Hi friends! While I’m on the slopes this week, Sarah has offered to share her tips on keeping your veggies fresh a little longer. Enjoy!
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A recent report revealed that the average European or North American consumer wastes 95kg-115kg of food a year, with the majority of food wasted being fruits and vegetables. As the price of groceries continues to grow, such findings are shocking. Food wastage occurs for a number of reasons, but is most commonly due to fruit and vegetables being spoilt. Make a concerted effort to cut down your food wastage and save money in the process by following these simple tips to help keep veggies fresher for longer!
1. Keep them dry
Although you might be tempted to be organized and wash all your veggies as soon as you get them home, moisture encourages mold which will ruin your vegetables. Ideally, wash vegetables just before you use them. However, if you really want to wash your veggies before putting them in the fridge, dry them thoroughly with kitchen towel first.
2. Don’t be afraid to freeze veggies
A lot of people don’t believe in freezing vegetables, believing it will ruin their flavor and take away all their goodness. However, freezing is a fantastic option for keeping your veggies fresher, especially if you’ve bought more than anticipated. Certain vegetables need to be frozen in particular ways and you’ll find a comprehensive list online quite easily. To give you an idea, you can freeze veggies including asparagus, brussel sprouts, cabbage, green beans, carrots and many others. Before freezing, remember to blanch the vegetables in boiling water to stop the enzyme action which encourages the vegetables to mature.
3. Perk up veggies in ice baths
If your lettuce leaves are looking a little droopy, pep them back to life with an ice bath. Place the leaves in a bowl of water with ice cubes and leave them there for a couple of minutes. You should find that your veggies are brought back to life and their leaves are crisp and crunchy.
4. Keep bananas separate
Bananas produce Ethylene which can encourage spoilage in other fruits and vegetables. If you want to keep your veggies fresher for longer, keep them as far away from bananas and other Ethylene producing fruit and veggies (including avocados) as possible. Alternatively, if you want to ripen your veggies quickly, place them near bananas (but not too close as you might find they take on a banana flavor!)
5. Salvage veggies that have gone bad
You can still revive a packet of veggies if a few have gone bad, you don’t have to throw them all out! For example, if you have a bag of carrots and some at the bottom of the bag have started to rot, simply take them out, wash the others, dry them and put them into a new, fresh bag. Easy!
6. Invest in an anti-bacterial protection fridge
Many brands now make fridges with an anti-bacterial protection. Contained within the fridge liner, the protector stops the growth of bacteria which will ruin your vegetables. Make sure you inquire about the protection next time your purchasing a new fridge, it’ll help save you money in the long run because your veggies will stay fresher.
7. Change containers
A lot of people keep their vegetables in the original packets they bought from the supermarket. However, Root vegetables last longer if placed in plastic bags with holes for ventilation. Conversely, other vegetables including cauliflower and broccoli lasts longer if placed in a closed container, to keep moisture out. If you invest in a few cheap containers and ziplock bags you’ll find you’ll have your veggies around for a lot longer.
8. Keep potatoes out of the light
This might sound like an obvious one but so many people still keep their potatoes on the kitchen counter. Preferably, take them out of their plastic container and store them in a canvas or paper bag in the back of a cupboard. Ensure that they’re cool but dry as moisture will encourage them to rot.
9. Store veggies in see through containers
It might sound obvious, but veggies often go off because people forget about them. Storing veggies in see through containers will remind you what’s left and encourage you to eat them faster. Ideally, your vegetable crisper will have see through boxes but if not, consider sticking a list of what’s veggies are in there on the front. It might take a bit of effort but you’ll find yourself using your vegetables more efficiently as you know what’s inside.
10. Include paper towels to absorb moisture
As mentioned in Tip 1, moisture encourages the growth of bacteria. Even if you’ve not washed your veggies before putting them in the fridge, they can still produce excess moisture. Keep this at a minimum by including a paper towel with your veggies to soak up any water. On the other hand, if you find your veggies are drying out in the fridge (such as lettuce), include a slightly damp towel to bring them back to life.
Disclosure: This article is a Sponsored Guest Post. Compensation was provided by Appliances Online
Veggie lover Sarah Murray works for Appliances Online. When she’s not keeping her broccoli fresh she enjoys trialing vegetarian dishes and dreaming of having her own veggie patch. Follow her life on Twitter.
