Every few days, I feel like returning to the store to replenish our home’s fresh produce. It is frustrating to be trying to make a salad using lettuce that I bought only three days earlier and it has already started wilting. Some bananas, avocados and berries can be browning or ripening and even a bit moldy.
Food waste is often caused by expired produce. You may also feel as if you’re wasting money. There is still hope!
Here are some tips to help your food stay fresh and taste great for longer. Here are some clever ways to extend the life of your food!
Bananas
Separate your bananas from one another to keep them fresher longer. Wrap each stem with plastic. The plastic wrap helps to contain ethylene gas, which ripens bananas. Don’t put your bananas in the refrigerator. You can make delicious Banana Bread like this recipe from Celebrating sweets if the bananas become ripe.
Lettuce
You can keep lettuce fresh by covering it with a paper towel. Wash and dry the leaves thoroughly. Add a paper towel that is dry to the container. The paper towel will absorb the moisture, keeping the lettuce fresh for several days. Replace the damp paper towel with another clean, dry one.
The carrots will stay fresher for longer if you store them in a jar with water. The carrots will stay crisper as well.
Bread that is left out at room temperatures will go stale, or worse, grow mold. It’s not true that keeping it in the fridge will make it last longer. In fact, it will go stale faster. You can freeze bread in whole pieces or slices, and then thaw it out faster. You can toast or warm the bread in the toaster or in the oven.
Wrapping cheese in wax paper or beeswax will help keep it fresher for longer. This will keep them from rotting. Plastic wrap is also an option.
Store apples in the fridge to keep them fresher for longer. Cold apples also taste better!
Consider storing your basil plant in water with the stem at room temperature. This will keep your basil plant fresher and prevent it from turning brown.
Store your flour in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. Bring your flour up to room temperature prior to baking.
Keep your tomatoes in a cool, dry place. This will allow them time to ripen. When tomatoes are stored outside the refrigerator, they will have a stronger taste and a fresher flavor. Keep them in the refrigerator if they are red and you want to make sure that they ripen faster. Eat them as soon as you can.
Avocados can be a difficult fruit to get to the perfect stage. Let them ripen outside the refrigerator. Keep them in the refrigerator to preserve them before you eat them.
Keep the avocado stone in place and apply lemon to the exposed flesh if you want it to stay green.