'SECRETS' To Save Money On Your Grocery Bill
Purge that guilt over food waste (save cash and time grocery shopping) with these smart tricks to make your produce last longer.
HOW TO STORE CUCUMBERS
Many fruits, such as tomatoes, bananas, and melons, produce ethylene gas, a ripening agent that speeds up spoilage. Cucumbers are super sensitive to this so they need their own place or they’ll spoil faster. So the trick we use in the restaurant is tin foil. We wrap the entire cucmber in tin foil and tuck it in the fridge away from the other veggies. I also use this trick at home and have got 2 weeks out a cucmber wrapped in foil. We also pre slice cucmber and store it in a sealed container with water. This helps keep the slices fresh and make snacks and lunch prep quick and easy.
SQUASH AND PUMPKINS DON'T LIKE APPLES AND PEARS
Squash and pumpkins are well known for having a long shelf life but apples, another fall favorite (along with pears and other ripening fruit) shouldn’t be stored with them.
Why? You ask! It will cause the squash to yellow and go bad. Squash and pumpkins keep well in a cooler environment, slightly less than room temperature but not as chilly as the fridge. Larger pumpkins and larger squash will last up to six months, but keep an eye on the smaller ones, as they usually last about three months.
MAKE YOUR BERRIES LAST LONGER
Summer berries, delightful and sweet. Who doesn't love fresh berries. The problem is, they go bad so quickly. The culprit is tiny mold spores that get into the little nooks and crannies of the berry skin. So what do I do to make them last longer you ask?
Give your berries a good rinse and soak in equal parts water and vingear. Once they are drained and rinsed give them a good pat dry or lay them out on a cloth to dry. Water and moisture equals mold. The vinegar solution will help hinder the mold growth if they are not perfectly dry.
Now that your berries are clean store them in the fridge in an air tight container. Mason jars are wonderful for this. It truly helps extend the life of your berries. Mason jars are also great with grapes and cut up veggies like peppers and onions.
APPLES AND ORANGES JUST DON'T MIX
We have all heard the term 'comparing apples to oranges'. In this case we are not comparing them at all. We are keeping them apart!
Fruit gives off an ethylene gas, the ripening agent that will lead to faster spoilage of the produce around it. Store your apples in the fridge to extend their shelf life. Keep your oranges away from the apples and never store them in a plastic bag. Oranges need air circulation, otherwise they will go moldy.
Other fruit that gives off high amounts of ethylene gas are bananas, pears and apricots.
DON'T STORE ONIONS WITH POTATOES
Honestly, is there anything better than fried onions and potaotes? The infectious smell, the flavour..... mmmm!
Despite working so well together in a pan in the pantry onions are not so nice to the potatoes. They make them spoil quicker. Potatoes and squash are best stored in open air baskets in a cool, dark place. This will preserve their freshness longer.
Onions need a well ventialted space when storing, they pair well with garlic. Just make sure you leave the skin on both to extend their shelf life.
These are a few things that we use in our pantry if you want to check them out.
These are just a few of the many food storages ideas to help save you money and extend the life of your food. Feel free to share your tips and tricks in the comments below. Just remember it takes a village.