The simple way to keep your produce fresh ‘for months’
- Replies 5
Fresh fruit and vegetables are an important part of any diet, but sadly they often don't last as long as many of us would hope. And in today’s economy, we want to be careful with what we buy at the grocery store to avoid wasting food (and money).
Luckily, an Aussie mum has shared an ingenious hack to keep your produce fresh for weeks – even months.
Do you ever find yourself throwing out extra produce that you thought you’d get around to eating, but it just sat around in the fridge and eventually went off? Many of us can (sadly) relate.
Recently, a woman named Cassie shared how she stops her vegetables, such as lettuce, carrots, and celery, from going bad and keeps them fresh for longer periods.
‘I have had this lettuce with a use-by tag on it since January that is still crispy and edible to this date,’ she wrote in a post to a popular Facebook group.
So, what is Cassie’s secret?
Cassie said she wrapped the lettuce, including the plastic bag it came with, in aluminium foil. The reason why this works so well is that the foil protects the food from airborne bacteria and fungi spores, which helps to retain moisture so the food doesn’t dry out as quickly.
This also works well with food in the freezer as it’s more airtight around the food.
Members of the Facebook group were impressed with Cassie’s hack, although some did ask why she doesn’t just buy less lettuce or only buys when she needs some. Cassie replied: ‘I'm the only one who eats it and I don't use a lot at a time. Wraps or taco bowls etc. for lunch.’
‘I’m going to try this with the fresh lettuce I got today,’ one wrote.
Another stated: ‘This is so useful, thank you so much!! I wish I knew about this sooner though, so much veg has ended up in the fridge graveyard.’
‘Wow if this actually works that’s amazing! I hate lettuce going soggy,’ one more responded.
Others shared their own tips and tricks in the comments section.
‘I heard if you cut vegetables with a plastic knife instead of metal it will brown slower so I've been doing that. Never would have thought to wrap it in foil,’ someone explained.
Another Facebook user said that Cassie’s hack also works on shallots and herbs.
In a previous report, Caroline Quinn from Queensland also shared a trick to ‘revive’ old vegetables. According to Caroline, she read about this hack years prior and decided to give it a go using her ‘extremely floppy’ cauliflower.
Caroline soaked the vegetable in water for an entire night and, to her surprise, she found that the vegetable was as ‘firm as the day she bought it’. You can read more details about this story here.
But why did it work?
According to experts, plants are made of microscopic cells and each one has a semi-solid wall around it. Filling those cells with water will ‘plump them up’ again. It’s only when these cells dry out that the plants wilt.
Aussie chef and journalist Marion Grasby also shared her top tips for keeping food fresh:
Tip #1: Use damp kitchen paper
According to the chef, wrapping herbs such as coriander, basil, or mint in damp kitchen paper before placing them in your fridge’s produce drawer keeps them fresh for longer.
Tip #2: Never impulse buy fruit and veggies
Planning your meals ahead of time ensures you only buy what you need and you can stretch your budget more. This lessens food spoilage too.
Tip #3: Utilise your freezer
Your freezer is a great way to preserve food and reduce waste. Portioning up your meat and freezing what you won’t use that week will help stretch your food budget for longer too.
Home cleaning expert and social media influencer Chantel Mila (better known as Mama Mila online) had her own advice to give to help make fresh food last longer:
Do you have a great trick to keep food fresh? Let us know in the comments below!
Luckily, an Aussie mum has shared an ingenious hack to keep your produce fresh for weeks – even months.
Do you ever find yourself throwing out extra produce that you thought you’d get around to eating, but it just sat around in the fridge and eventually went off? Many of us can (sadly) relate.
Recently, a woman named Cassie shared how she stops her vegetables, such as lettuce, carrots, and celery, from going bad and keeps them fresh for longer periods.
‘I have had this lettuce with a use-by tag on it since January that is still crispy and edible to this date,’ she wrote in a post to a popular Facebook group.
Cassie attached this photo to her post. Credit: Facebook
So, what is Cassie’s secret?
Cassie said she wrapped the lettuce, including the plastic bag it came with, in aluminium foil. The reason why this works so well is that the foil protects the food from airborne bacteria and fungi spores, which helps to retain moisture so the food doesn’t dry out as quickly.
This also works well with food in the freezer as it’s more airtight around the food.
Members of the Facebook group were impressed with Cassie’s hack, although some did ask why she doesn’t just buy less lettuce or only buys when she needs some. Cassie replied: ‘I'm the only one who eats it and I don't use a lot at a time. Wraps or taco bowls etc. for lunch.’
‘I’m going to try this with the fresh lettuce I got today,’ one wrote.
Another stated: ‘This is so useful, thank you so much!! I wish I knew about this sooner though, so much veg has ended up in the fridge graveyard.’
‘Wow if this actually works that’s amazing! I hate lettuce going soggy,’ one more responded.
The hack was well-received by other Facebook users. Credit: Wendy Wei/Pexels
Others shared their own tips and tricks in the comments section.
‘I heard if you cut vegetables with a plastic knife instead of metal it will brown slower so I've been doing that. Never would have thought to wrap it in foil,’ someone explained.
Another Facebook user said that Cassie’s hack also works on shallots and herbs.
In a previous report, Caroline Quinn from Queensland also shared a trick to ‘revive’ old vegetables. According to Caroline, she read about this hack years prior and decided to give it a go using her ‘extremely floppy’ cauliflower.
Caroline soaked the vegetable in water for an entire night and, to her surprise, she found that the vegetable was as ‘firm as the day she bought it’. You can read more details about this story here.
But why did it work?
According to experts, plants are made of microscopic cells and each one has a semi-solid wall around it. Filling those cells with water will ‘plump them up’ again. It’s only when these cells dry out that the plants wilt.
Aussie chef and journalist Marion Grasby also shared her top tips for keeping food fresh:
Tip #1: Use damp kitchen paper
According to the chef, wrapping herbs such as coriander, basil, or mint in damp kitchen paper before placing them in your fridge’s produce drawer keeps them fresh for longer.
Tip #2: Never impulse buy fruit and veggies
Planning your meals ahead of time ensures you only buy what you need and you can stretch your budget more. This lessens food spoilage too.
Tip #3: Utilise your freezer
Your freezer is a great way to preserve food and reduce waste. Portioning up your meat and freezing what you won’t use that week will help stretch your food budget for longer too.
Home cleaning expert and social media influencer Chantel Mila (better known as Mama Mila online) had her own advice to give to help make fresh food last longer:
- Freeze extra tomato puree in ice cube trays (it'll last for months, according to Mama Mila).
- Store an apple with your potatoes to prevent sprouting: The ethylene gas produced by apples prevents potatoes from sprouting.
- Storing tomatoes upside down to increase shelf life: Storing them upside down helps to prevent air and extra moisture from entering the tomato, which is what causes mould to grow and make them go bad.
- Place paper towels on greens to keep them fresher for longer: The paper towels will absorb excess moisture.
- Place a marshmallow in your brown sugar to avoid hardening of the crystals: Marshmallows by giving the sugar a source of moisture that erodes the sugar clumps.
- Place celery in water to keep it crispy for longer.
- Store lemon with avocado to prevent browning: citric and ascorbic acid found in lemon juice, help lower the pH of avocados and decrease the enzymatic activity, keeping them from turning brown.
- Store herbs in a bouquet with water with a plastic bag over the top to prevent wilting.
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