Limit food waste with these tips and tricks for keeping produce fresh

Waking up early to saunter down to the farmers' market for freshly picked local produce is the urban fantasy.

Unfortunately, tightening budgets and crammed schedules put that dream out of reach for many Hamiltonians.

And with each trip to the grocery store getting more expensive - the cost of living rising and inflation, the word on everyone's lips - even a small amount of food waste can trigger guilt.

Cut back on self-shaming with a few tips and tricks for getting that produce to stay fresh a bit longer - regardless of where you bought it from.

There are many elements that determine the life cycle of produce - how long ago it was picked, how it was transported, stored, the list goes on.

Social media is replete with suggestions on what you should be doing, it can be hard to sort the gems from the junk.

Let's start with some basics.

Keep 'em separated: Apples, potatoes, pears and bananas naturally release ethylene gas, which will hasten the ripening of the more sensitive cruciferous cabbage cousins. It's best to keep the gassy away from the grassy.

Water is life: Certain vegetables can be kept in water for more longevity, just remember to freshen up the H2O every few days.

• Leave green onions at room temperature, upright in a cup with the roots just covered by water.

• For asparagus, trim the ends and refrigerate in a glass of water.

• Store whole carrots in the fridge in a covered container of water to keep firm; if cut into sticks you can also add water to prevent drying out.

• Half celery stalks and place in a sealed container of water in the fridge.

Water can also revive wilting produce of a certain variety.

• To resurrect limp lettuces, trim half a centimetre off the bottom and place upright in an inch of water, cloak a plastic produce bag over and place in the fridge. This will also work for whole celery.

• If your broccoli is looking flimsy, trim the stalk down to a crown and place in a shallow bowl of ice water until firm again.

• When greens (brussels sprouts, green beans, etc.) start to wilt, take them out of the fridge, cut or peel away any bad spots and drop them into an ice bath for 20 minutes. That'll bring them right back to life.

While water will resurrect some foods, too much moisture can encourage mould to take hold.

Thoroughly dry any produce you're washing before storing it in the fridge.

Keep it cool: Every piece of produce has a preferred state of storage, here's what should be kept in the fridge:

• Beets, turnips, rutabagas, carrots, radishes, parsnips, and ginger are pro-refrigeration and can be stored next to sensitive produce. The crisper drawer is the ideal home. If your root veg has leafy green tops, cut those off before storing.

• Cauliflower and broccoli can be kept in a plastic produce bag in the crisper drawer, this allows for more moisture, keeping it from wilting too quickly.

• Whole heads of cabbage can be stored naked in a drawer, once cut it should be placed in an airtight container. Don't wash leafy greens, just pop them into a zip-top bag and into the crisper. Try keeping your spinach in an airtight container bookended with paper towels to keep moisture out.

• Berries and any citrus can be kept in a drawer along with your gassy apples and pears. If pears, mangos or avocados are hard, allow them to ripen at room temperature first before transferring to the fridge.

• Keep delicate produce and herbs on the middle shelf in your fridge, never on the top where temperatures are fickle and things can freeze.

Herbs like to be handled tenderly. If they're particularly dirty, wash and thoroughly dry in a salad spinner before swaddling in paper towels, bundling in a resealable bag or container and gently laying to rest in the fridge. If they're not, bundle, seal and refrigerate.

Onions and garlic should be stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place void of any humidity.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes like things cool, dark and airy. Same with squash. They should be stored away from onions.

Buying in bulk? Often the more cost efficient option, if you're able to consume before it corrodes. And if not, the freezer just might be your best friend.

• If you've got yourself a basket of ripe fruit that you know your family won't eat all of, peel, cut and freeze it in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking tray, then break up the pieces and move to a freezer-safe container. It'll keep for a few months. Which will make for a nice vitamin boost.

• Bananas can be frozen in their skin, but depending on what you use them for - smoothies or baking - it could be preferred to peel, chop and place in a freezer bag.

• Not all vegetables freeze well. For broccoli and green beans, the snappy side of the squad, blanch first. For spinach, zucchini, squash, eggplant, tomato - chop into the size you cook with and then pop into a freezer-safe, airtight bag.

• For herbs, wash, dry and puree with some oil, add that to an ice cube tray and cover with just a drop or two of oil so they don't dry out. Cover the tray with saran wrap and a freezer bag.

Plan ahead: Strategize your meals, the heartier your produce the longer it can keep, so wait to use those closer to your next shopping day and use up anything soft, like lettuces, tomatoes and more sensitive veg, sooner rather than later. Start the week off with a salad, and end with a stew.

Side note: If you're composting those ends, you could be saving those stalks for stock. Freeze your scraps and cook up a flavourful broth instead. Winter is coming after all, and there's nothing better than the comfort of a homemade soup.

Delaney Caulfield is a Hamilton-based web editor at The Spectator. Reach her via email: dcaulfield@thespec.com