Getting to the shop has become more difficult these days, what with supermarkets restricting opening times and customers wanting to avoid busy periods of the day.
Therefore, it is not a bad idea to think of ways you can make your weekly shop last a little longer without having to nip to a store every other day for essentials.
Of course, this is easily done with tinned or packaged foods, as they can last several weeks or months in the cupboard. However, it is trickier with fresh food, so read on for some great tips on how to enjoy fruit and veg for longer.
1) Juice it
Nobody likes to see their bowl of delicious fruit start to go off, so one way to make sure you can continue to enjoy their nutrients for a few more days is to make a delicious juice.
Now is the best time to enjoy fresh juices, as they are key to boosting your immune system, which can reduce the impact of any potential virus symptoms.
Packed full of vitamins and minerals, they can really improve your health, particularly if you throw certain fruit and veg in there. If you’re unsure of how to make an immune-boosting drink, then you can order regular supplies of cold pressed juices delivered straight to your door, so you can maintain social distancing rules while still getting fresh produce.
2) Freeze veg
If you’ve bought a surplus of vegetables, the best way to make these last longer is to make a soup or nutritious sauce out of them and freeze them for later.
Fresh herbs can also be stored by throwing them in the freezer. When they are needed, you simply have to put some in whatever you are cooking, and their flavour will be just as impactful.
Alternatively, you could fill an ice-cub tray with chopped up herbs and top it up with olive oil. Then when you want to use them, simply put the ice cube in the pan and start frying.
According to Save The Student, you can even chop up some spring onions after leaving them to dry out and then freezing them in an empty water bottle. This way, you can simply shake some out on to your salad straight from the freezer when you want to.
3) Store well
To make the most out of your fruit and veg, it is important to know the best ways to store them. For instance, bananas should be kept away from anything else, as they release more ethylene than other fruit, which makes them, and other produce, turn brown. You can even wrap the stalks in cling film as this is thought to make a bunch last five days longer.
Contrary to popular belief, tomatoes should not live in the fridge as this reduces the flavour. Instead, keep them on your worktop until they ripen. Similarly, Self.com recommends taking cucumbers out of the fridge as well as they are more likely to suffer from ‘cold injury’ when the temperature is too low.
Mushrooms should be kept in a paper bag, which can then absorb the moisture, so they don’t go soggy. Lastly, those with a penchant for avocadoes can enjoy them for longer by squeezing a squirt of lemon juice on a half-cut avocado, as this prevents them from oxidation.