Water Wins Again
Just about the time salmonella and E. coli fade from the headlines, it seems like some new contamination case surfaces, putting us right back on edge about the safety of our food. Remember the outbreak of listeria in last summer’s cantaloup crop?
Fortunately, in one of our Whole Kitchen series, CSU Extension Agent Ann Zander shared a surprisingly effective weapon in the food safety wars: running water. No need for fancy washing solutions or time-consuming procedures, she explained, just wash produce in running water. Surprising as it might be, Extensions Service research showed that plain old water worked as well as commercial washing solutions–and for a lot less money!
- The key, however, lies in washing the produce under running water. So it’s great if you’re saving water by scrubbing produce in a bucket of water. Just be sure to give it a final rinse with a healthy dose of running water after scrubbing.
- The same goes for lettuce, spinach or any of the leafy greens that get washed in a salad spinner. Remove the spinner from the washing bowl and rinse the greens thoroughly under running water before spinning dry.
Steeping back to a bigger picture view on this topic, isn’t it amazing that plain old water is our best friend when it comes to safe produce? Really elevates the stature of this seemingly common resource that we so take for granted. What you should know, however, is that this seemingly plentiful resource is actually becoming scarcer by the day.
Although it is fundamental not only to our healthy existence but also our very survival, water is increasingly being siphoned off for things like: washing spinach multiple times so we can have a conveniently packaged product; serving as a disposal stream for antibiotics, hormones and other pharmaceutical waste from our bodies; and most recently as a primary ingredient in oil and gas “fracking.”
What happens to our public water is a good issue to watch. It would be ironic indeed to have plenty of oil for cars and lots of natural gas to heat our homes, only to run short of pure, clean water for drinking, growing food, cooking–and safely washing produce!
Want to learn more about the crucial role of water and how to protect this treasure? Check out the upcoming conference: The Downstream Neighbor, January 27-29, 2012 in Denver.