The picture above is some produce that I just cleaned with mycrodyne, an iodine based cleaner. Here in Mexico most people soak fruits and vegetables for around 15 minutes, and then rinse them with purified water before putting them in the fridge.  It’s important to do everything, even produce that will be peeled, since the peeling or cutting would drag dirt/germs from the outside of the produce into the meat.

Back in the US I would cram all the produce into the fridge when I got home from the store.  I’d clean each item as I was going to use it.  Or if I was in a hurry, maybe not!

Now anything that’s in the fridge is clean.  Which is nice if you are in a hurry, or feeling lazy.  And yes, I even do this to produce – like Washington State apples – that are grown in the US.

I know plenty of people who don´t bother cleaning their produce this way, and they haven´t had any problems.  Perhaps my bout with salmonella last year has made me even more strict with how I handle the produce.  At the very least the fruits and vegetables that grow in or close to the ground are important to clean well.

I’m not a clean-freak, and I hate the over use of antibacterial soap.  But it just makes sense to have your healthy produce be clean, and in my opinion using microdyne is a good thing!