10 easy hacks to keep your fruits and veggies last longer
Updated | By The Workzone with Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp/Udesha Moodley-Judhoo
No one wants to waste food, but with a little intention, you can avoid it. Check out these helpful hacks for storing your favourite foods and keeping them fresh for longer.
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Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can sometimes feel stressful, especially when it comes to the cost of eating well.
Let’s face it, healthy food can be pricey. However, it's definitely possible to make it work – and a big part of that is taking proper care of your fruits and vegetables to help them last longer.
Remember, fruits and vegetables can’t all be stored the same way if you want them to stay fresh.
Here are some practical tips to help keep your produce fresh for longer:
1. Watermelons and melons
Store uncut melons in the fridge, where they can last up to a month. Just keep in mind that this depends on how well your fridge cools – if it doesn't maintain a steady temperature, this hack might not work as well.
READ MORE: These 3 kitchen hacks are game-changers
2. Grapes
To keep grapes fresh, remove them from the stems, place them in a Ziploc
bag, poke a few holes in the bag for ventilation, and store them in the
fridge.
3. Lettuce
For crispy, fresh lettuce, wrap it in foil and keep it in the fridge. This will help lettuce stay fresh for up to four weeks.
4. Bananas
Wrap a wet paper towel around the stem of each banana, then cover it with foil. Keep bananas away from other fruits, and they'll last for around 10 days.
5. Avocados
With the high price of these gems, you'll want avos to last as long as possible. Keep them green by storing them in an airtight container filled with water in the fridge.
6. Cucumbers
Store cucumbers in a Ziploc bag with holes, but keep them on your kitchen countertops – not in the fridge.
7. Lemons
The best way to store lemons is in the fridge, as they are.
8. Cherries
For the freshest cherries, leave them uncovered in a container in the fridge. They should stay fresh for about a week.
9. Potatoes
Keep potatoes in a basket in a cool, dark place.
10. Strawberries
Line an airtight jar with a paper towel, place the strawberries inside, and store them in the fridge to keep them fresh for longer.
These tips are courtesy of Armen Adamjan (Instagram)
Tune in to the 'Workzone with Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp', weekdays from 09:00 – 12:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.
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Image Courtesy of iStock
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