http://www.care2.com/greenliving/dont-let-good-produce-go-bad.html
Don’t Let Good Produce Go Bad
By Allison Ford, Divine Caroline
Every Saturday morning, I go shopping at the San Francisco Ferry Building farmer’s market, and I always go home with a dizzying array of colorful peppers, perfect peaches, gorgeous greens, and a host of other things I can’t wait to cook over the course of the week. Sure enough though, by Wednesday afternoon, my kitchen is always covered with greenish, mushy lumps formerly known as my dinner. I toss the wilted, moldy masses in the compost bin and sigh, “Well, there’s another ten bucks down the drain.”
Cooking with fresh produce is satisfying, whether it’s from a farmer’s market or a neighborhood grocery store, but trying to use it all before it goes bad can drive a person crazy. It seems that so many things I buy end up going bad before I have a chance to use them, and that’s money right down the drain. Making everything last through the week doesn’t take superhuman feats of kale coddling; it just takes more commonsense shopping habits and more efficient storage techniques.
Veggies, Veggies Everywhere…But What to Do with Them?
One of the greatest temptations of the market is just to buy whatever looks tasty, but what’s a shopper to do when everything looks good? With every vendor offering samples and freebies to entice you to buy, it’s not hard to go home with a random assortment of vegetables without any plan or timeline for how to utilize them. One of the best things to do to minimize produce waste is to come up with a meal plan–and stick to it. Knowing what you’d like to cook keeps you on track to buy only the things you need, and not just the things that sound good now.
Once you have a rough idea of your meals, arrange them so that the most perishable items get used right away, and let sturdier veggies wait until the end of the week. Cook leafy greens, corn in the husk, and fresh herbs right away. Potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, leeks, garlic, broccoli, and bell peppers can last longer without going bad. Thin-skinned fruits like peaches, plums, or apricots often only last a few days, but fruits with a rind or husk like pomegranates, citrus fruits, and avocados are hardier. When buying meat, pay attention to how it’s packaged to determine how long it will keep. Any meat (especially seafood) that’s wrapped in plain paper from a deli counter or that arrives in a baggie should be used within a day or two. Vacuum-sealed products will last longer, usually up to a week.
Having a meal plan also helps you to know how ripe your produce needs to be throughout the week. Only buy ripe produce for meals you’ll cook within a day or two of shopping. For subsequent meals, buy vegetables that are still slightly green or a bit firm. For example, don’t buy perfectly ripe avocados on Monday if you’re planning to make guacamole on Saturday. Buy under-ripe ones and allow them to mature at home. Although it’s tempting to buy only the most perfectly ripe fruits and vegetables, buying items that haven’t reached their peak can minimize waste.
Next: Increase the longevity of your produce!
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7 comments
add your comment »I can't say I've had any luck with the green bags. My food seemed to rot even faster. But maybe I should try them again. I also have a bad habit of getting excited over produce and buying too much then being overwhelmed. Though I have gotten better. But thank you all for these great tips. I'm saving this one in my favorites.
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One of the very first things I do to ANY leafy green vegetable is rinse it thoroughly, shake off excess water, then carefully lay out each leaf side by side on a clean tea towel.
Cover it all with another clean towel and roll it all up in a way that wraps AROUND the stems so they stay straight and don't break. Stored this way, spinach, lettuce, thicker herb leaves all last and last and last.
For things like spinach, greens, or lettuce, I always sprinkle the top towel with a few drops of water so that the 'roll' is moist and cold when stored in the produce box. Believe me, you'll be very surprised how long this method prolongs the life of fresh vegetables.
For things like herbs with stems (Parsley, dill, celery) I chop off a quarter inch or so to create a NEW cut edge, then stand them up in a glass of clean cold (even icy) water and place in refrigerator. They last several days to a week this way.
IF a leafy green does wilt, cutting the bottom and standing it in water for an hour will restore it to freshness.
Try it! BIG moneysaver!
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Fresh fruits & vegetables are the best, however before they are to spoil & we do not have time to use them in time, cooking them & freezing them for a later use is the next best solution rather then tossing them in the trash. The wasting of food in this country is outrageous when we see undeveloped countries starving & dying due to lack of food. We need to be more aware of the problems & buy less so that others can enjoy some of the luxuries our nation takes for granted. There is enough food produced for all the people of this world, it is just not spread out fairly & equally. No one should go hungry or starve & die because of lack of food when so much of it is filling the dumps & wonder where to put it all.
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Celery lasts a LOT longer when you wrap it in tin foil.
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Addendum to my remark about Green Bags: Susan C is right: Washing and drying produce and fruit, before using the bags helps.
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There are green bags advertised on TV by Debbie Meyer that absorb the ethylene gas that the ripening fruit emits, reducing the speed of ripening. The Debbie Meyer green bags WORK. I use them. The Debbie Meyer bags don't make the food taste funny. They are well worth the money. Note that they will not prevent the fruit from ripening, but they do delay ripening. I have heard reports that other brands may make produce taste funny or fail to work.
Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in Debbie Meyer. I am only a satisfied user.
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I have a way of keeping my veges fresh for a long time. First I wash and soak them in ionized, alkaline Kangen water - 11.5 pH - which removes any pesticide residue and dirt (yes even organic food has residue). Then I rinse it in ionized super acidic Kangen water - 2.5 pH - which kills any bacteria and then let it dry and store it in the crisper drawer. This is especially good for organic foods which tend to go off faster than the others.
Doing this has saved me hundreds of dollars - yes it takes a little time, but it is so worth it.
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