Top 7 Fresh Produce Tips
If your fridge is anything like ours, 100% of its contents are fruit and vegetables, so confining this bounty to just the crisper is not an option! Here are six suggestions for keeping produce at its freshest.
- Keep it clean: Firstly, keep your refrigerator clean so that you can see what is inside and nothing is hidden for a few weeks until it’s too late to save! Also, don't overload. Air must be able to circulate freely to keep foods cool and fresh.
- Green Longevity: Fresh spinach leaves and salad greens can be stored in an air tight container. Leafy bunches such as silver beet and kale can be stored in the bottom vegetable crisper. A trick to revive wilted greens and lettuce: often they can simply be dried out, so submerge the bunch in a dish of cold water in the fridge overnight, or in a cold water sink for a few hours and you should remove a bouncy looking green!
- Save the Berries: If you know that you won’t finish your berry punnet in a few days but don’t want them to end up in the compost, place half in the freezer so they can be used in smoothies and desserts, long past their expected go soft day.
- Segregate: Some suggest separating fruit and vegetables into different crisper trays of the fridge due to varying ethylene production and sensitivity and humidity requirements. When there is no more space in the bottom crispers, I suggest placing vegetables in air tight containers or trays and different fruits in bowls. It’s a filing cabinet for fruit and veggies, it looks presentable, appetizing and everyone knows the spot for each food!
- Fridge is not for everything: Tomatoes retain their flavour best when kept in a bowl outside the fridge. Store bananas, avocadoes, potatoes/sweet potatoes and onions in a cool dry place (onions separate to potatoes as they will absorb the onions' moisture). Any fruit that needs ripening can be placed together in a warm spot of the kitchen – placing them in a paper bag traps the ethylene gas which accelerates the ripening process. Once ripened, place in fridge. (Note: once you have cut one of these items open it is best to keep in the fridge until finished.)
- Fresh herbs: Snip off the ends and submerge in a glass of water in the fridge.
- Fill your fruit bowl: In season fruit can be kept out of the fridge for a number of days before eating, however to maintain freshness and crispness (e.g. apples) fruit can be kept in the fridge too. I like to keep a good stock in the fruit bowl to enjoy fruit at room temperature and top up regularly.
The ultimate key to maintaining freshness and high nutrition of your fruit and vegetables is to buy organic produce that is in season and hasn’t been sitting on a shelf out of optimal storage for more than a day. This is why shopping with Miss Organic is more ideal than going to an organic store for fresh, top quality food! Time to clean up the fridge!
