How to keep your produce fresher for longer
Did you know the way you store your food can drastically prolong or cut short its shelf life?
On average, each Australian household throws away $2000 to $2500 of food each year, of which most could have been eaten.
With proper food storage, you'll get more out of each piece of produce you buy, cut down on food waste and save money all at the same time.
Our key factor is moisture, whether you are removing it or adding it, it is usually the answer to keeping your produce fresher for longer.
Storage Tips to Keep Produce Lasting Long
Swims
Store these fruit and vegetables in the fridge inside a large, sealed container filled with water:
- Asparagus (ends only)
- Carrots
- Celery (cut)
- Firm-stemmed herbs (roots only) (thyme, rosemary, sage)
- Ginger
- Lemons
- Limes
- Oranges
Hugs
Keep these items hydrated without drowning them. Wet and wring out a tea towel (dish towel), then use it to wrap:
- Beetroot
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Cauliflower (no leaves)
- Corn (without husks)
- Cucumbers
- Green beans
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Parsnips
- Rocket
- Soft-stemmed herbs (basil, coriander, parsley)
- Spinach
- Turnip
- Zucchini
Rolling in the crisper
These fruits and vegetables will roll around loose in the crisper quite happily!
- Avocados
- Capsicums
- Cauliflower (with leaves)
- Corn (with husks)
- Mangoes
- Pears
- Stone fruit
Out in the open
These items belong in your fruit bowl or in a cool place like your pantry:
- Bananas
- Eggplant
- Garlic (in a shady spot)
- Onions
- Potatoes (in a shady spot)
- Pumpkin (uncut)
- Tomatoes
Out until ripe
Leave these fruits in your fruit bowl to ripen then refrigerate:
- Avocados
- Kiwifruit
- Mangoes
- Melons
- Papaya
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Stone fruit
This is an exert from the book 365+ Ways to Save The Planet + Your Money At The Same Time, for more check out the book here.