6 Easy Methods For Keeping Your Produce Fresh

Dec 31, 2018 by apost team

Whether you live alone or have a family living with you, preparing food is a vital part of your daily life. Ordering take-out every night can be expensive and wasteful, but many people get overwhelmed by buying groceries often because of how fast they spoil.

Busy lifestyles and schedules can make grocery shopping often impossible, so many people dedicate one day a week to collect the foods and produce they need to prepare their meals.

But many people become upset at buying fresh groceries from the supermarket because they don't seem to last very long if not eaten.

Little did you know that there are many ways to keep your food fresh and healthy for longer periods of time if you just follow a few simple tips!

Perishable items: These types of foods will spoil if kept in room temperature for a few days. Many of these foods need to be refrigerated in order to keep them fresh for longer, such as milk.

Semi-perishable items: These types of foods do not need to be refrigerated but don’t last forever. Many of them last for a few weeks. These are foods such as potatoes or pumpkins.

Nonperishable items: These types of foods last the longest. Although all foods have expiration dates, you won’t have to worry about leaving flour, nuts, or spices in your cabinets for extended periods of time.

apost.com

You may have heard that it’s not the best idea to buy perishable items from large supermarkets, as the quality is not as great as if you had purchased it from a local market or farmer. The time it takes the items to be shipped to the store takes away from their freshness. Chemicals can also be added in order to keep them fresh for longer, so it’s best to buy locally.

You should always be thoroughly selecting the produce that you buy. It doesn’t matter how long bananas can last in the house if they were already over-ripened when you purchased them. Anything that doesn’t look fresh, healthy or clean should not be purchased from the store. A few things to keep an eye out for are brown spots, wrinkly skin on fruit, or mold spots. Try purchasing foods that look under-ripe, that way they will ripen at your house and be perfect to consume.

You’ve probably heard that fruits, perishable items, and vegetables need to be rinsed before they’re ready to eat. However, it’s important to do this right before preparing or eating, because they should not be washed before they are stored. This only increases the rate of mold and spoilage. Rinse and wash before you cook or cut them instead of when you bring them home.

It’s important to pay attention to the labels before we buy or consume foods. Many products will have a “best by” date on them indicating when the food will expire. Although you may think a food is safe to eat after the expiration date, they can contain microorganisms that can make you ill a few days after consuming. Don’t ever cook with foods that are past their “use by” date, but foods past their “best before” can have a longer lifespan than other foods.

Perishable foods need to be stored in the refrigerator, as you know. But the condition of your refrigerator also matters when it comes to storing your food. Never leave raw food or meat next to vegetables and fruits. It should always be stored in a closed container away from any cooked or perishable items. This raw meat can contaminate your other foods if not stored properly. Other foods, like rice, pasta or potatoes do not need to be refrigerated but need to be kept in containers as well in a dry area of the home.

If you’re not sure if you’ll get around to all of your perishable items, you can freeze them to prolong their lifespan. Freezing foods doesn’t eliminate all of the bacteria, but it halts their growth. Make sure to check up on the frozen food often, however, as it can change in texture if kept in the freezer for a long period of time.

Maintaining your groceries and avoiding them hitting the bottom of your garbage bin can be easy if you just use a few simple steps. Freezing foods can be a great way to make groceries you won’t get around to using this week last longer. Always make sure you check the dates and the condition of your food before you cook it or consume it.

Never wash your produce before storing it, and make sure to only wash it when it’s ready to be eaten. Buying from local markets instead of the supermarket can also be a great way to make sure that the food you’re eating is great quality and fresh. What are your favorite methods for keeping food fresh for longer? Are you going to try these tips?