Our doctor’s have been telling us for a long time that we need to eat our fruits and veggies. As kids we used to groan and moan about it, but now that we’ve had time to mature and develop a more sophisticated palate, we know that they really aren’t that bad. Some in fact are delicious and can add quite a lot to a meal.
However, there has always been something difficult about enjoying our fruits and vegetables; keeping them fresh. Nothing is more frustrating when you look for a red pepper to add to your stir fry and see that it’s rotten. While the deterioration of your produce is inevitable, there are ways to make them last longer. Heed these tips for keeping you fruits and veggies fresh:
- Know how to shop for produce. Know what to look for and know the difference between ripe and unripe. It will differ for each fruit and veggie.
- Clean your fridge. Any mold residue can spoil you produce.
- Separate your meat and produce as much as possible.
- Some produce has a contains ethylene gas which aids with ripening. However, other produce is ethylene sensitive. These two different categories must be separated. Find out which produce belong to which category and store your food accordingly.
- Keep your unripe fruits and vegetables stored out on the counter until they are ripe, then move them into the fridge.
- Most people think bananas should just stay out on the counter the whole time. But if you don’t feel like eating seven bananas in two days before they grow brown, make sure they go to the fridge, too.
- Not everything should be stored in the fridge. Some things like potatoes, onions, and tomatoes should be stored in a cool, dry place, preferably a basement. Once you cut them however, you need to transfer them to the fridge as well.
- Speaking of potatoes, it’s always frustrating when they sprout earlier than you expected. Help prevent this by storing them with apples.
- Wrap your lettuce and leafy green in paper towel and leave them in your fridge’s crisper drawer to keep them from spoiling or becoming freezer burnt.
- Freeze veggies that you know you won’t be using for a while and then they will be ready to go when you need them.