Food waste is a bummer. Even more of a bummer is wasting your hard earned money by having produce go bad before you have a chance to use it. Properly storing produce is key when it comes to getting the longest life out of it. Here’s a couple of tips to keep your produce fresher longer:
- Keep your fridge clean. Mold spores from aging food don’t discriminate between that 5 day left-over casserole and your newly purchased cucumbers. Keeping the fridge clean will keep those spores at bay.
- Keep fresh food away from your oven/stove. If your bananas are hanging near a heat source, especially if you have a gas stove, it increases the amount of ethylene gas and sends the ripening process into hyperdrive.
- Potatoes and apples will help each other out. Apples slow down the sprouting process on potatoes.
- Wrap your lettuce in a paper towel and change it frequently. Moisture will ruin a head a lettuce lightening fast. The paper towel will absorb excess moisture.
- Clean produce with 1 part vinegar and 10 parts water. It’s a great all-purpose fruit and veggie cleaner, plus it removes mold spores which will buy you a couple of extra days at least.
- Store your ginger in the freezer. It will last for basically ever and it is super easy to peel and grate when it is frozen.
- If you know you won’t be able to get to fruits/veggies in time, consider chopping and freezing them for health packed smoothies {HERE are some of my favorite smoothie recipes}.
- If you have excess herbs or know you won’t use them in time, try freezing them in olive oil.
- Bananas will last longer if you wrap them in plastic wrap.
- Some fruits produce more ethylene gas than others, so it’s best not to store them with more sensitive fruits and veggies. Here’s a quick list of the worst offenders: apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupes, honeydew, kiwis, mangoes, nectarines, papayas, peaches, pears, plums, and tomatoes. They will make produce like apples, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, green beans, etc. go bad much, much faster.
What is your BEST tip for lengthening the life of your produce?
~Mavis
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SJ Smith says
I like to buy cabbages when on sale, such as St. Patrick’s Day. I keep each head in a different plastic bag. They keep up to two months. If one should start to mold before I’ve used it, I ust peel off the outer leaves until it is clean. Then I rinse and dry. Sometimes trim the stem if necessary. And put in a new bag to avoid mold spores. I love those foods that will allow us to buy at great prices and store a long time!
Also, your list of methane producing produce seemed to be the stuff I’d never put in the refrigerator. These are best stored on the counter or in brown paper bags if not quite ripe…. and used up or canned quickly.
Thanks for sharing. I always learn something new.
SJ Smith says
edit… keep the cabbages in the refrigerator.