Keep Fruit and Vegetables Fresh for Longer
With everyone trying to keep trips to the shop to a minimum, here's how to keep your fruit and vegetables fresh for longer.
12/05/2020
The Coronavirus has brought about a huge difference to our lifestyles, and we are all trying to stay at home as much as possible. With everyone trying to keep trips to the shop to a minimum, here are a few tips to help keep your fruit and vegetables fresh for longer, and cut down on shopping trips.
Buy Before They're Ripe
Many supermarkets and fruit & vegetable stores have a selection of 'almost ripe' produce. This is produce that is not quite fully ripe and may take a few days, or up to a week, before it's ready to eat. To cut down on visit to the shop to stock up on essential fruit and vegetables, buy ripe fruits and veggies to eat now and some 'almost ripe' to put away for the time being. When your current stock runs out, simply take the almost ripe ones out and they should be ripe and ready.
Some fruits and vegetables continue to ripen when left out of the fridge, so try to store as many fresh fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator. For stone fruits such as mangos, plums and peaches, leave these out to ripen and then place in the fridge before they continue to deteriorate.
Allow Plenty of Storage Space
One way to ensure your fruit and veggies stay fresh for longer is to be careful how you pack these away. If you squash everything together in your refrigerator crisper drawer or fruit bowl, they tend to bruise and become damaged easily. Giving all your produce plenty of room to breathe will ensure a longer life.
It is a good idea to store vegetables separately, where possible, or in breathable containers to prevent cross-contamination of foods.
Check on your stock from time to time to remove any fruits or veggies that are starting to brown or go rotten, so that these won't infect the remaining produce.
Wash and Sanitize
I must admit to being one of those that goes shopping and immediately packs away fruit and vegetable supplies and only wash them when I need to use them. It is important to fully cleanse fruit and vegetables before you pack them away, as this removes any contaminants and bacteria on the skin. This is even more essential if you want to ensure fruit and vegetables are sanitized from the Coronavirus.
Give all your produce a good rinse under cold water. Place them in a colander or large sieve and let running water cleanse the outside of all your fruit and vegetables. Use a soft scrubbing brush to clean vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, etc.
