Produce

[wvjules]

What fresh produce lasts the longest? And how do you get it to last longer?

 

[Farro]

I wish I knew the answer!

We buy day of or day before when we are cooking with it. Fruit lasts a little longer.

I don't think you will have issues running to the store for a tomato or pepper though.

 

[wvjules]

I want to go to the store as little as possible. It's crowded out there! lol

 

[morgan98]

Well, I stocked up for 14 days earlier in the week. Some general comments:

1. Instead of lettuce, we spiralize cabbage as the lettuce base and add carrots, beans, cherry tomatoes for a salad. It lasts much longer than regular lettuce.
2. Oranges and apples - bought an extra bag of those and put them in the refrigerator.
3. Broccoli crowns if they are fresh when you buy them can last quite a bit.
4. Zucchini
5. Grapes
6. Potatoes
7. Mangoes - at different stages of ripeness

 

[Farro]

Well, I stocked up for 14 days earlier in the week. Some general comments:

1. Instead of lettuce, we spiralize cabbage as the lettuce base and add carrots, beans, cherry tomatoes for a salad. It lasts much longer than regular lettuce.
2. Oranges and apples - bought an extra bag of those and put them in the refrigerator.
3. Broccoli crowns if they are fresh when you buy them can last quite a bit.
4. Zucchini
5. Grapes
6. Potatoes
7. Mangoes - at different stages of ripeness

Expand please.

where are you storing? fridge? dark/dry area? an underground cavern?

do you wash and put in plastic bags? containers?

I'm the WORST at storing fresh anything, so I need some help for all the time, not just virus time.

 

[njcarita]

Im vegan,, so I live I on veggies, fruit and rice and beans.. Canned and frozen and dried are my go too pantry stock up.

 

[1GoldenSun]

I've found that Romaine lettuce tends to last longer than other salad greens. The outer leaves get a little wilted but you peel those off and it's nice underneath. Also: bell peppers, zucchini and summer squash, acorn and other winter squashes. And of course potatoes and onions. Oranges and apples last longer than grapes or bananas or berries, but berries freeze nicely (or just buy them frozen).

Carrots keep forever. Broccoli keeps somewhat well but I've heard that it loses its nutritional value very quickly-- don't know if it's true but I only buy it right before I eat it.

I've found that tomatoes, avocados, mushrooms, and most greens don't keep very long.

 

[pryncess527]

Most fresh stuff (for us) is produced locally, so I’m hoping/assuming I can replace those things by just placing a pickup order online. I don’t normally let them pick my produce & meat but I’ll risk it

 

[morgan98]

Expand please.

where are you storing? fridge? dark/dry area? an underground cavern?

do you wash and put in plastic bags? containers?

I'm the WORST at storing fresh anything, so I need some help for all the time, not just virus time.

1. Cabbage - leave whole in fridge until I spiralize. I even got an extra cabbage to store in the fridge. After I spiralize it, I store it is a fairly large Rubbermaid container - it makes alot and easily last 7-10 days without going bad.
2. Zucchini - stored whole in veggie drawer - make sure it is dry
3. Broccoli crowns - stored in plastic bag - make sure it is very dry
4. Grapes - in bag they come in wash before eating.

I find it more successful when I wash the produce when I am ready to use it. The less water introduced the better as the dampness is what makes stuff go bad.

Things like mangoes (and pears even) I try to buy at varying ripeness and put the unripe ones in the fridge and take them out to the counter closer to when I want to eat them.

 

[DuskKodesh]

If I need veggies to last I stock up on frozen bags. I know it's a terrible comparison but steamed in the microwave frozen veg is better than going without. That said I feed my pets fresh fruits and veg every day so I try to get stuff to last.

Mangos, papaya, citrus, apples, asian pears, kiwi, pomegranates, cabbage, kohlrabi, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower are all good in the fridge for a while. Just check them, squeeze them, look for spots.
Squash, onion, potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic goes in baskets on my counter. Keep the onions FAR FAR away from the potatoes. Check often, garlic if it goes will lose it's structure so give it a squeeze, same with onions. Potatoes just start to grow eyes if they get old.
Berries, peaches, regular pears, peppers, plums, green beans, corn are good to freeze and thaw.

I have no luck with cucumber and zucchini in my house. Always goes bad no matter what I do or how I store. I just buy those the night before I need to cook them.

 

[amcnj]

Overall I find carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, winter squash (such as butternut and acorn), and apples seem to last longest. I have refrigerated all but the potatoes and winter squash. I usually don’t refrigerate apples either. An unheated, but not freezing, area can help the unrefrigerated ones.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

What fresh produce lasts the longest? And how do you get it to last longer?

Cabbage, potatoes, garlic and onions, oranges, lemons, limes, Apples. Carrots.

 

[morgan98]

Overall I find carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, winter squash (such as butternut and acorn), and apples seem to last longest. I have refrigerated all but the potatoes and winter squash. I usually don’t refrigerate apples either. An unheated, but not freezing, area can help the unrefrigerated ones.

I forgot about poor squash! Squash, beets, parsnips -we also make vegetable soup with a hand blender. That lasts awhile, is delicious and is good for veggie intake.

 

[wvjules]

Thanks for all the tips. We have a bottom freezer and it’s full so freezing veggies isn’t an option unfortunately. We are also low carb but I may have to eat some root veggies.

 

[Christine]

Brussel sprouts seem to last a long time for me. Besides carrots, everything else seems kind of funky after a week.

 

[Lilsia]

A root vegetable will last pretty long. I am lucky that our fridge does and excellent job of keeping our produce fresh for a long time. What you really need is a root cellar. A cool, dry place to store them. Apples last a long time if stored properly. They are harvested in the fall and last the rest of the year at the stores.

 

[etoiles]

I have a whole pineapple and cantaloupe in the fridge and have found that they can last a long time. If hard, kiwis for me take a long time to ripen and can last a while in the pantry. Vegetables - squash, onions last longest for me. I also picked up some canned pumpkin. Celery and carrots can also last a while.

 

[AnnaS]

Potatoes, butternut squash, spaghetti squash come to mind. They can last for a while and no need for refrigeration.

 

[Heather07438]

For leafy stuff (any lettuces, fresh parsley, etc) they've stayed fresh in my fridge produce drawer for 2 weeks by doing this easy step: Put it in a clean bag with a napkin or paper towel. The napkin helps maintain the proper humidity, not too dry or wet

 

[HeatherC]

To make any produce last longer, just put a paper towel in the bag with them. Works great! I do it for everything, oranges, leafy greens, carrots, celery, etc..