How to Safely Enjoy Michigan Summer Fruits and Vegetables
- IEP Urgent Care
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Summer in Michigan is the best time to enjoy all the fresh fruits and vegetables that grow literally and figuratively in our backyards. Here are some things to keep in mind so that you get the maximum enjoyment and good health from whatever you choose.
Enjoy the season!
This is the best time of year to savor and enjoy a wide variety of Michigan summer fruits and vegetables that were either grown nearby, or even in your own garden. It’s also the perfect time of year to introduce new fruits and vegetables to your children. Michigan is one of the nation’s top producers of Apples, Cherries (tart & sweet), Blueberries, Grapes, Peaches, Plums, Pears, Strawberries, Raspberries and Blackberries, and Melons. Fresh cherries can easily be pitted and frozen for use later in the year.
Clean and rinse carefully
Be sure to always completely clean and rinse all produce and fruits before consuming. There are solutions you can use, such as Trader Joe’s Fruit and vegetable wash. Many experts contend that a good rinsing is sufficient.
Watch out for pits and hard objects
Want your young child to experience the joy of a fresh Michigan cherry? Get a cherry pitter first! Or, simply cut out the pit beforehand, like mom used to do. That basket of blueberries can easily disguise a small stone or other hard object. Be sure to inspect before serving to avoid a potential dental injury.
Be aware of pesticides
By now, you may have heard of the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables with the highest level of pesticides: Strawberries, Spinach, Kale & Mustard Greens, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, Nectarines, Apples, Bell and Hot Peppers, Cherries, Blueberries, Green Beans. The very safest thing you can do is grow some fruits and vegetables in your backyard. Short of that, there are several places in metro Detroit where you can purchase pesticide free fruits and vegetables:
What can stay on the counter?
Most summer fruits and vegetables are best left out on the counter, cleaned and ready to eat. Put them in a fruit bowl in the shade. Don’t use plastic wrap, but you can use a paper bag to help ripen fruit that needs it. All the stone fruits can stay out on the counter to ripen: peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, cherries. Tomatoes should never go in the fridge.
Keep the fruit flies away
Storing a beautiful fruit bowl on your kitchen counter is the best way to get your family to eat more fruit. But that can sometimes lead to the appearance of fruit flies. The best way to keep them from suddenly appearing is to fully rinse, dry and inspect everything before you put it in the bowl. A good rinsing and drying is key.
And that includes bananas – a fruit not necessarily associated with summer, but hey, it wouldn’t be summer without a banana split! Fruit flies can spontaneously erupt from that bunch of bananas you just brought home from the store because fruit fly eggs can be still on the banana peel. As discussed in this article from Southern Living, always rinse and dry your bananas before you put them out in a hanging basket or bowl.