Cucumbers Regular cucumbers are in the top 10 for having high pesticide usage. They also may have synthetic waxes on the skin (to preserve moisture) that contain a number of pesticides. It is best to buy organic for this reason.
Cucumber
Its greeny skin has all the danger with 86% of pesticide content. Cucumbers contain thick skin over them, which protects the actual matter. Although cucumbers have 86% of pesticide, that is all on the skin. Peeling the skin off before consumption makes it all safe for you.
The Dirty Dozen
Making up the 2nd half of that list are cherries, spinach, tomatoes, sweet red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers. A bit lower on the list are imported snap peas, blueberries (domestic), potatoes, hot peppers, lettuce, kale, collard greens, blueberries (imported), green beans, plums, and pears.
Hold the fruit or vegetable under flowing water in a strainer. This removes more pesticide than dunking the produce. The FDA does not recommend washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash. They have not been proven to be any more effective than water alone.
The imidacloprid is a systemic pesticide and has a high ability to penetrate plant tissues, so its residues remain in fruit tissues even after peeling procedure.
Rinse produce BEFORE you peel it, so dirt and bacteria aren't transferred from the knife onto the fruit or vegetable. Gently rub produce while holding under plain running water. There's no need to use soap or a produce wash. Use a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers.
Organic cucumbers are free of the many pesticides that are used on conventional cucumbers - much better for the bumble bees who have to pollinate them.
According to the experts from The Environmental Working Group, white vinegar comes with acetic acid, which can dissolve chemicals such as pesticides present on the skin of fruits and veggies. The acid can also kill about 98 percent of bacteria on your produce.
While you can remove pesticide residues using a soaking solution such as vinegar and water or salt and water, it's not advisable. There's a small risk the chemical reaction between the pesticides and the solution could produce potentially harmful compounds.
Bigger and thicker cucumbers have more seeds. Avoid buying cucumbers that have shriveled ends or blemishes.
Selecting Cucumbers
Avoid cucumbers that are yellow, puffy, have sunken water-soaked areas, or are wrinkled at their tips. Also, avoid those that have bulging middles. Overripe cucumbers, with large seeds and watery flesh, will have a poor taste. Slender, firm, bright medium to dark-green cucumbers will taste the best.
Kale, collard and mustard greens contained the largest number of different pesticides - 103 types - followed by hot and bell peppers at 101. "Some of the USDA's tests show traces of pesticides long since banned by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Study shows washing strawberries properly can remove up to 98% of harmful fungicide and pesticide residue.
Unfortunately, research shows that peeling alone is not enough to eliminate pesticides. Pesticides can penetrate into the underlying flesh of the fruit or vegetable and not be accessible to peeling. Even washing a piece of produce thoroughly doesn't remove all traces of pesticides.
Organic foods are not necessarily pesticide-free. The pesticides that are allowed for organic food production are typically not manmade. They tend to have natural substances like soaps, lime sulfur and hydrogen peroxide as ingredients.
Produce OK to buy as non-organic
Produce and other foods with lower-pesticide risk that shoppers can save on and go with non-organic include bananas, oranges, applesauce, canned peaches, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and broccoli.
Cucumbers—and other members of the pumpkin and gourd family—produce a compound called cucurbitacins that can impart a bitter taste. The amount of cucurbitacins a cucumber contains is increased when the plant faces adverse growing conditions, like a lack of water or excessive heat.
When stored at room temperature, cucumbers thrive and last longer. Stored below 50°F , they're prone to developing “chilling injuries,” including water-soaked areas, pitting, and accelerated decay.
Place a washed cucumber onto a cutting board, sprinkle on some salt and roll the cucumber in the salt. Doing so will remove the stipples (bumps) and refresh both the color and flavor. This preparation method is called “itazuri” in Japanese.
The soaking will help the cucumbers to lose less water (so they won't make the dressing watery – IF you drain them well, that is) and they're super cold and crunchy.