Fresh fruits and vegetables can be very expensive! But since they should be part of a healthy diet, keeping them from going to waste before we can eat them is important!
In our house, we always keep baby carrots on hand. Unfortunately, most of the time there is quite a bit of water in the bag with them, which makes them get mushy, and rot pretty quickly.
So now, when I get them home, I like to rinse them well to get any “sliminess” off.
Then I let them drain and dry a little on a clean kitchen towel before putting them in a ziploc bag (a container would work as well).
To catch any remaining liquid, I put a folded paper towel inside the bag which can be changed if it gets soggy. The lack of excess moisture keeps them fresher longer.
This works well with peppers too, and then I put them in snack size bags for my hubby’s lunch.
A produce tip which can save you money is to buy produce on sale, and then wash and freeze it if you can’t use it all at once. Now not all produce can be successfully frozen, and still maintain its taste and appearance, but berries generally do well.
So when I saw blueberries on sale recently, I snapped them up to eat some, and freeze some. I rinsed them, let them dry, and then bagged them.
Another tip is if there’s a recipe you know you’ll use your produce for, pre-measure them before you freeze them, so when you go to make your recipe, you’ll be ready to go. 🙂
28 comments
Thank you for the tips!! We take potatoes out of the plastic bags and store them in cloth shopping bags in our pantry. They stay fresh much longer that way!!
Thanks so much for the tip!
Great tips that I will really use! but we have a pet cow, so I don’t feel so bad if stuff does go bad in the fridge 😉
JoAnn
These are great tips; thanks for sharing. We have a compost bin, so if stuff does happen to get overlooked, it does at least go to use somehow! I do dislike throwing out what were perfectly wonderful organic veggies, however!
~april
I also read recently to use orange juice on apple slices to keep them from turning brown. (instead of lemon juice) It has the same citric acidity needed. THANKS for the baby carrots idea!!
I’ll have to try that!
You can also use pineapple juice! Great with a fruit salad to keep bananas fresher longer too!
When I slice my kid’s apple snacks in advance, all I do is sprinkle a little Vitamin C crystals on the slices in a baggy and shake it up. They love the flavour and they don’t brown either. PLUS they get some extra VIT C in their diets!
I need to look for those Vitamin C crystals!
I do this with my carrots too.. Also don’t know if you heard about this but celery, clean it and wrap it in tinfoil.. It stays fresh and lasts a long time! 🙂
Robyn
Thanks for the tip!
Great tips. Thanks so much.
Thanks for sharing these great tips with Weekend Potluck! I have also found storing things in a glass jar with folded paper towel in the bottom can increase their fridge-life as well.
Have a great weekend!
~Tonya from 4 little Fergusons
http://4littlefergusons.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/cream-cheese-bacon-egg-veggie-ring/
Great tips! I could definitely use this! I always end up throwing away a ton of fresh fruits & veggies. : I would love for you to stop by and link to my Sew Crafty Saturday Party!
Great tips! I hate that slime on the carrots so I’ll be trying this for sure!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
These are great tips that will really come in handy! Hope you are having a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Another tip for freezing blueberries and works great! Don’t wash before you freeze them – spread on a cookie or baking sheet and freeze them on the pan. Once frozen, put them in a ziploc freezer bag and you can then take out what you want without them all being stuck together or measuring out just a few for pancakes.
Hope this helps!
Mary
i had seen a tip about celery, that said you should pull it apart and store it that way. i have found that things last alot longer in my new fridge, too. thanks for the tips!
I Love this tip!!1 If you don’t mind, I am going to share this with all my facebook followers!
Kristen
Great tips! I’m starting a healthier diet and need to keep my fruit and veggies fresh!!
Great tips. I admit to buying more frozen or canned items because it seems like when I buy fresh I throw a lot more away. This was helpful. 🙂
Thank you for linking up last week in Mommy Solutions! Your post was my #4 most clicked link! You are being featured on my new link up for this week! Thank you for sharing! Crystal
http://crystalandcomp.com/2012/03/the-mommy-club-share-your-resources-and-solutions-35/
i use paper towels in the bottom of my salad bowl too. By the time you wash everything there is still a lot of water in the veggies. Keeps the salad good for a lot longer too.
any moist food, like cut up cucumber, etc I start with the paper towel in the bottom of storage container.
Was making dinner at a group home I used to work in and the other girl i worked with saw the salad and mixed it and found the soaked paper towel and kinda freaked out.
Like what on earth is this, and how did it get in our salad bowl. 😉
i use paper towels in the bottom of my salad bowl too. By the time you wash everything there is still a lot of water in the veggies. Keeps the salad good for a lot longer too.
any moist food, like cut up cucumber, etc I start with the paper towel in the bottom of storage container.
Was making dinner at a group home I used to work in and the other girl i worked with saw the salad and mixed it and found the soaked paper towel and kinda freaked out.
Like what on earth is this, and how did it get in our salad bowl. 😉
These are great tips. I hate it when my fruit goes bad so quickly that we don’t get to eat it all.
I met a 70+ year old lady in Aldi one day by the vegetable aisle. The celery was on sale for a lower than normal price. When I only picked up one, she asked why I wasn’t buying more. I replied that it seems to go bad and I hate wasting the money. Her tip: after chopping the ends of, wipe down & then wrap in a good foil. It works – can last up to 3 months & remain fresh.
Second tip: For keeping asparagus fresh: trim the woody ends, then stand up in about an inch of water – they’ll remain fresh & nice looking for over a week. (This tip from my sister in law)
Thanks so much for your tips – I’d love to pre-cut my own apple before taking it to work, so I’ll try the lemon lime soda – diet of course!
Sherli
Great tip; I’ll have to try it! 🙂