You know you should be eating your fruits and veggies. But it’s just as important to your health to make sure your produce is clean and free of harmful pathogens. Luckily, there are simple tips you can follow to keep you and your loved ones safe.
Foods Involved
The culprits include raw fruits and veggies and fresh juices made from them. Choosing organic or sticking to the clean 15 can help decrease the amount of pesticides in your produce but it won’t change the possibility that harmful microorganisms may be present.
At the Store
Whether you’re buying from your local supermarket, farmers’ market or belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) keep these tips in mind:
- Purchase in-season fruits and veggies, especially in the summer when so much is available.
- If you’re heading to your local farmers’ market, go early! You don’t want to buy fruits and veggies that have been sitting out in the heat for many hours or that have been touched by lots of people.
- Buy only what you need for the week. You’re better off making several quick trips to the market rather than stocking up and risking having the excess go bad.
- Choose produce carefully. Look for signs on spoilage such as mold, bruises, mushiness or cuts.
- Instead of buying pre-packaged produce, choose loose produce. It gives you a better opportunity to check for signs of spoilage.
- When buying fresh juice, be sure it’s pasteurized (treated with heat to kill harmful germs). If you’re not sure, ask or don’t buy it. Remember, young kids, pregnant and lactating women, older adults and those with a compromised immune system should lay off unpasteurized juices.
- If you’re bagging your produce in reusable bags, be sure to wash the bags regularly.
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- You still need to consider food safety when shopping for local produce.
Farmers’ markets are the prime destination for fresh and local food, but they’re not immune to germs and bacteria. Farmers work hard to comply with state and federal food safety standards but patrons also have to keep their eyes peeled (and their produce washed). Use our tips to help avoid food safety pitfalls.
Produce
Whether it’s organically grown or not, produce needs to be washed well. It’s a good thing that farmers’ market produce isn’t waxed like much of what you’ll find in the grocery store, but these local goodies are often covered with dirt. Rinse delicate items like berries, herbs and lettuces well just before use; rinsing them before storing them can cause them to get moldy or mushy. Sturdy produce like carrots, apples and potatoes can handle a good scrub. Thick-skinned foods like melons should be washed before you slice into them.
Some vendors turn their produce into drinks like apple cider. Look for pasteurized beverages, especially if you’re pregnant, elderly or serving them to young children.
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- How clean is your diet?
Clean Eating is a term that’s been thrown around a lot lately, only it’s not necessarily understood. We’ll explain what it is and if it’s advisable to eat this way.
What Is It?
Although you’ll find Clean Eating “diets”- it’s more of a way of living than a temporary weight loss solution. The term Clean Eating is relatively new, but it dates back to the 1960s when the natural health food movement looked down on diets filled with processed foods.
Author Terry Walters helped fuel the Clean Eating movement into mainstream America. According to the author of Clean Food and Clean Start, it’s all about consuming natural, unprocessed foods. Her philosophy is:
- Eat a varied diet
- Eat a rainbow of colors
- Enjoy food and mealtime
- Eat locally grown and seasonal food
- Eat all 5 tastes (sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami)
This means eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables and lean proteins (a.k.a. real food) instead of fast food or highly processed, packaged foods, and giving new foods a try that you may not recognize at the farmers market— a lot like Dana’s Market Watch series.
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- Tender, sweet, delicate pea shoots at the farmers' market.
A true farmers’ market find: Sweet and tender pea shoots are too delicate and perishable for the supermarket.
Pea shoots are the green, coiled tendrils of the pea plant with delicate rounded leaves. They’re bursting with nutrients like vitamin C, fiber and even some protein. Shoots have a subtle pea flavor and add a fresh bite to salads, seafood recipes, and summer rolls (see recipe below). You can also wilt them into soups or pasta dishes by tossing in right before serving.
Shopping Tip: Choose crisp and bright green shoots. Store in the refrigerator gently wrapped in a paper towel and a plastic bag, use within 2 days.
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- Heirloom tomatoes are at their peak
Few can resist taking a bite out of a fresh-picked local tomato, and now that tomato season is in full bloom, heirloom varieties are at their ripest. Unlike their conventional, dull-flavored cousins, these summer beauties melt sweet, summer-fresh juices into your mouth.
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- Washington State residents will be shelling out more for candy starting June 1st.
In this week’s nutrition news: Check Twitter and Facebook before your next visit to the farmers’ market, food allergy testing to be standardized and meet the White House pastry chef.
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Beets may not seem like an exciting veggie but, when these babies turn up at the farmer’s market, all I can think about is making my Roasted Beet Risotto (recipe below). In the dish, beets and their greens (both edible!) join with creamy risotto for a comforting vegetarian meal.
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In addition to my regular trips to the farmers’ market, I receive a CSA share. Each week I anxiously wait to see what goodies my farmer, Lexi Gazy, and her family have grown. Today’s find: bok choy!
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Green living has gotten tons of attention in recent years — and I think that’s great. I’m always praising the benefits of local, fresh foods to my friends and clients. Here some tips I follow to make my own smarter food choices.
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Sweet, tender and mild, Red Russian Kale isn’t carried in most supermarkets, but I was thrilled to find it at my farmer’s market recently.
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