The Great 'how do you stop fruit and veg rotting' Hunt

tanith

Green bags that my daughters buys for me in a cheap shop, they are brilliant and I rarely throw away fruit, veg or salads. I also keep my bananas close wrapped in individual pieces of foil they keep in the fridge for ages and I've stopped throwing them away when they don't get eaten in a few days.

frugallily

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Lakeland Plastics make amazing stay fresh bags that are impregnated with a mineral that absorbs the gasses that ripen fruit and veg. They come in a pack of 20 and are quite expensive at £7 ish but they work and I keep produce in the fridge with a plastic clip at the top of the bag and rarely have to throw anything away. A really good product that works!

I have also found these excellent except for the one for bananas as the liner for this got out of shape somehow?

frugallily

unixgirluk wrote: »

We grew too many chillis this year. I dried them and put them into jars (and gave some as presents!).

We made chilli jam! There are a lot of recipes for this online! it is excellent for preserving chillis but BEWARE- it is not a jam it is savoury!

mumf

For stuff you BUY ,not grow-just eat it!

ladyesmereldaprice

Buy or make a banana bag.
There is a bag available at a popular high street kitchen store, but it is only a bubble wrap bag covered in nylon. Put the bananas in the bag, tie the top to exclude as much air as possible and place in the fridge. They will keep in original state of 'ripeness' for up to 2 weeks even if the skin turns black!

Ilona

I inspect my fruit and veg daily, for dates and freshness. Check which is getting close to it's going off state and eat it that same day. Soft fruits deteriorate quicker than hard, so eat them first. Leafy veg and salad deteriorate quicker than root veg, so eat them first.

I buy a lot of yellow stickers, packs of prepared root veg for 10p. I make these into soups, stews, and curry, then freeze into single portions.
Ilona

Meadows

'how do you stop fruit and veg rotting'

Buying quality in the first place I occasionally buy from Lidl and I don't know why as half the stuff is no good and I should know better!
Bought a Mango, Brussels and Pears on Sunday. Two days ago had to throw the mango out as when I cut into it it was black throughout. The Brussels have all had to be blanched so I can get to eat them as they were not a pretty sight on the outer leaves, the pears really need to be eaten and may manage a few more days if we make a special effort to eat them!
I also find Morrison's is not so hot for fruit & vegetables.

As for keeping them, I use Ever Fresh Green Bags with clip its and keep in my Vegetable draw of the fridge

I line my fridge Vegetable and Fruit draw with a Fruit and Vegetable Cushion (I keep Fruit away from Vegetables and Bananas away from all to slow the ripening and stay fresher longer), the cushioning effect and porous construction of this special matting allows air to circulate, preventing mould and bruising.


I use a Banana bag, when kept in the fridge, they provide bananas with the exact amount of insulation and air needed to stop the flesh over-ripening, while keeping the skin warm enough to prevent it blackening. They last ages in these bags.

And for Potatoes, Onions & Mushrooms (mushrooms I keep in the fridge, potatoes and onions on a veg rack in a cool utility room) I use

For Garlic I use kept in the fridge.
(For bread I use kept in a large Ceramic Bread Crock).

I find if I have quality Fruit & Vegetables they will last a long time stored in these bags, so although they cost to buy initially they more than pay for themselves by preserving the food!

karatemum_2

I use a Tupperware vegetable crisper for all of my veg except potatoes and onions. It is fantastic and I've kept carrots in there for up to 4 weeks.
A friend of mine once did an experiment to see how long a carrot would keep in one - it lasted over 6 weeks and still crunched when she broke it! My mum has had the old Tupperware vegetable crisper for about 40 years and still swears by it.
I wish you could still get Tupperware in the UK

widji

I buy discounted bananas, chop them into chunks, pour over some lemon juice and open freeze. Colour stays ok, texture not quite so good but they get whizzed from frozen into smoothies for breakfast!

Ezmondino

I put my veggies in cardboard trays lined with newspaper, with more newspaper on top, in a cold place. e.g garage.
Lasts for months that way during the winter.

Always take them out of the packaging as it makes them sweat.