So a friend of mine went to harvest some spinach and lettuce she planted, only to find lots of aphids. Assuming she can clear off the aphids is there anything preventing her from eating the produce? What's the proper method for cleaning that's sure to make it edible?
2 Answers
The best way to remove the aphids is to submerge the vegetables in cold water for at least 10 minutes. Then drain, rinse them off, and dry them. Salad spinners are perfect for this.
Once the aphids have been drowned and rinsed off, the greens are perfectly safe to eat. Actually, it should be safe to eat the aphids as well, it's just unappetizing.
Actually, aphids are totally edible. Depending on the plants they've been eating, they can range from slightly bitter to sweet. They could cause problems for your friend's remaining produce, though.