Not only during a pandemic, consuming nutritious food is a must for everyone. Nutritious food is useful for strengthening the immune system which will prevent us from contracting harmful diseases. One of the nutritious and healthy foods are vegetables. Vegetables contain a variety of fiber, vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Not only vegetables, fruits are also important for daily consumption. Vegetables and fruits contain many important nutrients that are good for health.

Fresh vegetables are usually produced by the highlands. So, sometimes when buying green vegetables from the market, we are often bothered by the presence of caterpillars attached to the stems and leaves. Not to mention if there are eggs around it. This is because vegetables are food and a breeding ground for the caterpillar. In fact, if it enters the stomach, there may be bad bacteria that don’t have a good effect on our bodies. But calm down, here are some ways you can do to get rid of caterpillars on various kinds of green vegetables.

1. The simplest way to clean caterpillars on vegetables is to wash them under running water

Always try to wash vegetables under running water, rather than submerging them in a container filled with water. Cleaning vegetables under running water can rinse away caterpillars and other debris perfectly. For vegetables that have cavities like kale or broccoli, you have to be more careful when cleaning them because hollow vegetables have the potential to become a place for caterpillars and leeches to live. Moreover, vegetables for the diet are usually eaten raw to be processed into salads.

2. Pay more attention by cleaning the gaps, cavities, and vegetable stems which are usually hiding places for the caterpillars

If you are still not sure about the cleanliness of vegetables after washing them with running water, it would be better for you to clean between the vegetables too. Because caterpillars like to hide on the sidelines of stems and leaves which are ideal places for them to breed. You can pay more attention and clean the vegetables to the sidelines and the stems. Usually these two parts become nests for caterpillars and their eggs.

3. Soak the vegetables in salt water a few minutes before you cook them and see what happens

Salt is an ingredient that is effective enough to release caterpillars from vegetables. The reason is, salt has a much higher concentration level than the fluids in the caterpillar’s body and will interfere with the caterpillar’s metabolism which will kill it. Just mix salt with water evenly. Then soak the vegetables (especially broccoli) for a few minutes, worms and other dirt will float and separate from the vegetables. After that, wash the vegetables under running water.

4. Baking soda has been proven effective in shedding dirt and caterpillars on vegetables. You can even clean the dirt that is on the surface or deeper layers

Baking soda is proven effective in dissolving dirt or residues attached to vegetables, including caterpillars. In fact, you can clean the dirt either on the surface of the skin or deeper layers. An effective measure for using baking soda is two tablespoons. Put two tablespoons of baking soda in a glass of water. Then soak the vegetables for a few minutes. Make sure all the dirt is completely dissolved. After that you can rinse the vegetables in running water.

5. Apart from being effective at killing caterpillars on green vegetables, vinegar water is also very effective at removing harmful residues such as pesticides

Finally, you can use vinegar water to clean the caterpillars and dirt on the vegetables. This vinegar water is believed to be effective for cleaning caterpillars and pesticide residues in vegetables. The drawback of cleaning vegetables with vinegar is that they have an unpleasant aroma. Simply mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a basin of water and then soak the vegetables for a few minutes. After that, rinse the vegetables under clean running water.

So, there are several ways you can do to clean vegetables from caterpillars and other impurities that are harmful to our bodies. From now on, you have to be more observant in washing it so that the benefits of the vegetables you get can be maximized, okay!

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