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Best Ways To Store Produce To Keep It Fresh Longer

December 3, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Easy ways to stop your produce from going bad quickly.

How many times have you had to throw away produce from your fridge because it has gone moldy??  This happens to me more times than I want to admit and I always feel so sad throwing the food away!  This is food that I spent hard earned money on.  A few years ago I knew something had to change.  So, I started learning a few new tricks all about how to help my produce stay fresh longer, and it has worked!  This has in turn helped me to save money on groceries!  Yay!  I’m sharing the tips today in hopes that it can help you too!

how to prevent produce from going bad quickly - saving money on food

Disclosure:  “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

1.  Know Where To Store Your Produce

I remember way back when I first moved out on my own and started shopping for myself for the first time.  In my young college mind I thought that all produce needed to be stored in the refrigerator, boy was I wrong!

After I had hundreds of bananas go brown way to quickly on me, I started learning that the fridge is not the best storage place for everything.

As you try to keep your produce fresh longer, be aware of what stores best in the fridge, and what would store better on the counter or in a cabinet.

Produce That Stores Best In The Fridge:

  • Lemons
  • Limes
  • Oranges
  • Mushrooms
  • Zucchini
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Pease
  • Peppers
  • Spinach
  • Apples
  • Berries

Produce That Stores Best Out Of The Fridge:

  • Tomatoes
  • Plums
  • Peaches
  • Cherries
  • Butternut Squash
  • Bananas
  • Avocados

Produce That Stores Best In a Cool/Dark/Dry Place:

  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Potatoes

2.  Store Your Veggies Dry

Vegetables, especially leafy greens, needs to be dried thoroughly before storing in the fridge. 

After you wash your vegetables be sure to pat them dry with a paper towel to get rid of all the extra moisture.  You can even wrap a paper towel around the lettuce to be make sure the moisture continues to be absorbed.

  • Related:  How to Eat Healthy For Cheap

3.  Wash Strawberries In A Vinegar Bath

I learned one of my favorite hacks for keeping strawberries fresh from Melyssa Saves on Instagram.  Giving your strawberries a vinegar bath is such an easy trick and makes a huge difference for the life of your strawberries. 

To give your strawberries a vinegar bath just fill your sink with three parts water and one part vinegar.  Pour your strawberries into the vinegar bath and let them soak for a few minutes.

Next, you will dry the strawberries completely on a paper towel before returning them to their container and storing in the fridge.

 

4.  Store Leafy Greens In A Bag

Another trick to keeping your leafy greens fresh it to store them in a bag.  This could be a grocery bag, or the bag they came in from the store.  

The best way to store your leafy greens is to wash them well, pat dry with a paper towel and then place them into a plastic bag.  Keep a little bit of air in the bag and tie it shut to seal.

5.  Use A Paper Towel To Absorb Moisture

One of my favorite tricks for keeping produce from going bad is to store it with a paper towel.  The paper towel will help to absorb any excess moisture.  Berries and grapes will both stay fresh longer if you store them this way.

Simply wash your produce, pat dry, and then place them on a paper towel.  Store them in an open container with the paper towel on bottom.

6.  Separate Your Bananas

If you enjoy buying bananas (like I do!) try separating them from the bunch!  Bananas will stay fresh for longer if they are separated from each other and stored individually.

7.  Keep Fruit and Vegetables Separate

Another way to keep your produce fresh longer is to keep your fruits and vegetables stored separately in the fridge.  Most fruits will emit ethylene which makes vegetable go bad quickly.  Using separate drawers is a great way to keep them apart. 

  • Related:  10 Quick Ways to Save Money on Groceries

8.  Wrap Celery In Tin Foil

I love juicing celery and using it as an after school snack for my kids (just slap some peanut butter on the celery and they will gobble it up!).   Not only is celery a very budget friendly food, it will also stay fresh for a long time.

The trick to keeping celery from going bad quickly is to wrap it in tin foil!  Yes!  That’s it.  This one simple trick will help keep your celery moist, fresh, and tasting delicious!

9.  Store Potatoes With An Apple

This is a fun hack for preventing your potatoes from sprouting.  All you need to do is add an apple to the container you are storing your potatoes in and they won’t sprout as quickly!

***Remember potatoes need to be stored in a cool, dark and dry place!

10. Freeze Produce Before It Goes Bad

If there comes a time when you feel like you can’t use your produce before it goes bad, you can always freeze it to prolong the life and prevent waste.

To freeze fruit try a flash freeze like this method I used to freeze my strawberries.  Most veggies will need a to be blanched before freezing, like how I freeze my peas.

Freezing your produce should extend it’s life for an extra 3-6 months.

 

Products To Keep Produce Fresh

There are many free things you can do to prevent your produce from going bad.  But, I get that sometimes we just want a product to help save us some hassle!  Here are a few highly rated products to help!

Bluapple Produce Saver Balls

These Bluapple Produce Freshness Saver Balls are so easy to use!  Just toss one into your produce drawer and they will absorb the ethylene gas from your fruit, making your produce stay fresh for much longer!

Fresh Works Food Storage Container

I have heard amazing things about the Fresh Works Produce Saver Container.  These containers have everything you need to keep your produce fresh, including a crisping tray and vent to help regulate the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide.  Plus, they have over 15,000 positive reviews, so you can’t go wrong!

 

Herb Keeper Container

If you enjoy fresh herbs, you might like this Herb Keeper Container.  With this container you can keep your herbs fresh for much longer.  It was designed with vents, a self watering feature, and dividers so you can store multiple herbs together.

 

Debbie Meyer GreenBags

Another popular product for extending the life of your fruits and vegetables is the Debbie Meyer GreenBags.  These bags are so easy to use!  Just wrap your produce gently into the bag and store as normal.  Easy peasy and works like a charm!

 

In Conclusion

There are many different things you can do to help your produce stay fresh.  Try a few (or all) of the ideas on this list to help you stop throwing away your hard earned money.

 

Related Articles:

8 Foods You Should Freeze in an Ice Cube Tray

How To Freeze Fresh Corn

Cheap Foods to Buy For a Well Stocked Pantry

 

Pin For Future Reference:

tips to keep fruits and vegetables fresh - how to stop veggies from going bad so quickly

how to keep produce fresh - how to make produce last longer

I hope this article helps you learn how to store produce to keep it fresh longer.

Restock Your Pantry after a Pantry Challenge

February 1, 2019 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Pantry Challenge Tips

I recently completed a successful pantry challenge.  The goal was to cut my regular monthly grocery budget ($400) in half.  By doing this we would focus on eating the items I already had stocked in my freezer and pantry.

Fortunately, I had many friends on Instagram join me in this challenge.  I loved watching all of the progress and having a group to encourage each other and share all our frugal ideas.  Be sure to check out this article if you want to have your own pantry challenge and save money with a pantry challenge.

“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

What’s Next?

My most asked question about this challenge has been, “Will you spend a lot of money on groceries in February to restock the pantry?”  The answer is No.  That would defeat the whole purpose of the challenge.  Today’s article is going to explain how I will slowly restock my pantry while staying in budget!

ways to restock your pantry and stay in budget

Here are five ways I slowly restock my pantry:

1.  Budget for the Pantry

I have a weekly budget dedicated to pantry stock up.  My current budgeted amount for pantry stock up is $15 per week.  This pantry money is taken out of our $100 weekly grocery budget.  Because it has been budgeted and planned for, restocking doesn’t require any extra money or stress, just the way I like it!

Some weeks the pantry budget is spent at local sales.  Other times it’s stashed away to save for another week.  It all depends on our current needs.

2.  Buy Multiples

Next, get into the habit of buying multiple items at the grocery store.  The way I see it, if I’m going to buy one item, and I have a few extra dollars in my budget, than I might as well grab a few more.

I do 90% of my shopping using Walmart’s Free Grocery Pick (get $10 off your first order using this link).  I love this service for about 1 million reasons (really), but a huge reason is the ability to watch my grocery total as I add and subtract items to my order.  Whenever I am below my budgeted $100/week, I will add on a few more pantry staples.  As a result, this helps my pantry to grow and keeps me in budget.

3.  Buy in Bulk

Watch for opportunities to buy grocery items in bulk.  Many groceries will be priced much lower if it is bought in bulk, but not all.  Remember to always check the price per unit to make sure you are getting the best deal.

One of the ways I shop in bulk is by shopping local grocery case lot sales.  To find a case lot sale near you be sure to talk to your local grocer.  In many areas these sales might be called different names or even unadvertised.  So, don’t give up easily!

Another way I love buying in bulk is through a meat co-op.  I have recently started buying my chicken from Savory Butcher.  Their chicken is priced right and are delicious high quality.  If you need some direction of what to do with your bulk chicken read my article; What to do with your bulk chicken; including 6 Freezer Chicken Recipes.

4.  Shop Sales

One of my favorite ways to restock a pantry is by shopping the sales and deals.

My favorite app to check for deals is the Flipp app.  It is completely free to download and extremely user friendly, just the way I like it!

The app is updated weekly as the new grocery ads come available.  I browse it every week to find what the sales are and plan my menus/pantry stock up around those deals.  Many weeks I can’t find anything worth buying, but other times I find some really great deals worth buying.

  • Related:  10 Quick Ways to Lower your Grocery Bill

5.  Take Advantage of Cashback

Always, ALWAYS take advantage of the cashback apps available!  These are not huge money savers, but every.single.little.penny adds up.  For example; whenever I see my husband throwing away a receipt without scanning it for cashback I ask him, “Would you throw 25 cents in the trash???”   Of course he wouldn’t.  But essentially you are losing out on free money if you toss a receipt without first scanning it into the apps.

A few of my favorite cashback apps for grocery shopping are:.

Ibotta:  This is my most used app.  Ibotta offers cashback on hundreds of items every time you scan your grocery receipt.  My favorite cashback offers are the “any brand” items.  These offers include items in the dairy, produce, and other grocery departments.

*If you sign up for Ibotta using my link you will receive  a free $10 bonus!

Checkout 51:  Checkout 51 is similar to Ibotta, in that it gives cashback on participating items when you scan your receipt.  However, they don’t have as many offers as Ibotta, but it is still always worth checking.                                                                                                                        

*If you sign up using this link you will receive $3 when you redeem your first offer.

Fetch Rewards:  Fetch Rewards is so easy!  This is by far the most user friendly app.  All you do is scan your receipt and you automatically earn points.  These points can be redeemed for gift cards to just about anywhere.  My favorites are Target and Amazon.  I really like Fetch because you can redeem your points at as low at $3.

*Use the code: FETCH2K for an automatic 2,000 points ($2) when signing up.

I will be using each of these 5 strategies as I restock my pantry AND stick to my normal budget. The most importantly thing to remember is that nobody is perfect.  We all need to keep trying day by day!

In Conclusion

As a result of the pantry challenge last month I saved $200.  I know it will take a few months to restock my pantry, but I know it’s worth it.  The pantry challenge gives me more than a couple extra hundred dollars.  More importantly, it teaches me how to cook more at home, shop smarter and budget better.  That is priceless!

Related Articles:

15 Easy Pantry Dinner Ideas

Cheap Foods to Buy For a Well Stocked Pantry

Liked what you read?  Pin it to use for your next pantry challenge!

pantry challenge tips

easy pantry challenge tips - how to stock your pantry easily

I hope this gave you some good pantry challenge tips!

Hello! I’m Melanie!

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