According to General Electric, Americans throw away almost a fifth of the food in their fridges. That’s a hell of a lot of fruit and veg you are wasting.
That swampy slime in your crisper (that’s your vegetable drawer) is a nutritional and financial sinkhole. The problem partly lies in the fact that some produce is more than a week old by the time it hits the shelf. To make sure you get the freshest stuff there is, follow these tips from Aliza Green, author of Field Guide to Produce.
Related: 5 Best Vegan Snacks to Give You an Energy Boost
Do stem research
This is where mould, like the white stuff on berries, often starts, and where brown-coloured rot begins on vegetables such as baby marrows and squash
Handle the goods
Pick up a piece of fruit. If it’s heavier than you expect, it’s a juicy keeper.
Related: You Probably Don’t Need to Eat As Many Fruits and Vegetables As You Think
See green
Lettuce, green beans and broccoli should be a deep, even green, almost blue. (But not potatoes – cut off any green before eating your spuds.)Know your buds With asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower, the tighter the buds are closed, the fresher the produce.
Turn over leaves
Broken leaves or yellowed, faded areas mean leafy greens are about to spoil. For a packaged salad, look at both sides of the bag to inspect the leaves.
Related: Should You Cut Down On Fruit If You’re Trying to Lose Weight?
Give ugly a chance
An ugly tomato misshapen, splitting on top is full of juice and will be tastier than a smooth, pretty one. Who would’ve thought you’ve been looking over the best fruit and veg this whole time?
And if you need to use up food fast, consider making a soup or a sauce from it. Got too many tomatoes that are looking sad? We’ve got a killer tomato-based pasta sauce recipe that you can even freeze for later. CHeck it out here.
