Is It Safe To Eat Food Straight From Your Garden Without Washing It?
HuffPost
Even if your soil isn't contaminated, birds love to drop little gifts on your fruits and veggies.
Even if you have access to a grocery store that stocks every vegetable imaginable, there’s nothing quite like the joy of having your own home garden. Planting the seeds and checking their progress each day as they transform into something edible is rewarding. And making a meal with veggies or herbs you grew yourself is downright satisfying — not to mention delicious.
When you grow your own produce and herbs, you don’t have to worry about chemicals they may be covered with (unless you’re purposely using them). So ... do you even have to wash food that comes straight from your garden? Or can you eat it straight from the ground?
We spoke with produce safety experts about the risks of eating food straight from your own garden. (Plus, is it safe to eat food you see growing wild?)
Why it’s a good idea to wash store-bought produce
Before getting into whether it’s important to wash homegrown produce, you may be wondering why we even wash produce at all. If it’s from the grocery store, can’t we assume it’s safe?
