At this time of year, strawberries are being the star of market stalls. Specialists, however, point out that we must be very careful when buying these fruits. Most strawberries we eat are imported and have been treated with pesticides that can be dangerous to health.
Strawberries may contain more than 10 types of chemicals, and some as many as 17, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a US non-profit organization. Pesticides have been detected in 40% of strawberries.
The organization analyses each fruit that has a history of containing the most pesticides, and 98% of strawberries, peaches, nectarines, and apples are found to have been treated with at least one chemical. What is even more worrying is that the tests were carried out after the fruit had been washed and cleaned.
To effectively clean strawberries, it is best to wash them in water and white vinegar.
All you need to do is mix 90% water and 10% white vinegar in a larger bowl and let the fruit soak in the mixture for at least 20 minutes. After that, rinse them well with cold water.
After soaking, you will be able to see the pesticide residue hidden in the fruit on the bottom of the bowl. This method will get rid of 70% of the residues.