Apparently to get the freshest fruits and vegetables at the best price is to go shopping at the open air marchés. There are two marchés near my apartment which means that I can get fresh produce up to 4 times a week. Sounds good, non?
Well not quite. Take a look at this head of lettuce that I purchased from the marché:
Click to enlarge imageFrom now on I think that I will stick to buying safe things such as apples, grapes, nuts and flowers from my local marché.
Posts
13 comments:
Hehe, talk about fresh! That looks like straight from the ground alright!
Watch out! You'll be surprised what those "safe" apples can have lurking in there, too :)
HEHEHE!!! Welcome to freshness!!! I usually "WASH and RINSE the salad about 4 times ever since I had the head with LOTS of bugs... I couldn't eat it and had my hub clean the salad off for awhile.. Now I do it but it is NOT appetizing to find all the bugs!! YUCCKK!!!
I know what you mean! I hate seeing dirt and bugs on lettuce. I definitely wash my vegetables like crazy since I'm such a germophobe. If I do see a bug on the leaves, I just can't eat it though. It makes me sick to think about eating bugs. :/
Now I know they're not good for the environment but in this case I'm all about the pesticides.
A friend of mine actually found slugs hiding in her cauliflower. I think that would have turned me off from eating for at least a week.
C'mon people. The sand/dirt and the bugs are natural and normal. It means the food hasn't been ultra processed. The bugs mean there aren't yucky chemicals on the lettuce to kill them (and you).
Get yourself an essoreuse and go crazy! And don't tell me you eat that stuff that comes in a bag...
"Give me spots on my apples,
But leave me the birds and the bees, please!"
Put a squirt of vinegar (the white distilled kind is fine) in the wather you wash your lettuce and other vegetables in. That will give the bugs fits and make the drop off the leaves.
I know people who put a drop or two of dish-washing detergent in the water. The dirt just falls off. Rinse well afterwards.
If you do eat that pre-washed salad that comes in sealed plastic bags, be sure you wash it again. Lord knows what chemical products are in there with the lettuce.
@wcs I have a salad spinner and yesterday evening I soaked and rinsed my salad at least 20 times and each time there were different insects floating in the water :(
@ken I will definitely try the vinegar trick next time.
Well at least the dirt and bugs don't cause cancer like the pesticides and herbicides and fertilizers they throw on it in the US... and it's always an adventure eating from a fresh market. That's half the fun! :)
Hi! Nice blog! I always try to buy fresh vegetables and fruits though it is not that easy to find them as you well mentioned.
Have a nice day,
I've never been too bothered about creepy crawlies in my vegetables - I'd rather wash *them* off than pesticides!
I love your blog - I found you through the expatwomen directory. I'll definitely be adding you to my feeds and links! I also have a Paris blog - http://www.passementeries-diary.com/
Sarah
cultural gap .....
cut the leaves of your salad
clean it first time in cold water with vinegar, leave it in the water for 10 minutes
just rince.
use a salad spinner
( une essoreuse à salade )
( like every french family .... )
insect are not going to kill or harm you.
eating with unwashed hands is far more dangerous .....
Oh I just found your blog!! I'm glad your parcel arrived!
try pestcatch for checking insects in greens
www.pestcatch.com
Post a Comment