Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of any diet. These food items provide many essential vitamins and nutrients our bodies need every day. On the other hand, produce is extremely difficult to keep fresh for long. Fruits and vegetables spoil rather quickly compared to canned and processed foods. In the United States, families throw out about a fourth of all fresh produce they buy each year because it has gone bad before it was consumed. Not only is that a large amount of waste, it also takes a toll on the wallet!
Fortunately, there are ways to keep your fresh fruits and vegetables edible for longer periods of time. These methods have much to do with how certain items are stored. For example, there are certain fruits and vegetables that should not be stored together. There are also certain produce items that should not be put into the refrigerator but left on the countertop instead. Other items need to be stored in a cool, dry place instead like a root cellar.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when buying and storing produce:
Buying Produce
The practice of getting longer lasting fruits and vegetables starts at the grocery store. Try to pick ones that look the freshest because these will have the longest shelf life. Avoid produce that is already bruised or damaged in some way. In many cases, those fruits and vegetables that are already refrigerated will not last as long when you bring them home. With certain items, like tomatoes, you want to look for those that are not yet quite ripe. Pick up your produce last and get them home as soon as possible. Remember to eat items that spoil quickly first, and plan out your means so you know exactly what and how much you need.
Storing Produce
Different produce items will need to be stored in different ways. Berries need to be stored in a single layer in the refrigerator while root vegetables (potatoes, squash, onions) need to left in a cool, dry place. Apples, bananas, and tomatoes should be left on the countertop, and things like avocados and peaches need to be left on the counter to ripen and then stored in the refrigerator. The reason some produce should be not stored in the refrigerator is because all of them give off an odorless gas called ethylene, and sometimes this gas actually speeds up the ripening of other produce.
Other Methods
Finally, there are other ways to keep produce lasting longer. There are many gadgets for your home that can keep fruits and vegetables good for a while. These items include lettuce keepers, reusable perforated produce bags, tomato savers, and berry containers. If you need fruits and vegetables to last longer than a couple of weeks, it never hurts to consider buying them frozen or canned. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that there is no nutritional difference between fresh and frozen produce. You might also consider freeze-dried fruits and vegetables as part of your emergency food supply.