Strawberries are undoubtedly among the most popular fruits at the table, capable of bringing children and adults together. As we know, however, it is essential to carry out a correct washing of the same to be sure to serve a healthy food. Moreover, what makes this step essential are the data shared by the prestigious overseas association EWG – Environmental Working Group. Punctual as every year, in fact, the dreaded ‘Dirty Dozen’ – literally the ‘dirty dozen’ – was announced, the blacklist of the most contaminated fruits and vegetables.
And who earned the gold medal in this ominous ranking? Well yes, just the beloved strawberries. The tests underlying the 2023 Top Ten took in consideration of 46 thousand samples which have been washed and peeled exactly as you would in a home kitchen to simulate domestic consumption. And the juicy red fruits were once again the foods of plant origin with the greatest presence of chemical residues from the production and distribution stage.
So take a few minutes to Strawberry washing before preparing a nice fruit salad is the most recommended there can be. But there is a preventive recommendation that is good to do: the petiolein fact, it should be removed only after having washed the fruit. Removing it first, as many do, allows the water to penetrate inside the pulp, also carrying any toxic substances present with it. The same ones we intend to get rid of by washing them.
For an ideal cleaning, therefore, you can use a mixture of water and bicarbonate (about a tablespoon per litre); then the fruits are left to soak for a good quarter of an hour. Alternatively, you can opt for a solution based diluted vinegar in two glasses of water in which to leave the strawberries for about ten minutes. Only once this ‘bath’ has been carried out can you proceed by rinsing under a jet of fresh water and removing the stem.