1. Send Them to the Shower
The fastest and easiest way to check leafy vegetables for bugs is to wash them thoroughly. Separate each leaf, soak them in plain water, then inspect each leaf and make sure you look in every crevice. It's best to avoid leafy vegetables that have a heavily textured surface, such as curled parsley or Chinese cabbage, since their surfaces could easily hide crawly creatures. Wash your veggies twice in strong running water, separating each leaf and drying thoroughly. Make sure you take the time to look in the cracks of each leaf for light or dark spots. Mealy bugs, aphids and whiteflies in particular are not necessarily dark. Whiteflies infest and leave behind little white egg sacs. Some bugs hide under dirt, so be sure to clean all dust, dirt and debris thoroughly off your produce as well.
2. Give Them a Spritz
When washing your veggies is just not enough, spray them down with vegetable wash. You can find these washes in the produce department at your local grocery store, or you can make it yourself. Just mix one-half quart of water with one-half quart of distilled vinegar, add a drop of liquid soap and put the mixture in a spray bottle. To use, spray your veggies down with the vegetable wash, rinse thoroughly twice and dry. To make drying easier, get a vegetable spinner. You still want to make sure you check each leaf for hidden dirt, bugs and debris since even taking this extra step sometimes does not get all the invaders.
3. Light Them Up
Some caterers use a light box to make a thorough check of their shipment of leafy vegetables. First, they remove the outer leaves and discard them, and then they put them over a light box while inspecting the rest of the head of the leafy vegetable. The florescent light helps you see translucent bugs that might not be visible normally. This practice is also common for individuals looking for truly kosher foods.
4. Grow With Soap
One way to be sure your leafy greens don't have invaders is to spray them down while they're still in the ground with an organically-based insecticidal soap. This keeps the little vermin from taking up residence in the first place. Choose one approved for organic gardening and you'll benefit from growing vegetables in a way that benefits your health as well as eliminating pesticide runoff into our water supply. If you have well water, it is especially important to protect the water supply of the immediate surrounding area, since you could be bathing in or drinking the pesticide residue. Re-apply the insecticidal soap as often as the manufacturer recommends for your particular type of crop, and take time to apply it to all surfaces of the vegetable, since unprotected areas are still vulnerable to infestation.
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