Spinoff of bug thread

amother

Sun, Nov 13 2011, 4:54 pm

imasinger wrote:

It's so worthwhile IMO to check, and be able to have fresh produce!

Of course, there is a difference between what you can get in the US and what you can get in EY. Here in the US, IME, most of the produce is clean.

I follow OU directions for checking broccoli (knock gently against sides of pot of boiling water for 10-14 seconds and hold water up to light to check for bugs).

Cauliflower and lettuce, I just try to look at carefully and rinse or wash thoroughly.

Strawberries, soak in soapy water then rinse thoroughly while checking.

And here in Eretz Yisrael, in my opinion, all of my produce are clean as well. I have never happened across a bug.

shnitzel

Sun, Nov 13 2011, 10:01 pm

unexpected wrote:

We once washed maror according to the rav's instructions to use soap and water. I rinsed and rinsed, and the maror still tasted soapy. Maybe that was the point?
For lettuce, we wash and check. I find bugs in more loosely packed lettuce. If it is packed tightly, I will check until I come closer to the core. If there are no bugs until then then I will just chop the rest.
I was taught to use bodek for broccoli.
Cabbage, I just check the outer layers.
My understanding from school 15 yrs ago before checking your own lettuce was against halacha:
You need to check vegetables that are known to have bugs, and each vegetable has a different way of checking. You dont have to go crazy.

The soapy taste depends on your brand of dish detergent. Since I use mine on fruits and veg I make sure to buy the more natural organic brands and I never have a soapy aftertaste. Any scented regular brands will leave you with a terrible taste.

imasinger

Sun, Nov 13 2011, 10:13 pm

amother wrote:

imasinger wrote:

And here in Eretz Yisrael, in my opinion, all of my produce are clean as well. I have never happened across a bug.

I am happy to stand corrected!

curlgirl

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 2:25 am

Imab,

According to this article:

http://www.kosharot.co.il/show.....44422

Sunfrost frozen broccoli and cauliflower are fine to use too (in 2011).

I haven't bought it though. After thinking of it as buggy for so long, I'd have trouble using it! :-p

ray family

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 2:56 am

rinsing off lettuce only helps w/ bugs on the outside. what about tunneling worms? you also have to check for those- that's the pleasure of gush katif- it may have the bugs on the outside that can be rinsed off but none of the "internal" bugs.

broccoli and cauliflower I do not eat in America at all.

in ey I eas gk and try to follow according to rav vaya.

and you're right the bug problems do vary in degree bet. ey and america.

just because your parents or grandparents did it one way doesn't mean a. that it's the right way to do it b. that they were dealing w/ the same sorts of infestation that we might be dealing w/ today. aylor

also, if your veg have a soapy taste often it's because you're soaking it too long.
some veg. need to be soaked in soap and water. others in a mixture of salt& water. and even for that you need to get the proportions right too little and it won't do its job. too much can also cause the bugs to cling to the veg harder
that's just what I learned.

Peanut2

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 12:41 pm

I wash with soap and water and then check individually. Or I buy prechecked. Or I do both!
Some prechecked still tell you to check yourself so I do.

If something isn't infested in a certain place I may ask if I have to do all that. But the answer is still generally yes Smile

I understand this to be halacha. Are there other halachic opinions?

amother

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 12:44 pm

Ruchel wrote:

Dh says vinegar is much better for taste. He says also with practice you dont lose much time on it. Look at how quickly a restaurant shomer goes!

and that is why some (myself included) do not eat lettuce etc in restaurants, and I KNOW I am not the only one.

NaturalMom

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 5:00 pm

I usually check my own, and I do what Star-K recommends (http://star-k.org/cons-appr-vegetables.php). I don't normally use lettuce in my salads, though, as I find it too tedious to check them properly.

Our mothers and grandmothers had fewer bugs in their food, thanks to DDT. Now that DDT has been out of use for several years, bugs are back full blast. Hence, the rising bed bug problem in NYC.

I have people come to my house and tell me they only eat Bodek broccoli, or only eat Gush Katif lettuce. Basically, they don't trust me to check my own vegetables. It makes me wonder why they trust my kashrus at all. To the amother who won't eat lettuce at a restaurant - you don't trust the restaurant on lettuce, but you trust them on everything else? I always found that interesting...

Ruchel

Mon, Nov 14 2011, 9:22 pm

amother wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

Dh says vinegar is much better for taste. He says also with practice you dont lose much time on it. Look at how quickly a restaurant shomer goes!

and that is why some (myself included) do not eat lettuce etc in restaurants, and I KNOW I am not the only one.

And some only eat it in restaurants because rules for restaurants (big quantities) can be laxer, at least according to what I learned. Yes the idea can be disturbing, but kosher is kosher.

Going quick doesn't mean not doing correctly. It's the shomer's job. If he messes up he is in trouble job wise AND has all the people's sins on his head (and not on yours, I learned, if the restaurant has a reliable supervision). The shomer often has a degree in that. Struggling 10 mins over a leaf of salad doesn't mean you do it correctly.