Food Storage Tips
Paying attention to your food and keeping track of what you have is one of the main ways to decrease waste. Follow these tricks to maximize use of your fruits and vegetables.
Produce storage
Apples- Keep away from other produce
Lettuce, broccoli, and celery- Wrap in foil to lengthen life
Lettuce- Separate and place in a sink full of ice-cold water for 15-20 minutes
Regularly inspect – One rotten fruit can spoil a whole bag! Monitor all of your food on a daily basis to make sure it is still good.
If you own a fridge, follow these guidelines
- Fridge temperature should always be between 38-40°F.
- Avoid overcrowding. Your food needs air circulation. Put some fruits and vegetables in the fridge, and some on the counter.
- Lettuce- Put paper towels in your salad drawer to absorb water.
- Tomatoes and apples- Do not refrigerate
- Bananas- Keep on counter until ripe, then refrigerate to stop over ripening. Freeze over ripened bananas for baking. A black peel does not mean you can’t eat it!
- Butter- Store in original packaging in the fridge. It can be stored for 6 months in the freezer.
If you do not own a fridge, you can still eat healthy
- If you use your produce quickly enough, you do not need a fridge or freezer. Many fruits and vegetables do better outside of refrigeration if eaten soon.
- Nuts, dried fruit, and canned produce are healthy alternatives to processed foods
- Canned Meats- These can last anywhere from 2-5 years.
- Coconut Milk- This can be stored for about a year.
- Jerky- Can be stored for over a year if in a sealed package.
