fresh tomatoes, but as of this weekend cilantro and jalapenos have also come under the microscope.  If the outbreak is truly linked to produce, don’t worry! You don’t have to give up homemade salsa or a juicy slice of tomato on your burger, just follow these steps!!

*Always wash your fresh fruits and vegetables before they go into the fridge.  If your produce has been exposed to food-borne bacteria, you don’t want to put it in there with the rest of your unaffected food.

*Smooth skinned fruits and veggies like apples or tomatoes can be sprayed with a 3:1 solution of water and vinegar.  Just an ordinary spray bottle like the ones for houseplants is perfect.  After 6-8 sprays have been applied, rinse with potable water.

*For large batches, mix together a solution of 1 gallon of water to 1 tablespoon of bleach and sanitize all of your produce together.  For hard to clean vegetables like broccoli and lettuce, outter leaves should be removed and then heads should be broken into smaller pieces.  Your produce should then be rinsed.

These procedures are not only for salmonella, but are proven to protect against most food-borne illness.