Know that “crisper” drawer at the bottom of your refrigerator? In our house, we occasionally refer to that drawer as the “rotter” because veggies sometimes go there to die. Ugh! Is there anything worse than spending hard earned money on fresh produce only to have it turn mushy and brown?
Here are a few tips to keep you from wasting money on healthy food. After all, those delicious veggies belong in your mouth, not the trash can.
- Put Paper Towels On Your Salad – Place a paper towel over salad and then wrap it in plastic. The paper will absorb excess moisture from the salad and help to preserve it longer. Bye bye to wilted leaves!
- Treat Your Herbs Like Flowers – Store delicate herbs like
parsley, basil, cilantro and chives in jars with some water like you would with flowers. Then, put a plastic bag over them, secure the bag with a rubber band, and refrigerate your herbs. However, if you have oily herbs like thyme, tie them loosely together with string and hang them in the open air - Get Your Berries Swimming in Vinegar – I know it sounds gross but this vinegar and water solution is so diluted you won’t even taste the vinegar. Prepare a mixture that is one part white or apple cider vinegar and ten parts water. Swirl your berries around in the mixture, drain and rinse them, and put them in the fridge. Raspberries will last a week or more and strawberries can last almost two weeks without getting moldy or soft
- Wrap The Crown of Your Bananas – By wrapping the crown of your banana bunch with plastic wrap, they’ll keep for three to five days longer than usual. Bananas also produce more ethylene gas than any other fruit so keep them away from other fruits and vegetables
- Add An Apple To Your Potatoes – Storing an apple with your potatoes will help to preserve the shelf life of potatoes by keeping them from sprouting.