In the 1950's at sierra States University in California, Hazel Parcells, N.D. conducted an experiment with shriveled discolored lemons meant for the compost pile. She placed them into a sinkful of water into which she put a small amount of Clorox bleach. Within one-half hour the lemons had taken on a fresh appearance and the room smelled of fragrant lemon. Parcells portioned them out and placed them in a freezer. For the next three years they were tested for freshness and nutritional value in every class she taught. Through the third year they retained their freshness, moisture, tartness and rivaled the fresh lemons even in nutritional value.

Explanation: The Sodium hypochlorite in the Clorox bleach, an oxygenator, interacted with the natural chemicals in the lemons, eliminating fungi, bacteria and other foreign material on them that might have contributed to earlier than normal deterioration.

Parcells found that Clorox bleach worked best of all bleaches because of the manufacturer's high quality procedures and filtration. Parcells spent the next few years experimenting and refining her methods with different foods. She used the Clorox bleach soak for forty years, with nary a complaint. She lived to be 104 years old, just passing on in 1997.

Parcells Food Cleaning Method: Concerned about pesticides, toxins, chemicals and fungi and bacteria on your food? The Parcells Oxygen Soak can be used with eggs ( the porous shells can absorb pesticides and salmonella), meat (which can be a heavy carrier of toxic materials: growth hormones, antibiotics and poisons in the foods the animals consume), and the flavor and texture are improved, meat being tenderized, including fish and foul; even frozen meats will not lose any juices in the soak, and they can remain in the soak until thawed - except ground meats.

Formula: Add 1 teaspoon of Clorox bleach to 1 gallon of water. Separate foods into the following groups and soak for the indicated time ( make a fresh soak for each group) : Leafy vegetables 5-10 minutes., root and heavy -fiber vegetables 10-15 minutes.; Fruits - thin-skinned fruits (berries) 5 minutes. medium-skinned fruits (peaches, apricots) 10-15 minutes. ; Eggs 20-30 minutes.; Meat/poultry/fish (per pound), thawed, 10 minutes.; frozen 15-20 minutes. Do not use more bleach than recommended and do not soak longer than times given. After the soak, place food in a fresh water rinse for 5-10 minutes. The fresh water introduces new oxygen into the food.

Storage: Let the food drain well before refrigerating. The benefits of this oxygen food treatment are: fruits and vegetables will keep longer; the wilted will return to a fresh crispness, colors will restore (unless soaked longer than times recommended), flavor is enhanced and the dangerous additives will have been removed.

The Parcells oxygen soak is registered with the Smithsonian Institution under "Simplified Kitchen Chemistry," and is used around the globe with great success, having been adopted by health departments of many governments. It is the essential means of sanitizing food in out-of-the-way places.