Budget and Diet Harmony
If you are a frequent produce department customer, it is highly likely that one of the following is true for you:
1) You love vegetables, to the point where you’re practically a vegetarian.
2) You work long hours, often more than 12 per day, and do not have time to shop often.
3) You cook for one, or at most 2 people.
For this population, these factors consistently combine to create three recurring produce-based scenarios:
1) You buy enough produce at the grocery store to last until your next trip, cook it as you use it, and within a few days begin throwing away produce that has gone bad. You actually eat about half of what you bought. In short, you throw half of your vegetable money away. (See how fast food goes bad here. Remember, it has to go from farm to store to table within a short window.)
2) You buy enough produce to last until your next trip, cook them into several dishes immediately so that the raw fruits and vegetables do not spoil, and are stuck eating the same few dishes until eating becomes a tedious, repetitive task. Even the best produce gets boring after you’ve eaten it the same way 4 times in 2 days.
3) You buy only enough produce to eat in the few days following your shopping trip, and eat non-spoiling foods after that until you can return to the produce department. The nutritional value of your diet suffers greatly, as does your energy level and physical well-being.
None of these scenarios is enjoyable, and most attempts at finding a way to lengthen the shelf life of your fresh produce leads to wasting more money on ineffective baskets, tupperware, and refrigerator-vents. Not to mention, of course, the money wasted buying fruits and vegetables that were supposed to be protected by these contraptions.
Get excited, solo produce chefs! A recent invention, the Breatheway Membrane, may give produce connoisseurs a new angle on the problem. Several food blogs have reported successful trials with the material, which increases the shelf life of produce anywhere from five days to three weeks. It’s a promising development that every foodie should celebrate.
So go buy the produce your heart desires, without worrying about losing it before you get a chance to eat it!
Susan Anderson is a blogger and foodie from Arlington, Virginia. She recently discovered Clearly Fresh Bags, and loves them.
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