10 Tips to Make Your Groceries Last Longer
February 16, 2023
6 min read
Eating healthy and nutritious food is essential. That means stocking up on your favorite fruits and vegetables, but you don't want them to go bad before enjoying them. Here are some simple tricks to keep your produce fresher for longer.
Why It's Important To Keep Your Produce Fresh
Eating fruits and veggies is a great way to keep your body in tip-top shape! However, to receive the full benefits of fresh produce, it is essential to keep it in good condition.
Nutrition: Fresh produce contains important vitamins, minerals, and fiber vital for good health. When produce goes bad, it begins to lose its nutritional value, and consuming spoiled produce can result in losing valuable nutrients.
Taste: Fresh produce has a superior taste compared to spoiled produce. The flavors, textures, and aromas of fresh fruits and vegetables are at their peak when they are fresh, making them more enjoyable to eat.
Food safety: When produce is not stored properly, it can become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and pathogens, which can cause food poisoning. Consuming spoiled produce can lead to serious health problems and, in some cases, long-term illnesses.
Reduce food waste: When produce goes bad, it often gets thrown away, resulting in food waste. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, food waste is the single largest component of municipal landfills and contributes to environmental degradation.
Maximize Freshness with These 10 Simple Tricks
Keeping your groceries fresh is key to making sure you don't waste food, save money, and enjoy the best-tasting meals. Finding the best way to keep your food fresh and delicious can be a bit of a puzzle, but here are a few simple tricks to ensure your groceries stay as fresh as possible.
1. Store Produce in Proper Containers
Many fruits and vegetables must be stored in the proper containers or bags to keep them fresh. For instance, leafy greens thrive when they're kept in a damp cloth or paper towel in an airtight container. This helps keep moisture levels high and prevents them from wilting too quickly.
For firmer vegetables like carrots and potatoes, you should store them in a dark, cool place with good air circulation rather than in a refrigerator drawer.
2. Separate Fruits From Veggies
When storing produce together, it's important to separate fruits from veggies because some fruits give off ethylene gas which can cause other items to ripen faster than desired.
Apples, bananas, cantaloupe, honeydews, mangoes, and pears are the biggest culprits of this, so store those separately from other items if possible!
3. Don't Wash Before Storing
Washing your produce before storing it can make it spoil faster by introducing moisture into the mix. Most fruits and vegetables should only be washed once you're ready to use them, as this will help them retain more of their natural flavor and nutrition.
Instead of washing before storage, wait until you're ready to use the item before giving it a rinse under cool water!
The only exception would be pre-packaged items such as those bagged spinach or green beans, which come with a thin layer of protective soap or wax that can safely be washed away before storage.
4. Use Crisper Drawers
Crisper drawers are an excellent tool for keeping fruits and vegetables fresh. They help regulate humidity levels inside the refrigerator and prevent your product from drying out or becoming too moist, which can cause them to spoil quickly.
When using crisper drawers, keep like items together—for example, keep all your leafy greens in one drawer, while more fragile fruits and veggies like tomatoes should be placed separately in their own drawer.
5. Line Shelves With Wax Paper
If you don't have crisper drawers available in your fridge or need more space for storage, line shelves with wax paper before placing any items on top of them! This helps reduce condensation from forming and keeps foods fresh longer!
6. Check Dates Regularly
Checking expiration dates on your fruits and vegetables is a great way to ensure everything stays fresh and lasts as long as possible. Always check the expiration dates regularly and make sure to use or dispose of anything that has passed its shelf life. This helps not only to reduce food waste but also to prevent any health issues from consuming expired foods.
Staying on top of expiration dates is key! Labels are a helpful guide, but be bold and give your produce an extra check every now and then. If something looks off or has passed its due date, even before the label says, get rid of it as soon as possible for optimal freshness.
7. Trim Leaves Off Vegetables
Trimming leaves off vegetables before storing them is an integral part of preserving the freshness and quality of your produce. Pre-packaged vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower often come with leaves still attached, which can cause the vegetable heads to rot more quickly.
These leafy parts draw in moisture from their surroundings and create a humid environment that accelerates spoilage. To prevent this, trim them off before you store the vegetables or place each one in its own plastic bag.
8. Keep Items Dry
Keeping food items dry is essential for preserving their freshness and preventing mold growth. After washing fruits and vegetables, ensure they're completely dry before you place them into storage containers.
Any moisture left on the surface of your fruits and veggies can lead to mold growth which can cause health issues if ingested. To prevent this, use a clean cloth or paper towel to absorb any excess liquid before transferring the items into their respective containers.
9. Refrigerate Ripe Produce
Keep your fruits and vegetables tasting fresh, crunchy, and full of nutrients by refrigerating them as soon as they are ripe. Quickly moving produce to the refrigerator helps keep the flavor intact while slowing down ripening for a longer-lasting snack or meal side dish.
10. Freeze What You Can't Eat Right Away
Freezing produce is an effective way to preserve it for extended periods of time without significantly sacrificing flavor or texture quality. If you have leftover fruits and vegetables that won't be eaten soon enough, freezing them right away can help ensure they don't go bad too quickly.
Be sure to double-check the freezing instructions for each item, as some items, like lettuce, may not freeze well due to their high water content. Generally, most fruits and vegetables will do just fine in a freezer for up to six months.
Extend the Life of Your Groceries
Save yourself time and money by stretching those grocery trips further! It's really not rocket science—just use thoughtful storage practices, keep track of your kitchen inventory, and make sure to double-check expiration dates. With some simple organizational savvy, you'll be cruising through the aisles for less in no time!
