To have fed her DC unwashed strawberries?

[brilliantdances]

Neighbour will probably see this. Not sure I care. Perhaps she will see how silly she is!

She was desperate for someone to have her DD and I said I would, no worries, all fine.

Her DD shared a box of strawberries with DS today and long story short, she's picked her DC and her DC has told her this.

I have received a text saying ''Hi, thanks again for having Kate. Please can I ask though, next time wash the strawberries before giving them to her? They are dangerous if not washed properly and she could become so unwell. Would you really want that?''

I haven't replied and won't be. AIBU to have not washed them?! Would if I was at home but it was actually just a quick snack shared out

@Comedycook

You don't know that washing it would have not made you sick

@warmfluffytowels

I don't know that, that's true, but washing it wouldn't have have harmed me and could potentially have prevented illness. There's nothing to lose by washing it. I could taste soil...soil can make you ill. Washing the soil off can only be a good thing

Actually it's one of the reasons many people are deficient in B vitamins in the UK.

The source is soil microbes, must of which are perfectly harmless and part of normal micro flora

E. coli doesn't actually live in soil - it lives in intestines so no, rinsing soil off doesn't protect you from E. coli and yes uber-clean food production methods do have potential consequences in terms of health and nutrition

WOW
" ''Hi, thanks again for having Kate. Please can I ask though, next time wash the strawberries before giving them to her? They are dangerous if not washed properly and she could become so unwell. Would you really want that?''

How rude. Perhaps she should look after her own daughter. How precious.

@Dindundundundeeer

Just text back

Raw fruit might be dangerous, but not half as dangerous as adding “Would you really want that?'' to the end of a text you sanctimonious twat.

She won’t ask again.

THIS

PS also reread the "would you really want that?" part. Frankly that's very patronising and rude.

Iv never washed fruit full stop.

I’m still here and Iv never been ill. Same for my kids.

She’s being ridiculous.

She sounds Unbelievably entitled and rude. Just shocking. Do not feel at all bad about this- you just did a good deed for a nutcase, that’s all. Makes for an awesome, jaw dropping anecdote though!

I'm immunocompromised and I don't think I've ever washed fruit. Stuff like celery if it looks gritty and wipe mushrooms but that's about it

I'm not a big washer of much fruit or veg, I have a great immune system

I always rinse fruit and veg. Rinsing won't remove all the bacteria, but it will dilute it and as they say it is the dose that makes the poison. My understanding is that small amounts of bacteria can generally be dealt with by the body but larger amounts can make you sick. We need exposure to some bacteria, to build a strong immune system but too much can be dangerous. Similarly rinsing will hopefully dilute any pesticide reside of which strawberries are one of the worst offenders. I think her text was rude though when you were doing her a favour and I don't know how I would respond. I would probably not....

Bloody hell how rude.

I do wash fruit (mostly) but wouldn’t blink at the odd unwashed strawberry and absolutely would not comment if a friend had done me a favour and looked after my DC. Bonkers and incredibly ungrateful.

My friend ate a great deal of unwashed fruit and ended up in hospital with severe uncontrollable vomiting and dehydration because of pesticides used on the fruit.

I would always wash it for this reason, because you don't know how thoroughly they've already done it.

@NotMyCat

I'm immunocompromised and I don't think I've ever washed fruit. Stuff like celery if it looks gritty and wipe mushrooms but that's about it

That’s because you are normal! Obvious muck/grime I was… otherwise it’s good to go!

Washing strawberries ruins them. Everyone knows that.

I'm a doctor, and I never wash strawberries for myself, but..

..those saying that it's pointless because 'What can water do?" are wrong. Your chances of getting sick from any contaminant - whether bacteria or pesticide - are dose-related: the more you eat, the more likely you are to get sick. Rinsing strawberries may not remove every single germ or molecule of pesticide, but it will certainly reduce the number you ingest, and reduce risk. I don't do it because I can't be arsed for me, but I do wash them for my DM, who is immunosuppressed.

But the OP's friend is still a PA nightmare and bloody rude.

There's a great phrase I learned from Mumsnet

"Gosh, did you mean to be so rude?"

I wouldn't send that text. I'd be thanking you only. I wash berries but I remember MIL thinking dh was being very lah-di-dah when he started washing berries after he met me

Strawberry rinser here.

I do it because sometimes there's bits of dirt/soil, plus I remove the green leaves/the stem with a paring knife, then under small trickle of running water rinse off the leaf parts and cut off any bad spots. I find also that the berries last longer in the fridge this way than not doing anything to them.

Raspberries....would prefer not to rinse, but the ones I've grown and picked in the back yard come in with aphids and other teeny bugs and so I put the berries in a big bowl to drown and float all the bugs to the surface.

At a pick your own strawberry farm, I eat them straight off the plant, of course just to make sure they're nice and sweet and I don't think it's stealing if I buy pounds and pounds of them. But then rinse and prepare them when I get home, as above.

This is to whomever asked for explicit instructions from the strawberry washers.

Those talking about a spritz of water, I probably agree that has less value, but we use a special wash solution, see attached.

Amazon UK sells at least two versions, so not unheard of. Dh uses as the instructions say, in all our berries. then lays them out on paper towel or clean cloth to dry, then they go in a special plastic fridge keeper for fruit. Ours last all week, unless we eat them too fast. We love our berries here.

You do as you see fit, but better safe than sorry.

What a rude bitch?! As if you’re going to have her child again or give her bloody strawberries after that message. Some people!

Just to answer the way you clean strawberries 'properly': you soak them in Milton. www.milton-tm.com/en/consumer/kitchen
I'm just answering that question, I don't care what people get up to with their strawberries.

I would always wash them - far too many contaminants in shop bought strawberries but one punnet would probably be fine.

I'd not have said anything.

I wouldn't say anything as some unwashed strawberries wouldn't do her harm - buts it not because of germs you wash them - its because you wash off the pestisides so yes I wash all fruit and vegg.

"Would you really want that?"

"Why yes, mother of Kate, I was really hoping to harm her with an unwashed strawberry."

"I never wash strawberries before putting them in Pimms. The alcohol kills any germs on them. Kate drank hers up quite happily, I'm sure she will be fine."

What next time? Would be my reply.

We eat them unwashed because running them under the tap is not really washing them is it?