Avoid wasting fruits and vegetables with these tips.
Food waste is a big concern for me. It always has been.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this here before, but Iván and I have been part of the FoodSharing Madrid team for ages, a platform that is responsible for thinking up and developing actions to reduce food surpluses.
The figures for food that is thrown away seem outrageous to me.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), approximately 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted each year worldwide.
And do you know which food group is wasted the most? Fruits and vegetables.
FAO estimates that around 45% of all fruits and vegetables produced worldwide end up being wasted.
That’s why it’s super important to learn how to preserve them well to help reduce these numbers, but also for your benefit.
You save money and maintain freshness, which means they retain their delicious flavor and nutritional value.
If you don’t know how to do it, stay here because I’ll tell you everything you need to know to keep your fruits and vegetables in good condition: which ones you should keep in the fridge, which ones at room temperature, other tricks to make them last longer…
Where you should store fruits and vegetables so that they stay in good condition.
The preservation of vegetables and fruits raises many doubts.
When you go to buy them at the fruit and vegetable store, the greengrocer, or the supermarket, they have almost all of them at room temperature, but when you get home you have no idea what to do with them.
You know that there are some that are kept in the fridge and others that are better left out, but which ones?
I can tell you in advance that some fruits should initially be kept in the pantry until they ripen, but once they do, they need to be refrigerated.
Don’t worry, I’ve prepared some infographics in which I tell you which ones you should keep in the fridge and which ones you should keep at room temperature.
Afterward, I will also explain the special cases I was talking about before, which are halfway there.
These are the fruits and vegetables that are kept in the refrigerator.
Fruits and vegetables are kept outside the refrigerator at room temperature.
Exceptions: first at room temperature and then in the refrigerator
I told you before that some fruits need to be left at room temperature for a few days without refrigeration for them to ripen and then, once they have done so, they are put in the refrigerator.
What are they?
Avocados, kiwis, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums.
Please note that if you buy them already ripe, you should store them directly in the refrigerator. There is no need to leave them in the pantry for a few days.
Tips to keep vegetables and fruits in good condition for longer.
Well, now that you know where to store each of the fruits and vegetables you buy, I’m going to tell you some other tricks and tips to keep them in good condition for longer without losing their nutritional value.
- Place the food you store in the fridge in drawers or on shelves that are less cold. And don’t use plastic bags, which, as you know, release toxins into food, don’t allow food to breathe and moisture builds up, causing it to spoil sooner.
- In the case of fruits and vegetables that you keep at room temperature, place them in a bowl or dish in a place where they will not receive direct light. And, under no circumstances, store them in completely closed bags, since this would reduce oxygen and, on the contrary, increase carbon dioxide, leading to bad smells and the food rotting.
- Whenever possible, separate fruits from vegetables to prevent the ethylene produced by some fruits from damaging vegetables and causing them to ripen and spoil prematurely.
- Don’t forget to eat your vegetables and fruits as soon as possible. It’s better to buy less than to buy too much and end up having to throw them away or lose their nutritional properties and flavor.
And one last tip, which doesn’t have much to do with conservation, but is important so that you can enjoy eating fruits and vegetables is that you should take the ones you store in the refrigerator out a little while beforehand,e specially the fruit, to enhance its flavor and texture.
Special case: aromatic herbs .
Although they are not fruits or vegetables, aromatic herbs are essential in our kitchen (and in our diet) to give flavor to our healthy dishes.
The problem is that they spoil very easily.
How to preserve them well?
My favorite trick is to freeze them, washed and chopped, in ice cube trays with extra virgin olive oil. Then you can use them for whatever you want.
This way you can make sure they don’t go bad soon.
Ideas to avoid wasting fruits and vegetables.
I’m sure that with everything you’ve learned in this article, almost no fruit or vegetable will go bad, but if by chance one does get away from you, what can you do?
One option would be to freeze, but keep in mind that not all vegetables are suitable for this Those with a high water content, such as tomatoes, watermelons, and and lettuce, should not be frozen. Neither should tubers, for example.
But you can freeze broccoli, carrots, bananas, berries, etc.
Another idea would be to make purées or warm soups with vegetables that are already a bit soft and about to spoil. You could also prepare a ratatouille or make croquettes, which are the queens of using up leftovers.
A classic recipe is to make cakes, ice cream, pancakes, muffins, or any type of healthy and delicious sweet with fruits that are already a little past their prime, but are the ideal sweeteners.
