Do You Need to Wash Organic Produce?by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 04 Jul 2009 12:22 PM
Whenever we visit Lancaster, we usually stop by this store to stock up on organic products in bulk, such as flour, rice, sugar and snacks. This particular day, they were featuring organic gala apples at only $1 a pound! This is a great deal, considering that the local cost in my area for organic apples is about $2.39 a pound. Needless to say, we added half a peck to our shopping cart, although now I little bit regret that we didn't get a full peck. Despite the other snacks in our cart, my kids all had their eyes on those apples. As soon as we got to the car, the kids started begging for apples. I debated giving in for a moment, but declined because the apples hadn't been washed. Even organic produce should be washed before you consume it. While you won't need to worry about consuming pesticides, there is still good reason to give that produce a rinse. This is especially true with leafy vegetables, that have hard to reach crevices. Why should you wash organic produce? Well, organic produce usually has a higher number of slugs and other insects. While the bugs won't kill you, they may not nothing to enhance the flavor of your produce. But the main reason to wash your organic produce is to remove bacteria and fungus, two things that can give you a stomach upset. Fungus can occur naturally on produce, and the bacteria can be introduced either from the soil or just from people handling the produce. Check how many times someone in a store picks up an apple to examine it and then sets it back down. Did they wash their hands recently? So, yes, always wash your organic produce. You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here! Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantgreen living tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags ecofriendly, green living, organic produce Discuss this article
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Yesterday, we took a trip to nearby Lancaster County, the home of a large Amish community, along with a lot of Amish tourist trade. Still, there are plenty of interesting places to visit that are not on the beaten path. One of these spots is an Amish family owned and run natural food store. 
