Wash Berries with Vinegar, Use Plastic Six-Pack Rings as a Net for Vines, Remove Rust with Broken Bricks, and More Country Lore

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PHOTO: FOTOLIA/JACKF
Wash berries in vinegar to chase out any lurking tiny insects.

Wash Store-Bought Produce with Vinegar

My mother taught all her children to wash store-bought berries (especially strawberries) in tepid water with a dash of vinegar in it before rinsing them. Try it; you may be surprised to see the numbers of tiny insects that are flushed out of their comfortable hiding places by the sting of the acidic vinegar. I often remember my experiences with these stowaways when I see people eating fruit right off the supermarket shelf. In addition to swallowing pesticides and herbicides, they may be getting some “bonus” protein, too.

–Lillian S.Murphy, Rohnert Park, California

Use Six-Pack Rings as Garden Netting

It would be hard to imagine a product with less redeeming social value than the “sixpack net,” that assembly of plastic loops used to hold beverage cans together. Not only is the material all but indestructible in the environment, it also poses a potential threat to pets and wildlife that might get caught in its nonbiodegradable nooses.

  • Published on May 1, 1989
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