If you hate soft berries and washing carrots/apples/peppers before eating them I got YOU! Also, you know that waxy feeling on an apple or cucumber straight from the grocery store? Ya, that's actually wax. You have to try this method at least once to see what comes off your very clean looking produce.. you'll be surprised!
If you follow me on Instagram you know that ACV is a staple in my home. Keep a BIG bottle in your fridge to cook with, clean with and sip on. Ok my quick produce routine is below:
I generally do a grocery haul 1-2 times a week to grab all my fruits and veg. When I get home, I lay them all out on the counter and remove tags, rubber bands, stems, etc.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and a generous splash of ACV. Give it a swirl.
I usually start with cleanest first, so berries + peppers, herbs, apples, etc and end with the dirtier produce like carrots, mushrooms, etc. (By clean/ dirty I am being literal, usually my carrots still have visible dirt on them.
Add enough produce to the bowl to fill without water spilling over. Let soak for at least 5 min but longer is fine! Sometimes I forget about whatever is soaking for 20-30 min and it makes no difference.
Right before you take the produce out of the bowl, swirl it around just to agitate whatever might be left and them move to a strainer. I don't dump the whole bowl into the strainer, I keep re-using the water + acv for the rest of the haul. You can either scoop out with your hands or a slotted spoon.
Keep adding produce to ACV + water mixture until you're done. As you pull produce from water move it to the strainer, and move whatever is in the strainer to lay flat on a counter or table lined with kitchen towels or cheesecloths. I use these (literally use them for everything in the kitchen.)
Let all produce lay FLAT (not layered/stacked on top of one another) and let it sit until DRY. Most often I let it all sit out over night. Having everything completely dry makes the biggest difference.
For storage you have a few options. Once upon a time I would put all produce back into it's original container (the little plastic clams) with a piece of paper towel on top and bottom. Works like a charm and v easy. BUT we don't buy any paper towel anymore.. so if you're also sans paper towel, you can line a bowl with a cotton cloth (^^ same as above) or a cotton napkin (this is what I use most often. we also don't buy paper napkins) and stick in fridge. Stasher bags are also great for storage and convenient to take on the road!! Either method, check your paper towel or cotton cloth after 2-3 days and consider switching it our for a fresh one if it is damp. DRY PRODUCE lasts longer in the fridge. (You can also use Tupperware with either method, I simply have more bowls to spare than I do Tupperware. and no lid is convenient and let's moisture go rather than keeping it in)
After writing that list I realize it seems like an extensive system but I can assure you that once you have all your produce CLEAN AF and READY TO EAT it makes it all worth it. That's fast food baby!!! Enjoy and comment if I missed any top tips !