Remove Residual Pesticide And Preserve Produce With Harvest By EcoDiscoveries

 How can you be sure that your produce, meaning fruits and veggies, are washed properly before you eat or cook them? Well, for me, I would put them under running water for 5 minutes and then proceed to eat or cook them. Is that an exaggeration? I'm not sure but I'd like to be sure that my family is safe from accidentally ingesting pesticides which can be harmful for our bodies. We can buy organic BUT it's more expensive and honestly, we don't have the budget to go "all organic".

I never have tried a vegetable wash before and was quite excited when I got to try one.

EcoDiscoveries sent me a variety of their eco-friendly cleaning solutions and I was super excited to try them. They sent me their Moldzyme, Multi-Surface, Airzyme and Harvest. For this review, I'll focus on their Harvest product.

Harvest is an all-natural food wash + preservative. All of the ingredients of Harvest are considered GRAS by the FDA and it is certified by the USDA as a “Biopreferred” product. It not only washes away residual pesticides, but it also increases the shelf-life of produce. Moreover, Harvest’s ability to get rid of chemicals and other contaminants makes this the perfect product for anyone living with chemical sensitivities or an otherwise compromised immune system.

It is extremely safe and is not expected to aggravate asthma or other allergies. Generally safe for use around pregnant women, children, the elderly, and those with mild-severe MCS or otherwise compromised immune systems.

The Harvest came in a small 2 oz. concentrated bottle and an empty white spray bottle. The instructions are very easy to follow to make the Harvest solution. I used our faucet-mounted water filter to fill the bottle with water. The level of water needed is a bit hard to estimate since the spray bottle included isn't clear so I had to peep inside the bottle once in a while to make sure the water is at the right level already.

The Harvest concentrate has a clear light brown color and has a very light odd scent which I can't describe. It doesn't smell like chemicals and doesn't smell irritating so that made me a bit more confident of using this. I poured the concentrated Harvest in the spray bottle with water, covered it with the spray cover and then swirled/shook it to mix the solution properly.

I tried this on different kinds of fruits like grapes, apples, and persimmon as well as vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and lots more. What I did was I sprayed our fruits and vegetables with the Harvest until they're soaked, wiped the fruit/vegetable to remove visible particles and then just ran them down under running water for less than a minute. This saved me from running my produce under water for 5 minutes.

The fruits and vegetables were odorless and didn't have any weird taste after I used the Harvest on them. How can I be sure if the Harvest worked to remove residual pesticides? I can't really prove it but I researched a bit on how produce wash helps remove pesticides so here's my explanation.

Pesticides are made up of complex oil based molecules which are primarily water insoluble. Water insoluble means they cannot be rinsed by water alone since they are not soluble in water. Surfactants, Harvest ingredients contains plant-derived surfactants, reduce the surface tension of the pesticides and help remove them by loosening these oil based molecules so they can be easily rinsed away.

So, can I prove it? No, because pesticides aren't visible on produce. But since Harvest contains plant derived surfactants, I think it helps in removing pesticides.

You can visit the EcoDiscoveries WEBSITE to learn more about their products.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a sample for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I tried personally and believe will be good for my readers. No other form of compensation was received. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

  I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.