There’s a simple joy in eating food prepared using fresh produce. The food made using fresh ingredients and produces tastes delicious and can retain a lot of nutritional value. Everybody wants to get the fresh flavour from the food which is why it is important to use fresh produce along with fresh ingredients.
However, the only tedious part is keeping the produce fresh for weeks with proper storage. We buy fresh produce, find room in the fridge, and after a few weeks later we all discover is rotten fruits or veggies that sometimes create a foul smell too. Let’s be honest, this happens with all of us.
Fortunately, I have a list of tips that you can follow to avoid this unnecessary wastage and extend the life of the produce to reap maximum health benefits. Before getting started allow us to introduce you to some of the many nutritional benefits of eating a regular diet made from fresh produce:
- It promotes healthy skin and good vision
- It strengthens bone health
- It reduces the risk of certain heart diseases
- It allows you to have better digestion
- It maintains blood pressure level
On the contrary, eating mouldy produce or using them in cooking can cause food poisoning and other skin allergies. All things considered, here’s a list of tips that need to follow for keeping fruits & veggies from going bad.
Buy Seasonal Produce
First things first, we can have easy access to any food whether it is in season or not, however, if you want to enjoy the natural flavour and intake important vitamins then you must buy fresh seasonal produce. Seasonal produce doesn’t go bad too quickly. It’s also extremely easy to stay healthy if you are adding seasonal fruits and veggies into your daily diet. Additionally, it is cheaper too. All you need to do is to refrigerate them well and learn other simple strategies to keep them fresh for weeks or months, depending on the variety.
Freezing The Produce
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that some produce needs to be refrigerated, others need to be ripened before being refrigerated, while others are best when stored at room temperature. Different fruits and veggies are stored in different ways. So, you need to keep that in mind for making your fruits and vegetables last longer. Here is a quick guide on storing produces:
- Leafy greens are best in the refrigerator
- Tomatoes, onions, and potatoes go well at the room temperature
- Fruits like mangoes, pears, plums, or avocados need to be ripened before putting them in the fridge
Give Separate Space
Fruits and vegetables don’t go well along with each other. Many fruits produce ethylene gas which speeds spoilage through a ripening hormone thus the produce will spoil faster. For this reason, keep fruits and vegetables away from each other whether in the refrigerator, on top of the counter, or in your pantry to prolong their lifespans and sustain freshness for long.
Pro tip: If you want to ripen something quickly then keep it close to apples, bananas, or mangoes!
Wrap Them Up
Fruits and vegetables rapidly start spoiling when they are cut. That’s why it is advised to store them in storage boxes with reusable food covers to help preserve them and limit contact with air. Packing is required for the whole produce. But don’t use an air-tight container because they require breathing room to stay fresh for the longest time. So, either poke holes in plastic bags or store them in or use cloth bags or reusable mesh bags so that they stay crispy.
Store Produce Unwashed
We all tend to wash the produce as soon as it gets home. However, by doing this you are unknowingly cutting down the shelf-life. That’s why we advise you to avoid washing fruits and vegetables unless they are being use. We don’t deny the fact that washing the produce is important to remove the dust/bacteria on the surface of the produce. Just wait until it’s chow time. If you still choose to wash it then let them dry before storing.
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing worse than having a fridge full of spoiled fruits and vegetables. However, the simple tricks that we have discussed above will surely help you to keep fresh fruits and vegetables for a longer period and reduce the risk of food wastage. Not just it protects food from wastage but also saves you valuable money. Bookmark this article so that you remember it the next time you’re storing fruits and vegetables to preserve nutrients and enjoy the taste And yes, don’t delay in eating them!
