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How To Make Your Produce Last Longer

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Up to 30% of all food in America is wasted. Much of this waste comes as a result of a failure to properly store the food. Thankfully, there are solutions to this, and particularly for produce, which tends to go very bad, very quickly. Here’s an overview of some of the best ways to make your produce last for longer.

First: Do your homework. Every food needs to be stored in different ways, and particularly at different temperatures. You may think that throwing food in the refrigerator is a good idea for all food, but this simply isn’t true, as making food colder than it should be can actually contribute to it going bad. Every food is different, and if you want to make sure that your food lasts longer, research best practices on how to store it. This can involve something as simple as a quick Google search or asking someone at the grocery store.

Second, buy less! One of the biggest reasons for food waste is that far too many people buy far more food than they will use before that food goes bad. Buying less food means that you will actually use everything you have before buying more, and this cuts down on the chances of you actually wasting the food. Yes, this may mean more frequent trips to the grocery store, but it also means more saved money and less food waste.

Make sure you purchase high-quality containers. Leaving your food exposed, in the open air, may be contributing to its waste, as oxygen and light will lead to produce going bad, quicker. Purchasing a good container or bag can help seal your produce from these harmful components and ensure that your food lasts for longer.

Make sure to time your purchase right. If you know that you won’t eat the produce for a few days, don’t buy food that is already ripe or overripe. Instead, buy under-ripe food. This will ensure that the food has an extra few days in its life cycle, giving you time to eat and prepare it. Sometimes, it may be obvious if a food is ripe – other times, you may need to do a bit of homework in order to make this determination. Make sure you do your research before purchasing the food, not after.

Speaking of research, remember, that some foods have odd tricks that can make them last longer. For example, asparagus should be trimmed and kept in water. Look into what weird tricks can help make food last longer.

As you can see, making your produce last longer can involve a bit of homework or the expense of buying higher-quality storage products. However, this expense can be well worth it, as it can help you save a ton of money on the cost of food.