How to Make Your Fruit and Vegetables Last Longer
With the price of fruit and vegetables continually rising, nobody wants to waste money by throwing away food that has gone off or rotten.
We started shopping at the local farmers markets to buy the freshest seasonal produce that we could find.
With the markets being held every fortnight we had to find ways to ensure that we had enough supplies to last until the next market, without wasting any of the food.
To tackle this problem we came up with some suggestions to make your fruit and vegetables last longer.
How long your fruit and vegetables last will depend on your local climate to some extent.
Commercially we know that suppliers use all sorts of tricks to preserve fruits and vegetables including freezing, gassing, and wax coating some produce.
Whilst that may preserve the appearance it does not do much for preserving the benefits of consuming fresh produce the way nature intended.
1.
Make up a menu for the next fortnight, and only buy the food that you need.
It's easy to make a list of fruit and vegetables that you might need, but by having meals planned, you'll ensure that you can have the right quantities of produce, and some of the things that you were thinking of buying can go on the list for the next shopping trip.
2.
Correct selection of fruit and vegetables to last longer.
Many stores allow for self-service, so that you can choose which fruits and vegetables are ripe now, or will ripen in a few days or even next week.
While yellow bananas may look tempting to buy, the green ones that are not quite ripe will last longer and will ripen over time.
Select some yellow to consume shortly, and some yellow-green, and other green bananas.
Other vegetables fruits that ripen after picking include avocados, pears, apricots, peaches, plums, mangoes, honeydew melons, cantaloupes, and kiwis, can soften on the counter.
3.
Storing Fruit.
Soft fruits do not last with a high moisture environment.
We store our soft fruits like strawberries in a bed of paper towel placed in a sealed plastic container in the fridge.
The paper absorbs any excess moisture, extending the life of the fruit.
Apples, oranges, lemons and similar fruits can be kept on the counter top in a fruit bowl for the family to eat.
We may store some in the fridge to keep them longer in the summer months during warmer weather.
Be aware that apples and some other fruits give off gas called ethylene that speeds ripening in vegetables, so avoid putting them together with other fruits into the crisper drawers.
4.
Storing Vegetables.
Some vegetables, like potatoes and onions are can be stored in a cool dry place.
Generally vegetables stay fresh when kept in a moist environment like the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
We place broccoli in a sealed plastic container lined with paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
We wash lettuce, dry it thoroughly and place in a easy-seal green vegetable bag to keep it fresh and ready to serve for sandwiches and salads.
Again, we place paper towel in the bag to absorb the moisture and keep it crisp.
If you haven't got a meal plan, then ensure that you keep your fruit and vegetables in easy sight, so when you open the refrigerator you see what's there and hopefully that will remind you what you should be eating next.
With a little planning, eat the produce that will spoil first, and work your way through the other produce as the week progresses.
These are just a number of tips to make your fruit and vegetables last longer.
We started shopping at the local farmers markets to buy the freshest seasonal produce that we could find.
With the markets being held every fortnight we had to find ways to ensure that we had enough supplies to last until the next market, without wasting any of the food.
To tackle this problem we came up with some suggestions to make your fruit and vegetables last longer.
How long your fruit and vegetables last will depend on your local climate to some extent.
Commercially we know that suppliers use all sorts of tricks to preserve fruits and vegetables including freezing, gassing, and wax coating some produce.
Whilst that may preserve the appearance it does not do much for preserving the benefits of consuming fresh produce the way nature intended.
1.
Make up a menu for the next fortnight, and only buy the food that you need.
It's easy to make a list of fruit and vegetables that you might need, but by having meals planned, you'll ensure that you can have the right quantities of produce, and some of the things that you were thinking of buying can go on the list for the next shopping trip.
2.
Correct selection of fruit and vegetables to last longer.
Many stores allow for self-service, so that you can choose which fruits and vegetables are ripe now, or will ripen in a few days or even next week.
While yellow bananas may look tempting to buy, the green ones that are not quite ripe will last longer and will ripen over time.
Select some yellow to consume shortly, and some yellow-green, and other green bananas.
Other vegetables fruits that ripen after picking include avocados, pears, apricots, peaches, plums, mangoes, honeydew melons, cantaloupes, and kiwis, can soften on the counter.
3.
Storing Fruit.
Soft fruits do not last with a high moisture environment.
We store our soft fruits like strawberries in a bed of paper towel placed in a sealed plastic container in the fridge.
The paper absorbs any excess moisture, extending the life of the fruit.
Apples, oranges, lemons and similar fruits can be kept on the counter top in a fruit bowl for the family to eat.
We may store some in the fridge to keep them longer in the summer months during warmer weather.
Be aware that apples and some other fruits give off gas called ethylene that speeds ripening in vegetables, so avoid putting them together with other fruits into the crisper drawers.
4.
Storing Vegetables.
Some vegetables, like potatoes and onions are can be stored in a cool dry place.
Generally vegetables stay fresh when kept in a moist environment like the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
We place broccoli in a sealed plastic container lined with paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
We wash lettuce, dry it thoroughly and place in a easy-seal green vegetable bag to keep it fresh and ready to serve for sandwiches and salads.
Again, we place paper towel in the bag to absorb the moisture and keep it crisp.
If you haven't got a meal plan, then ensure that you keep your fruit and vegetables in easy sight, so when you open the refrigerator you see what's there and hopefully that will remind you what you should be eating next.
With a little planning, eat the produce that will spoil first, and work your way through the other produce as the week progresses.
These are just a number of tips to make your fruit and vegetables last longer.
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