According to Feeding America, the country’s largest hunger relief organization, Oregon alone generates about 1.1 million tons of food waste every year across all sectors, including manufacturers and retailers. But, the majority of food waste actually comes from us at home, with most of it being produce.
“Just being a farmer, the effort and the time and the resources that go into growing the produce, and then all of the work that it takes to get it to market and set up and sell it to people, it hurts me to think that would end up in the garbage,” said Nora Kendall with Runnymede Farm in Rogue River.
Kendall said because most cities in the U.S. don’t offer a municipal compost system, unfortunately a lot of us have no choice but to throw produce scraps away. This is why it’s important to plan ahead and be realistic about what will get eaten.
“It takes a lot of planning to think about your week and you go to the store and you’re like ‘what am I going to eat on this day?’ And then you end up getting invited out and so you don’t eat your produce that day and it does spoil quickly,” Kendall said.
With that in mind, here are a few tips to keep your produce lasting as long as possible using a few common staples.
Starting with dry storage, put things like onions, shallots and garlic in an open container or basket and keep them in a cool, dark place. Potatoes can go into a paper bag and also stored in a cool, dark shelf or cabinet.
A lot of times, the way produce comes when you buy it at the store isn’t the best way to store it; mushrooms are a great example of this.
Take mushrooms out of any plastic containers and transfer them to a paper bag, unwashed, and put them in the fridge.
For things like parsley, cilantro, asparagus or kale, cut the bottoms off, put them in a glass with water and loosely cover with a plastic bag.
For cucumbers and lettuce, wash and dry them before putting them in a plastic bag with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
The golden rule with produce is to keep everything separate if possible. If you don’t have the room or storage space to do that, at least try to keep fruits and vegetables separate. This is important because most fruits and vegetables produce ethylene, a gas that quickens the ripening process for the produce itself and the food around it.
Of course, there are many more foods that we didn’t go over, but hopefully this is a step in the right direction. And don’t be afraid to do some quick research after your next grocery shopping trip if you are wondering about any specific fruits and vegetables.
“If you kind of see your habits week to week and notice like ‘I always have this jumbo tub of lettuce and I only get through half of it before it goes bad.’ Then see what you’re doing and maybe only buy half of that the next time,” Kendall said.
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