Ways to Make Your Produce Last Longer

Have you ever gotten a great deal on produce from the store, only for it to go bad on you faster that you can eat it? This article will hopefully give you some ideas on how to get that produce to last longer, until you can get around to eating it! Usually when I buy produce in bulk I like to either can or dry it (or freeze it depending on what kind of produce!) And you can always re-grow produce indoors! But of course we also buy fruit and veggies that we want to eat fresh! Here are some things you can do to make your produce last longer.

Onions: Tie them up in panty hose!

Lettuce: Skip iceberg lettuce altogether and buy romaine hearts. They last much longer! You can also make up salads ahead of time in glass jars with lids and they will stay good for a week in the fridge. Romaine hearts usually last about a month on average for me!

Bananas: If you've ever purchased organic bananas from the store you know that they wrap plastic wrap over the ends, this makes them last longer since they aren't sprayed!

Herbs: Snip ends and store upright in a glass jar (like you would flowers in a vase).

Garlic: Store in a brown paper bag.

Avocados: Store in a brown paper bag, just like Garlic.

Citrus: Store in the fridge if you have room and in a cool, dark room if you don't.

Apples: Store just like citrus. These will last really long in the fridge, but if you don't have room you can store in a cool dark place.

Any Produce: Give a quick vinegar bath to your produce when you bring it home, then rinse before storing. Make sure to dilute your vinegar so your produce doesn't taste pickly! (You can use either white or apple cider vinegar for this.)

You can also purchase something that absorbs the ethylene gas that produce puts off. I've used both mesh produce bags and Blue Apples. (I prefer Blue Apple.)

If you use cold storage make sure to store your produce properly. I've made a handy post with all kinds of tips on cold storing produce.

Even if your produce did go bad you can always find things to do with foods scraps, use old grapefruits to clean your bathroom, or feed it to your chickens!

What things do you do to make produce last longer?

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