The week of February 21, 2022, Primal Kitchen showcases ways to cut food waste. Learn food waste facts, waste reduction tips, exclusive recipes and resources from The Farmlink Project by signing up here. All week, MDA will feature posts that can help you get the most out of your grocery budget and reduce food waste to boot!
You like to eat vegetables. When you arrive at the supermarket or farmers market, you’ll be eager to fill your basket with all the colors of the rainbow, picking up fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs. But what you can’t figure out is how to keep your fridge full of healthy fresh produce from turning into a vegetable drawer full of residue!
Globally, people waste about 1.3 billion tons of food each year between food that is not harvested in time and food that spoils during processing, in transit to stores, on store shelves and in our refrigerator. A 2020 survey of nearly 40,000 Americans found that they spend more than $1,300 per year on food that ends up being wasted — more than the average American spends on gas, clothing, property taxes. or home repair and maintenance. This not only leads to a huge economic cost but also affects the environment, as resources are poured into growing and transporting food that is never edible.
You can help reduce food waste by making sure the food you buy doesn’t go bad before you have a chance to eat it. Here’s everything you need to know to preserve produce.
How to choose products
Fresh produce will last the longest.
When choosing a product, Try to choose items that are nearly ripe, have no bruises or brown spots, and are not wilted. Choose “ugly” products — rough, scarred, asymmetrical pieces–can really help prevent food waste, as they are most likely to end up in the trash. Just make sure they aren’t actually damaged or rotting if you can help. If you bring home any spoiled items, be sure to eat them immediately or, if you plan to store them, remove the damaged parts to prevent the spread of bacteria that can speed it up. damaged.
Separating different types of products
For ideal freshness, store fruits and vegetables separately.
While fruits and vegetables are often lumped together under the same “product,” the reality is that they don’t really get along, especially when it comes to ethylene. Fruits are generally ethylene-producing, while vegetables are sensitive to ethylene. That means vegetables tend to spoil faster.
There are some exceptions to the rule:
- For example, asparagus and tomatoes are two vegetables (well, sort of) that actually produce ethylene.
- Watermelon is a hybrid artist’s thing and is a fruit that is indeed very sensitive to ethylene.
However, as a general rule, It is best to keep fruits and vegetables separate to prolong their life.
Ideal temperature and humidity for the product
Aim for the optimal temperature for storing fruits and vegetables.
Every type of fruit and vegetable has optimal temperature that can promote ripening while also preventing spoilage. For example, broccoli, lettuce, and mushrooms should be stored in the refrigerator, preferably between 34 degrees and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, avocados, eggplants, onions, and squash should stay warm. room level.
Which refrigerator drawer is best for storing different products?
Fruit needs to be kept dry, but vegetables need to be cold and crisp.
Since fruits should be kept in a dry environment, they shouldn’t be washed before putting them in the fridge (or if you’re going to wash them, be sure to dry them thoroughly).
Vegetables, on the other hand, like a little bit of moisture. However, “wet” is not the same as “wet”. Green leafy vegetables are especially susceptible to rotting if they are too wet. Most vegetables will keep their best when stored in drawer at the bottom of the refrigerator, loosely wrapped in a kitchen towel and/or storage bag. It’s not just the crisp dryer that’s the coldest place in the fridge–what with all the laws of physics, cold air sinks everything–but the drawers can also be set up to preserve moisture. Need motivation to stock more products? Drawers with drawers actually work best when they are 2/3 full.
When preserving green leafy vegetables such as water spinach and lettuce, it is best to wash and dry the leaves, wrap them in paper towels and store them in an airtight container. To prevent darkening from excessive moisture, change the tissue every other day or so.
Frozen products for preservation
Do you have too much product that will spoil before you have a chance to eat it? Freezing is a great option for preserving the nutrient content of fresh produce.
However, to successfully freeze vegetables, you must first blanch them, a process where you partially cook them for a few minutes – in boiling water or in the microwave – and then prepare to freeze. For best results, blanched produce should be frozen within two hours.
If you want to learn more about frozen produce, we have a post this weekend!
Do you have any special tricks for dealing with rapidly decaying produce? Let us know in the comments section.
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