ROB, I don’t understand. I asked you to kindly check with the kashrus agencies, but you only offered to look at a strawberry with a magnifying glass. There’s a reason I didn’t ask you to merely look at a strawberry with a magnifying glass; your findings won’t prove anything either way. How can you compare looking at one solitary berry, or even box of berries, to the findings of the kashrus agencies whose mashgichim have literally checked thousands upon thousands of large batches of strawberries? I don’t even think a layman looking at a strawberry with a magnifying glass will know what to look for, or be able to find the thrips hiding between the skin and the seeds. Gavra asked me to break open a batch of berries on a black garbage can, even after washing it with the recommended method, and I’ll see all the white bugs which the washing with detergent didn’t get. I’ll tell you why I haven’t done it yet (although I still might, out of curiosity); because my solitary experiment can’t prove anything. So instead, I confirmed with a vegetable expert in the kashrus field that this indeed might happen. His experience, together with that of all the mashgiachim who have worked under him, is a worth a lot more than my lone experiment would.
Des the level of infestation after this cleansing remain a miut hamotzui? Apparently bit, according to at least three national hechsherim (see below).
So if you want to call people who are choshesh for a miut hamotzui outlandish, I and maybe even Gavra will proudly wear that label.
Here’s from the OK:
Strawberries: Please note: Strawberries with holes should not be used! 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cut off green stems. Wash, soak and rub each strawberry in soap or veggie wash solution for 3 minutes. (Maximum 25 strawberries at a time). Dump out the water, rinse the strawberries. Wash, soak and rub the strawberries once more for 3 minutes. Rinse the strawberries. Check 3 samples.