Spinach, fenugreek, coriander, mustard and other green leafy vegetables are eaten in abundance during the rainy season, but eating them without cleaning them properly can be detrimental to health. During monsoon, soil, small insects, bacteria can stick to these vegetables. In such a situation, if they are used only after washing them lightly, then the risk of stomach problems, food poisoning, diarrhea and infection can increase.

Therefore, green leafy vegetables should always be washed thoroughly with running water. If you wish, you can also clean them by soaking them in clean water or salt/white vinegar water for a few minutes. After this, use it again after washing with clean water.

How to wash green vegetables?

• Check vegetables thoroughly before washing them. Remove the leaves which are yellow, rotten or looking very bad. Such leaves can spoil other vegetables quickly.
• Place the green vegetables under cold running water and gently clean each leaf with your hands. With this, soil, dust and small insects are easily removed.
• Fill a big vessel with clean water and dip the leafy vegetables in it for 2 to 3 minutes. After this, rotate it gently in water. If the water becomes dirty, replace it and repeat the same process.

How to clean leafy vegetables with salt or vinegar?

• If you want to clean the vegetables more thoroughly, then take water in a vessel and add one spoon of salt or two spoons of white vinegar in it. Keep the vegetables in it for 5 to 10 minutes. After this, wash thoroughly again with clean water. This can help in removing small insects and to some extent bacteria.
• It is also important to remove extra water from washed vegetables. For this, keep them in a sieve or dry them gently with a clean cotton cloth. Vegetables can spoil quickly if there is too much moisture.

How to store?

If the vegetables are not to be used immediately, then after completely drying them, wrap them lightly in a paper towel or clean cloth and keep them in the refrigerator in an airtight container or bag with holes. Due to this they remain fresh for a long time.

Do not use soap or detergent

Many people use soap or detergent to clean vegetables, but this should not be done at all. These are not meant for eating and their residues can harm health. Only solution of clean water, salt or vinegar is considered sufficient.