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Admit it. We’ve all been guilty of throwing out fresh fruits and vegetables at times. With the ever increasing demand of our daily schedules, it makes it even harder for us to do our grocery shopping more than once a week. We should even pat ourselves on the back for making the effort to cook during the week!
I must say that I always feel rather sad whenever I have to throw away the produce that I have bought for the week. So, in desperate need, I searched for tips on how to make my fruits and vegetables last longer.
Thankfully, there are ways to reduce such food wastage if we stick to some golden rules. The big questions is whether you’ll be disciplined enough follow these steps. As for me, I do follow some of these tips. But not all of them as yet.
If you’re curious to know how to keep your fruits and vegetables for longer, here are some really useful tips:-
TIPS ON STORING FRUITS AND VEGETBLES
Store Berries Properly
Avoid washing your berries until you want to eat them. This helps to prevent them from getting moldy. If you have a lot of berries, you may want to give them a hot bath before storing them. To do this, you need to bring boiling water up to 125 degrees. Then put your berries in a plastic basket and immerse them in the pot of hot water for just 30 seconds. After this, spread them on a towel just to allow them to dry before storing.
Keep Tomatoes, Onions and Potatoes Out of the Refrigerator
It’s common to think that fruits and vegetables keep longer in the refrigerator. However, tomatoes, onions and potatoes are best kept out of the refrigerator. Choose tomatoes that still have their stems on as they will last longer. When keeping tomatoes, put them in a bowl that is lined with paper towel with the stems on top. Make sure to keep your onions, potatoes and tomatoes away from heat sources and direct sunlight.
Wrap Leafy Vegetables
You can help to prolong the life of your leafy vegetables by wrapping them with paper towel before storing them. The paper towel helps to absorb any excess moisture from the vegetables so that they don’t rot so easily. After wrapping your vegetables, it’s best to put them in plastic bags before keeping them in the fridge.
Freeze Extra Fruits and Vegetables
If you have bought too much fruits and vegetables, you can store them once they are ripe by freezing them. There are just so many fruits and vegetables that you can store, such as strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, celery and many more. However, to make them last in the freezer, blanch them in hot water first to neutralize the bacteria present in them.
Keep Fruits and Vegetables Separately
It is best to keep fruits and vegetables separately. This is because some fruits and vegetables produce a certain gas called ethylene. This gas will prematurely ripen your other produce that are sensitive to it. So to avoid anything like this from happening, just put your fruits and vegetables separately.
Discard Any Rotten Produce
Immediately throw any rotten produce. If you keep them there, it’ll only spoil your other fruits and vegetables.
I guess that’s all for now. If you still have questions about storing certain fruits and vegetables, I’ve found two websites that gives you a complete guide on storing them.
Here they are:
http://www.thekitchn.com/the-kitchns-guide-to-storing-fruits-and-vegetables-tip-roundup-176308
Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried any of these tips? Did they work for you? Or do you have other tips to share to keep you fresh fruits and vegetables for longer?
References:
http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/How-Keep-Fruits-Vegetables-Fresh-8633030
