California has set an ambitious goal of reducing food scraps and yard waste going into landfills by 75% by 2025—the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road each year in greenhouse gas emissions reductions. In addition to diverting your household organic materials by composting, you can help the environment by storing your groceries in ways that prevent food waste!
Here are 10 ways to preserve your food longer:
- Fresh herbs, asparagus, and green onions can all be stored upright in a tall glass of fresh water. Just trim the stems and place them in the fridge.
- Bananas: Once ripe, put in the refrigerator to slow down the process of becoming overripe. Too late? Place slightly overripe bananas in the freezer to make banana bread or smoothies.
- Celery: Cut droopy celery into a few sections and soak it in ice water to revive its crunch. If it’s too late, try making Scrappy Soup.
- Store fresh ginger in the freezer; it doesn’t dry out and is easier to grate!
- Store nuts and seeds in airtight containers in the refrigerator to avoid going rancid.
- Freeze unused broth in ice-cube trays for later use. Great for when you just need a small amount for a recipe!
- Did you make too much soup, chili, mac & cheese? Freeze your meal leftovers in individual portions to eat in the future—your future self will thank your current self for not having to cook!
- Bread: Prevent bread from becoming stale by storing it in the freezer. When ready to use, thaw it out; if making toast, go straight from the freezer to the toaster!
- Freeze your leafy greens for smoothies. Not only does it prevent the produce from spoiling, it provides a nice texture.
- If those lemons, limes or oranges on your counter are a little past their peak, freeze their juice in ice-cube trays. The small servings help when making salad dressings, sauces and marinades.
