How to Make Your Produce Last Longer for Your Delicious Healthy Recipes

 

Today we’re sharing some It’s no secret that adding more fresh fruits and veggies to your diet is a good thing. The drawback, though, is that you need to use them up quickly so they don’t go to waste. When produce goes bad before it can be use it’s a waste of resources and money. How can you make your produce last longer so you can enjoy it? Check out these tips. Plus, don’t miss our favorite recipes for using up those veggies and fruits before they go bad!

Tips to make your produce last longer

Remove the Carrot Greens

When you pull fresh carrots from your garden or pick them up from the grocery store or farmer’s market, you will need to remove the greens before you store them in the fridge. Keeping the greens on will allow the carrots to go limp quicker, so chop those greens off and store the carrots topless! With all those delicious carrots, try out yummy easy spicy carrot puree!

Store Certain Herbs and Veggies in Water

Celery does best when you cut the bottom off then stick the stalks upright in a pitcher of water — in the fridge. The water helps keep the celery stalks firm.

When you harvest the herbs cilantro, basil, and parsley, treat them like cut flowers. You can just snip the ends off under running water then stick them in a jar of water on the counter. Use the leafy parts as needed and be sure to add fresh water. Not only will they look pretty on the counter top, but they will last longer.

Asparagus doesn’t need to be refrigerated and you can store it the same as the herbs. Put asparagus stalks upright in a jar of water and leave out on the counter. Don’t pack them tightly and they will keep for several days — even up to a week. Use it in our asparagus and shrimp salad lunch recipe!

Stories Berries Properly

When berries get damp they can mold. Rinse your berries in vinegar to get rid of any unseen mold spores. Be sure to let them dry thoroughly then store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator when you’re done. This will help keep them longer so you can enjoy them in, say, a maple berry compote with yogurt breakfast recipe!

 

Apple Storage

During the hot summer months when apples are not in season, you will need to keep them in the fridge. In the fall just after harvest, you can keep apples out on the counter. Use those apples in delicious after-school snacks for kids, like our Upside Down apple cake recipe.

Bananas

Keep bananas away from other fruits and veggies. They don’t belong in the fridge and a couple of tricks that can help bananas keep longer are to store them closed up in a brown paper bag or wrap the stem cluster in plastic. These will help the bananas last longer. When they do start to get a little ripe, use them to make delicious banana poppy seed bread!

Using a few of these tricks to make your produce last longer will save you money and reduce waste. Knowing how to keep those foods longer will help you know what to buy and how to make those produce items last so you can enjoy the health benefits they offer.

Do you have any tips to make your produce last longer? Share them in the comments!