Household Hacks: How to Preserve Fruits and Vegetables

OGBUGOH TERUNDU JOY

In this time-crunched era, most home-managers find ways to reduce their trips to the grocery store. So you buy in bulk then start to worry about how best to preserve your perishable groceries. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.. Find some food items and how best to preserve them:

1. GINGER : Wrap unpeeled ginger in a newspaper and seal in a ziplock bag. Store in the dry part of your freezer. Doing this will ensure your ginger stays as fresh as it was bought for up to 6 months.

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2. BREAD: Bread can sit out safely for a day or two, but if want to store for longer use, seal bread in a ziplock bag and freeze. Bread can be preserved for up to 6 months. When heated up in the oven on low heat, it will taste freshly baked. 

3. BANANA: First separate ripe from unripe. Wrap the stems of the banana in a plastic wrap and secure tightly with a tape, (this will prevent them from ripening too quickly). Store at room temperature or in the vegetable compartment of your fridge. Bananas can hold for 1-2 weeks when stored this way. 

4. POTATOES: Before you store potatoes, make sure to pick out the damaged ones. You can make use of the almost damaged ones immediately. To preserve the goof ones, get a well ventilated basket, lay a newspaper at the bottom and place your potatoes in it. If you need to top another layer, lay another newspaper over the potatoes and add some more potatoes. Ensure to place a newspaper between each layer of potatoes.  Cover the top of the basket with another page of newspaper and store in a ventilated, cool, dark and dry place. This will prevent your potatoes from sprouting, going green or rot and can last for 3 months. Check periodically to be sure your potatoes remain fresh.

5. ORANGES: Wrap oranges in a ventilated bag to enable air circulation and store in the vegetable compartment of your fridge. This can hold for 3-4 weeks. 

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6. SPINACH/GREENS: To use within ten days, wrap your veg in a dry paper towel, place in a container and store in the fridge. Do not place spinach next to fruits as this can make them decay easily. To preserve spinach for up to 12 months, first, blanch for two minutes in boiling water, then dip in cold water for another two minutes. Drain out water and pat completely dry with a towel. Wrap spinach in ziplock bag, seal tightly and store in a freezer. 

7. ONIONS: Spread out onions in a warm, dry and breezy environment. This will preserve your onions for up to 4 weeks. To hold for up to 3 months, punch multiple holes into a paper bag, place fresh onions in the bag and secure with a clip or sellotape. Arrange them in an upright manner on your shelve. Do not store potatoes near onions as both give off gases that will ruin them.

8. GARLIC: Puncture multiple holes into a paper and store as described above.

9. CARROTS: Fill a large bowl halfway with sand, place your unwashed carrots inside and cover up with sand. Keep in a dark cool and ventilated area of your kitchen. This can preserve your carrots for up to 6 months.

8. MANGOES:  Wash your mangoes. Slice into cubes peeled or unpeeled and package in a ziplock bag without placing any piece on top of each other, simply lay them side by side and seal. Place your ziplock bag in a horizontal position in the freezer. This can preserve your mangoes for up to 6 months.

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9. GREEN BEANS: Trim off the ends of the green beans, place a paper towel inside a ziplock bag, place the green beans inside the paper towel and seal tight. Keep the beans in the refrigerator to hold for a week. To hold longer, first boil them in water for about 2-4 minutes depending on the size of the beans (1-2 minutes for small sized beans and 2-3 minutes for large ones). Put the boiled beans in iced water to cool for exactly the amount of time used in boiling it. Make sure the water has enough ice block in it to keep it cold. Place the beans flat in a ziplock bag, seal the top shut leaving a small space. This will preserve your beans for 8-10 months.