How do you keep fresh fruit and veggies fresher longer?

davidpm
davidpm Posts: 208 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
I've been buying things like grapes, lettuce, tomatoes, etc to have on hand when I'm hungry but I feel like I'm wasting so much food! I'm a single guy so a bag of grapes or a bag of romaine COULD last me a week based on how much of it I eat. I keep having to get rid of at least some of this stuff because it spoils in the fridge.

How can I keep my fresh fruits and veggies from going bad?

Replies

  • TheTonyPony
    TheTonyPony Posts: 95
    I'm in the same boat, buying for one is difficult. Instead of buying allot at the begining of the week, I go shopping twice. I go Monday and Thursday to my local grocer and only buy enough to get me through. If I eat it all early, I buy more next time.

    It really helps to plan your fruit and vegetables in advance so you can buy just that amount.
  • megz4987
    megz4987 Posts: 1,008 Member
    I've heard those green bags (for produce) work well but I've never used them myself so I don't personally know. Bananas, I've read, take them all apart and it slows them down a little (also, buy them green to start out with any way). I think just generally keeping them in the fridge works, too.
  • xonashwaox
    xonashwaox Posts: 108
    Have you ever heard of green bags?? I've seen this product called green bag and it says it keeps fruits and veggies fresh longer idk maybe look at that. Or you can get tupperware that is specific to fruits and veggies also!
  • karinaes
    karinaes Posts: 570 Member
    i go grocery shopping twice a week for my organics.
  • techymum
    techymum Posts: 168
    I have good luck with lettuce if I wash it, and break it apart (but don't tear it into small pieces). Dampen some paper towels, wrap the lettuce in that, and then put the whole thing in a plastic grocery bag in the drawer in the fridge. As far as grapes, I would wash them, and break them into serving portions, and then put them in a plastic container or two.

    One thing that I've learned is that we actually eat our fruits/veggies more quickly if they are cleaned/cut and ready to go in the fridge.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    I plan ahead, only buy a couple of things at a time, and go grocery shopping for produce multiple times per week. I still sometimes feel like I'm throwing money away, but for the most part I have found planning ahead seems to be key to reducing waste. (Which I realize was not really your question...how to keep them fresh longer? That I don't know...)
  • lovelyiskey
    lovelyiskey Posts: 44 Member
    I used to have the same issue. now that i'm working out more i eat more veggies and stuff so, I just buy less.
    I eat my food in about a week and a half then go shopping again. :)

    it's good exercise to walk to the store and back with groceries anyways :)
  • courtney_leigh09
    courtney_leigh09 Posts: 13 Member
    i have these containers from tupperware -- there produce/veggie savers or keepers -- they work amazing!!!
  • slimkitty
    slimkitty Posts: 418
    As soon as I get home from the grocery store, I fill my sink with cold water add some hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar and I wash all my produce in it. Then I rinse everything with clean cold water, dry everything with a towel and store in the refrigerator. Everything stays fresher longer this way. As far as lettuce and grapes and other small fruits and veggies - I just lay them on top of a towel for a while until they get mostly dry. This is also very good for me because I can prepare meals faster seeing how everything is washed and ready to use.
  • NuttyBrewnette
    NuttyBrewnette Posts: 417 Member
    The green bags do work...they were 'as seen on tv' so check that out.

    I also found a little green disk at Sprout's Farmer's Market/healthfood store....it is placed in the produce drawer and is supposed to grab the gases given off by the produce as it ripens....supposed to slow things down a bit. Don't know if that works or not.

    Don't wash your produce until you're ready to eat it-water/dampness speeds the process. Or if you do, be sure it's absolutely dry, which is hard to do, before you put it away.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Some things can actually just be frozen. Freezing doesn't hurt the nutritional value and can actually help since a lot is lost while sitting in your fridge waiting to be eaten. Freezing does "freeze" the nutrition. You can't really freeze lettuce, of course, but you can freeze other things that are on the verge of going bad and use them later. Celery and carrots can be chopped, frozen then thrown into soups, stews or casseroles. Bananas, berries and other fruits can be cut into pieces, frozen and then used in smoothies. Grapes, especially, freeze wonderfully and are actually a lot of fun to eat that way.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    Use your crisper drawer for veggies. You can also buy those special veggie storage bags (I don't know how well they work).

    Wash only what fruit or veggies you are going to eat JUST before you eat it. If you put them in the fridge wet they will go bad sooner.

    If possible, shop a few times a week, and shop from a market where they have bulk bins so you can buy smaller quantities.

    Finally, eat the most perishable items on the day you buy them -- broccoli, raspberries, etc.

    The thicker the skin, the longer the item will last.

    good luck!
  • alienblonde1
    alienblonde1 Posts: 749 Member
    You can freeze fruits. Frozen grapes are a nice treat.
  • BrewerGeorge
    BrewerGeorge Posts: 397 Member
    My wife bought a product called Cool Crisp. They absorb the ethylene gas that makes fruit and veggies get over-ripe. They look like little bean bags and work very, very well. One bag per crisper drawer and one in the larger fridge. They last a year.

    http://www.coolcrisptv.com/

    (Note: I'm not affiliated with this product in any way.)
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