From those wonderful folks who brought you environmental protection come the bugs.  Lots of bugs in our fruits and vegetables cavorting free from fear of pesticides.  They've infested our leafy vegetables like lettuce with especial enthusiasm, giving employment to vegetable-washing mashgichim in simcha halls, restaurants, and caterers' kitchens all over the place.  So, for you at home we have some tips from the pros on how it's done.

Keep our primary mission firmly in mind:  we're washing to get rid of the bugs...not for germs or dirt or anything else, although they will probably get flushed out in the process.  The bugs found in our produce are not kosher and we don't want to eat them.  And, if they are visible, we are obligated to remove them.  Commercial vegetable washes may work fine on the other stuff, but not on the bugs.  We just want the bugs out, dead or alive!

You'll need equipment:  some lemon juice either fresh or REAL, some kosher salt (not shown), a large white bowl, another large bowl of any color, a sink with running water, and a light box or its equivalent.  The procedure will work with any of the leafy vegetables such as parsley, cilantro, lettuces of all types, watercress, berries, and other types of fruits or vegetables in which bugs are known to lie doggo.


Try to buy produce that's been at least partially washed and prepared such as this bag of romaine lettuce from Walmart.  Most of the bushy outer leaves have already been stripped off.  Cut the bottom 2" or so off and discard.  Bugs like to socialize near the bottom of the stalk where it grows out of the ground, and you'll be way ahead by getting them out of the way before you proceed.


The other reason to lop off the bottom is to separate the connection which ties the leaves together.  Start unrolling the leaves from one side and continuously peel them apart.  If you've cut high enough, all will come apart without further cutting.  If not, cut the tiny bunch at the center to free the little babies as well.


Place the white bowl in the sink, fill with water and dissolve a good handful of salt in it,  then squirt or squeeze in some lemon juice.  You could use any food grade acid such as vinegar but the lemon juice is the least intrusive to any recipe if you don't get it all washed off.  We use dilute acid and salt because the bugs don't like it, and jump right off the leaves as soon as they're immersed.  At the same time set the other bowl in the sink and let the cold water run in and out of it as the rinse.


Immerse the leaves in the lemon juice and swish around a little to wake up those buggies that might not get the message right off the bat.  Remove and put into the water bath.


Now, check the emptied bowl of salt water and lemon juice to see what you've caught.  You might see tiny little black things or green things, and if your eyes are very sharp, little white things.  Remember, if you can't see them with your naked eye, they don't exist halachically.  Don't be fooled by bits of vegetable matter which are especially noticeable when washing parsley and cilantro.  If the bowl is free of bugs, good.  Go on to the final examination of the leaves on the light table.  If not, repeat the salt water and lemon juice immersion and water rinse until you see no more bugs.


If you're checking a lot of stuff, you'll want to set the light box close to the washing process.  It's going to get wet and the box is electrical so be sure it's plugged into a GFCI-protected outlet, which will shut off the box before it gives you a shock.  In lieu of the special light box you can also hold each leaf up to the light, but the water will run down your arm.  Wet is probably better than electrocuted!


You're entitled to rely on chazaka and check 3 heads, bunches, whatever.  If 3 are clean, then assume the rest of the case, etc.  are as well.  If you've immersed and rinsed correctly, finding any bugs at all on leaves is rare.  However, sometimes something has burrowed into the stalk and it will show up in the light as a brown speck...dig it out with a knife.


Lettuce, herbs, and other leafy vegetables rely on a process of examination and discovery to remove bugs.  Berries, however, are not easily examined and it's best to just proceed directly to cleaning.  Immerse the berries in a mild (dish) detergent bath, agitate, soak, rinse thoroughly and lay out each berry on a cloth to dry.   Be careful with berries not to abrade their skins by stuffing too many in the baths or piling them up too high.  Once the delicate external membrane is pierced, they begin to turn mushy and spoil.  So if you're clumsy, prepare to eat them right away.

The process of fruit and vegetable washing gets more complicated and problematic by the day.  We recommend consulting the Star-K website for detailed information and methods for each and every species.