Food safety - fruits and vegetables

We wash all our veggies with bottled water before consuming them.  In 12 years never a problem

Bob K

I throw a little white vinegar in too. 14 years no issues.

Funny.... we're still living in the states and soak all our veggies in water and white vinegar before consuming. Good to know that will be effective in the DR.

How about brushing your teeth, or washing dishes? Do we need bottled water for this?

Thanks

My tells me I'm crazy all the time because I never wash any fruits and vegetables (unless I actually see dirt on it)  here in the US I've been eating strawberries and blueberries everyday for probably 10 years and I never wash them so I'm either going to die early of some cancer or maybe there's nothing to worry about LOL!😂

I use tap water to brush my teet and do dishes.  Make sure dishes and glasses are dry before using again.

After a while you will build up some resistance but the first couple years you want to be careful.

Thanks, we'll be careful😊

For us bottled water for teeth brushing.  Water and vinegar (if Pat is washing them) for veggies and tap water when cooking (boiling) and dish washing  and we have tested our well water it is safe to drink but we still use bottles water for nearly everything.

Bob K

Thanks Bob, we arrive next week!

Hi Planner,
I hope all is well. You spoke of using tap water to brush teeth and wash dishes and bottled water for drinking...would a water purifier do the trick or should I just stick to bottled water? Do you use bottled water for your pets as well? If not, were there any issues? Generally if I can't drink the water I don't let my animals. Please let me know. Thanks for your time.

Sandra

I use bottle water for drinking - a purifier will depend what type I think.

Dogs eat bugs, garbage, drink from puddles etc. Tap water is fine for them.  They het deparasited on a regular basis here.

No a filter is not enough.  Use only bottled water.  It is very cheap here and a 5 gal blue bottle of water here costs between 75 and 85 cents. Sometimes a bit more but never over a dollar.
Our pets drink bottled water.

Bob K

Bagged ice is fine. You can get a kit to hook up bottled water for your fridge icemaker if you want as well.

Thanks for the info. That cleared up and confusion.

Store bought Ice here is fine. 
As Planner said you can get a pump called Flo-Jet that hooks up to your big bottle of water and  your fridge ice maker.  We have used this system for 11 years with no problems.

Bob K

How do you guys wash off broccoli you get here?  Thanks again!

Vinegar and water,  put the water in a bowl with a bit of vinegar and drop it in.  Then  shake it off and cook it or eat it.

Cool thanks, that's what I just did

Awesome!

We clean all our veggies with vinegar and water.

Bob K

I have had numerous friends in the Dominican Republic who cook a lot. They never use vinegar to clean salad they use it to clean chicken. To clean salad they use Clorox bleach just a small capful in a whole Basin of water. They soak the lettuce tomato cucumber whatever in this mixture and afterwards they rinse it with purified drinking water. I have been told numerous times that this is the correct way to be sure you don't get sick.

It appears some now live a life of extreme caution such that ones body's immune system is without any resistance to anything.

I'm a travelled expat and have been living in DR and the Caribbean amongst other  countires, for many ears and eat street food, buy my fruits and veg ( and I eat a lot) from markets, travelling vendors, at the side of the road and supermarkets and have never had one instance of a problem with fruit and veg which has been washed under tap water or bought prepared off the street.

Thank goodness that fresh fruit and veg. here are not genetically modified nor toxicated with radiation and chemical washes and we can still taste the food as it was meant to be.

Well they have their way and I use the same as Bob and have for 15 plus years. I use a capful of vinegar in water to wash my veggies.

The most efficient and work well is to also add a tablespoon of  baking soda.