Waste Not Want Not – Reducing Fruit/Vegetable Waste
We are probably all guilty of buying fruit or vegetables and forgetting them in the back of the fridge or on our countertop until they are brown, mushy or covered with mold and then end up throwing them out. Here are some tips to help you reduce wasted produce.
- Buy what you need. Don’t be seduced by big bags of fruit or vegetables unless you know you plan on using them, preserving them or freezing them.
- If you only need a small quantity of a fruit or vegetable consider buying it from the Ingles salad bar or buy pre-cut/peeled from the produce section.
- Make sure you shop your fridge first and use produce you have on hand before buying more.
- Consider buying frozen or canned fruits and vegetables instead of fresh.
- Buy fruits and vegetables that have a longer shelf life like apples, carrots, potatoes, and oranges.
- Don’t wash whole fruit or vegetables until just before you plan on using them or eating them.
- Make sure you store fruits and vegetables properly to help them ripen but not cause them to go bad. Tip: Here is a helpful guide from Still Tasty. http://www.stilltasty.com/articles/view/10
- Before throwing out your fruit or vegetable try and salvage what is still good. Tip: Can you cut that slightly mushy strawberry and use what is still good for a smoothie? Can you revive that celery in some cold water or chop it up for use in a soup?
This story produced and presented by our Sponsor, Ingles Market.