– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County, OSU Extension
After harvest, only rinse produce with clean water and dry with a clean cloth. Photo: Terese Houle
With harvest heavily underway in most home gardens and kitchens full of produce to process, home produce gardeners may be wondering if some of their produce is safe to eat. Shoppers in the grocery store may have similar questions. Today we’ll talk about some common concerns with home grown produce and how to care for harvested produce once it is in your kitchen.
As a rule, only rinse produce with clean water and dry with a clean cloth. You can do more harm than good attempting to cleanse produce with soaps or disinfectants. Produce is porous and can absorb cleaning solutions that are not intended to be consumed. If the produce cannot be cleansed for storage, cooking, or fresh eating with just a water rinse and a gentle scrub brush, discard it. Always wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling your produce. Also, do not cross-contaminate surfaces with any raw meat residue on cutting boards, knives, counters, hands, etc.
Pesticides seem to be a common concern that lead consumers to over process their food before storing. Commercial produce growers are diligent and held accountable for observing the use restrictions on all kinds of pesticides to ensure consumer safety. In situations where pesticides are used, they must be used according to the label and wait times between last application and harvest of the produce are followed to minimize the risk of residues in foods. Even in organic systems some certified pesticides may be used. The same protocol is required for organic products.
In the home garden, we should be following the same rules. Fully read the labels of any pesticides you use in your garden to get effective treatment that is safe for your family and the environment. Be especially diligent about this when treating the edible portions of the plant (ex: leafy greens and fruits). Applying products at the correct rate and time is the most critical factor for managing pesticide residues.
Whether gardeners choose to use pesticides or not, they may still have concerns with produce safety. Common concerns include mold growth, bruising, and discoloration. Sometimes the cause is rough handling after or during harvest. It could be related to water availability while ripening. It could be related to a pest in the garden (animal or disease). Some blemishes are superficial and can be cut out of the produce and discarded, while some may lead to rot. Stink bug damage is common and usually can be ignored, while bird damage is also common and can be devastating due to open wounds on the fruit and the entry of fungi and bacteria.
Overall, when in doubt, throw it out. If you have a compost bin, I would suggest throwing out damaged produce there as opposed to the garbage pail. This will allow you to recycle the nutrients to grow something new.
Consult http://www.fightbac.org/ for more specific advice on produce safety.