Practical advice for fresh produce

Anna Ćaleta

It is important to know how to store your food properly once you have bought it, to prevent it from spoiling. Potatoes: keep them in a dry, dark and airy place. It’s best to put them in a wooden crate. Store an apple* near potatoes so they don’t sprout as quickly.

*Apples produce a gas called ethylene. It acts as a plant hormone that speeds up the ripening process and inhibits sprout growth during treatment.

Garlic and onions: keep these in a dry and airy place with no sudden changes of temperature. Herbs and leafy vegetables: fill a jar, glass or tin with water and keep them in this (as you would flowers). Store in the fridge.

Salad, asparagus, carrots: keep in the refrigerator wrapped in a damp cloth. Bread: wrap in linen cloth, doubled.

Use an “eat me first” box in the refrigerator to keep an eye on all the food that needs to be eaten soon. This is especially useful in a household of several people, so you don’t end up with two open milk bottles, and it gives you a special place for that half a cucumber that you’re saving for later. Broccoli stems, carrot tops, beet leaves, potato peels, onion peels ... most people throw them away. Did you know that you can peel a broccoli stem and munch it raw? It tastes like kohlrabi. If you prefer it cooked, any kind of stew or soup will do. Carrot tops are amazing for making pesto! You can cook beet leaves the same way as spinach. Have you ever fried potato peels? For some recipes, you don’t even need to

peel the potatoes. Not a big fan of the idea of eating all of these? Great, there is another option: you can cook a vegetable stock. Simply put all of your food scraps in a pot, add water until everything floats, and simmer for at least half an hour. Strain and keep it in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for months. See detailed tips on: Food Waste Feast.

There are also recipes that ask for a banana peel! However, make sure that you use peels safe for consumption.

If you have already cooked the food, keep it for the next meal as leftovers. Imagine that you’ve cooked pasta with tomato sauce. If you have cooked too much sauce, save it in the freezer for later, use it tomorrow with rice, put it in a stew to thicken it … On the other hand, if you’ve cooked too much pasta, make baked pasta for the next meal. If you’ve cooked too much of both and don’t want to eat the same meal twice in a row, invite some friends over, surprise your neighbour or give it to a homeless person. If you find yourself with a food item that is yet to be cooked and is about to spoil, check out this page: Food Waste Feast. Here you can enter the name of the food you need to use up, and search for recipes. You can also cook compote, marmalade or sauces, or freeze certain foods (for example, sliced bread, blanched vegetables).