Author Topic: Mice in Greenhouse - How to Clean tomatoes  (Read 2969 times)

cambourne7

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Mice in Greenhouse - How to Clean tomatoes
« on: September 11, 2019, 11:41:49 »
Hi All,

Just been out to harvest tomatoes and found mice have got in and had themselves a feast, i am going to remove the tomatoes that look undamaged but i cant guarantee that there not untouched !

What can i do to wash the tomatoes to make sure there safe to eat?

Help appreciated.

Cam

saddad

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Re: Mice in Greenhouse - How to Clean tomatoes
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2019, 08:42:57 »
Not a problem I have had in the greenhouse... the outdoor ones do get nibbled so I just boil them ( the undamaged ones) down into "tomato slop" to freeze and use in cooking during they year. Sorry not to be of more help.
Does anybody know if washing them down individually with say wet paper towel and drying separately with another would be sufficient? I'm sure mice come into bodily contact with lots of my allotment produce and I had never really given it much thought.....

ancellsfarmer

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Re: Mice in Greenhouse - How to Clean tomatoes
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2019, 09:40:38 »
SO, if google is your friend, see:
https://www.bunzlcatering.co.uk/best-way-wash-fresh-produce
For mice, I recommend the little nipper, the last thing it does is nips!
Freelance cultivator qualified within the University of Life.

saddad

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Re: Mice in Greenhouse - How to Clean tomatoes
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2019, 10:43:49 »
Very keen on them myself!

Vinlander

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Re: Mice in Greenhouse - How to Clean tomatoes
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2019, 09:37:13 »
Whenever you think of putting chlorine on food or even skin (swimming) I always think of Hydrogen Peroxide as an alternative bleach/disinfectant.

This link refers to adding acetic acid but it is a large-scale approach https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/produce-wash-water-sanitizers-chlorine-paa

It seems likely that a similar concentration would work just as well without acid. The benefits are clear.

Permanganate also offers a means of avoiding chlorine - from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5812110/

"The current work highlights the bacterial diversity and load on raw coriander leaves. The potassium permanganate solution at 0.1% concentration for minimum 10 min contact time proved to be an efficient and easy method to significantly reduce the bacterial load. This can be used as an alternative to or in combination with plain water washing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever study demonstrating the efficacy of potassium permanganate solution as a cleanser for cilantro."

Cheers.

PS. I'd be more worried about rats - worried enough to use H2O2 or permanganate on anything too precious to dump.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2019, 09:51:42 by Vinlander »
With a microholding you always get too much or bugger-all. (I'm fed up calling it an allotment garden - it just encourages the tidy-police).

The simple/complex split is more & more important: Simple fertilisers Poor, complex ones Good. Simple (old) poisons predictable, others (new) the opposite.

Obelixx

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Re: Mice in Greenhouse - How to Clean tomatoes
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2019, 14:21:35 »
I think a good rinse with clean water would be adequate.   Bleach, peroxide and all the rest are bit OTT for me.
Obxx - Vendée France

ancellsfarmer

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Re: Mice in Greenhouse - How to Clean tomatoes
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2019, 16:21:05 »
Very keen on them myself!
When you wrote this, I was unaware of anything living in my shed. There is no obvious food source within.No physical indication of occupation at all. That evening I found a 'resting' little nipper, It was armed with a solitary peanut in shell. Since then, 6 mice do no longer reside there. Your enthusiasm has been rewarding.
Freelance cultivator qualified within the University of Life.

 

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