Food Rescue at Home in 6 Ways

Storing your foods correctly can be the difference between having bananas ripen too quickly and having them last until snack time. It’s important to know the storage tips of the food trade to make sure you’re making the most out of your grocery shop. Whether that’s making use of the pantry, the counter, the fridge, or the freezer. This way, there’s nothing unnecessarily heading into the trash at the end of the week!

The first tip is to have a rotation in your storage pantry, cupboards, and fridge to make sure you’ve got all the “eat me first” ingredients at the front!

The next food-rescue tips are all ingredient-based, so here are 21 more stored for you to eat away at:

Apples

Apples are highly acidic and emit ethylene gas that makes them ripen and sour very quickly. So, to save you from a bad apple, it’s best to store your golden delicious and ruby reds in the fridge. If you have a low-humidity draw in your fridge, place them in here for best results!

Avocados

If they’re whole, you can leave your avocados to ripen at room temperature before placing them in the fridge. But, if they’ve already been cut open, you’ll want to keep the seed and place them in the fridge tightly wrapped or air-sealed. To freeze them, mash first and add a squeeze of lemon juice before freezing in an ice cube tray for quick avo-access.

Bananas

Bananas are just like apples with their ethylene gas. But it’s not just themselves they affect: it’s everything around them, too! So, store your bananas out of the fridge and in an open space away from other produce to make sure there’s no premature ripening or food waste. Plus, if left in the fridge, they’ll make everything taste like bananas!

Bread

Bread is a funny one; while it’s quite the debate from kitchen to kitchen, the fridge and freezer are the perfect storage locations to keep your bread fresh for as long as possible. If your household doesn’t eat a loaf within a few days, it’s worth knowing you can toast bread directly from the freezer!

Broccoli

Broccoli should be placed within a small plastic bag and in the high humidity draw of your fridge if you’re going to be eating it within a couple of days. For longer storage, you can keep your broccoli fresh and delicious by wrapping it in a damp paper towel before placing it in the plastic bag. Also, you can freeze broccoli by detaching the florets and spacing them out on a lined tray.

Carrots

Wrap up your carrots in a paper towel (to stop them from going limp) and place them in a resealable bag. Then, you can store in the fridge or freezer for a healthy long life. If your carrots are already limp, simply revive them in a water bath for a minute or so. But if you see black or slime, it’s time for the compost!

Cheese

Cheese needs to stay cool to thrive, meaning your refrigerator’s middle shelf is the best spot. Simply store wrapped in its original packaging (even after opening) and wrap once in something else. This something else could be cheesecloth, beeswax paper, cling film, or simply a resealable plastic bag.

Corn

Corn, no matter where you choose to store it, should be left with the husk and all right until the moment you decide to put it on the menu. Your fridge’s low humidity draw is perfect for keeping your corn fresh for longer but so is your freezer. Plus, you can microwave and ear for 4 minutes straight from the freezer as the husk silks protect it.

Cucumbers

If your cucumber has been bought in a plastic sleeve, it’s best to leave it on. This way, it can protect the soft outside of the cucumber while preventing it from dehydrating. Otherwise, you can choose to store your cucumber at room temperature or in the fridge (but the fridge does add a couple of extra days on!).

Eggplant

Unlike with most other fruits, vegetables, and fresh produce, eggplant is a rare food item that doesn’t fare well in the fridge. When stored in the fridge, it can lose its flavour and begin to brown. So, the best tip is to find somewhere dry and cool to store your eggplant (just not the fridge).

Lemons and Limes

As lemon and lime are in the same family, they follow the same storage rules. If you know you’ll use your lemons and limes within the week, they’re safely stored in the fruit bowl. Otherwise, storing as they come in the fridge or the freezer is the place for them! A top tip is to juice your lemons and limes and freeze the juice in an ice cube tray for a refreshing drink!

Nuts and Seeds

Every nut, every seed, and every legume stores differently from the last because of their varied contents of unsaturated fats. So, it’s best to always check the packaging. But, a good rule of thumb is to minimize their exposure to light, store in the fridge or freezer for a longer life, and simply pan-heat when needed.

Onions

Unless you’re looking to grow something in your back garden, keep potatoes and onions away from each other (they encourage sprouting!). Otherwise, store full onions in a dark and dry place while your cut and peeled onions can be rescued in an airtight container in the fridge.

Oranges

Oranges have two homes in your kitchen. The first is to store for long periods; let your oranges, satsumas, clementines, and other orange fruits thrive in your fridge. Then, when you’re ready for a citrus snack, take them out and place them in a fruit bowl as they come to room temperature.

Potatoes

Store potatoes on their own in a dark, dry place. Unwashed potatoes last that little bit longer, so don’t wash until you’re ready for your meal. As for sprouting potatoes, they’re still safe and delicious meaning your food rescue project can be to de-sprout and dine. Although, large green areas can indicate a toxin and they’re best discarded after that!

Pumpkins

Interestingly, whole pumpkins last best when stored stem-side-down in a cool and dry place on a mat. This way they can still be pumpkin-y for another 3 to 4 months. But, if you have cut pumpkin, you’ll want to wrap it tightly in cling film (or remove the seeds and wrap it in beeswax paper) before storing it in the fridge.

Rice

Uncooked white rice should never be a story of food waste as it can last indefinitely. Brown rice, however, needs eating within 12 months due to the oils in the outer hull. Cooked rice, on the other hand, should be stored in the fridge and eaten within a couple of days, or frozen and eaten within a couple of months.

Salad Greens

For greens like lettuce, they’re best stored wrapped in paper towel in your fridge’s crisper so the moisture doesn’t cause it to wilt. Otherwise, you’ll have to place it in ice water for a couple of minutes to revive it. For other greens like baby leaf spinach, rocket, or mesclun, take them out of their packages and place them in the fridge in an airtight container.

Stone Fruit

Fruits with a centre stone such as peaches, mangoes, cherries, plums, and others are just like avocados. Leave them to ripen at room temperature and then transfer to the fridge or freezer once ripened.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes, unlike other fruits, are best stored outside of the fridge. Even though they can have their time in the freezer when pureed, fresh tomatoes are best saved from food waste by sitting at room temperature. However, as soon as they’ve gone soft, it’s time to make a meal or puree the tomato for freezing!

Yogurt

If your refrigerator is set at 4°C (39.2°F) or lower, you can store your yogurt and keep it edible for 7 to 14 days. Any longer and the yogurt can spoil with bacteria and yeast growth. But, for best results, store your yogurt in its original container in the fridge. While it might have a slight watery layer at the top, it’s the natural separation process after being stored for a couple of days. Just stir and enjoy!

If you have your own fruit growing in your garden, the best thing you can do is make use of the home harvest and dehydrate all your nutritious and organic produce. This will prevent unnecessary food loss, reduce the methane gas being released, and save your pocket, too.

But it’s all about being prepared and having the know-how. From the months best to dehydrate specific produce to the method you choose to use, there are four steps to dehydrating you should know:

1. Choosing Your Produce

   Starting at the beginning, you’ll want to choose produce that is ripe or just past ripe while cutting away any blemishes. Knowing that, here are the best months for you to dehydrate your fruit and vegetables.

   March

   • Apples
   • Kiwis
   • Peppers

   April

   • Apples
   • Peppers
   • Tomatoes

   May

   • Apples
   • Peas
   • Peppers
   • Tomatoes

   June

   • Blueberries
   • Broccoli
   • Carrots
   • Cauliflower
   • Cherries
   • Peas
   • Peppers
   • Strawberries
   • Tomatoes
   • Zucchini

   July

   • Apricots
   • Beans
   • Blackberries
   • Broccoli
   • Cherries
   • Corn
   • Currants
   • Nectarines
   • Peppers
   • Raspberries
   • Zucchini

   August

   • Apricots
   • Blueberries
   • Cherries
   • Corn
   • Garlic
   • Melon
   • Nectarines
   • Peaches
   • Pears
   • Plums
   • Strawberries

   September

   • Apples
   • Beans
   • Broccoli
   • Corn
   • Cranberries
   • Grapes
   • Pears
   • Plums
   • Pumpkin
   • Zucchini

   October

   • Apples
   • Carrots
   • Cranberries
   • Kiwis
   • Pears
   • Peppers
   • Quince

2. Preparing Your Produce

   After choosing produce for your dehydrating food rescue project, it’s important to prepare it as much as you can. This means washing, de-pitting, drying, de-stemming, and more. Here are some top tips:

   • Wash anything you’re going to dehydrate in cold water.
   • Remove pits and stones but small seeds are ok as they affect how even the fruit leathers will dry.
   • Remove thick skins by slicing the bottom of the fruit with an X, boiling for 30 seconds, and transferring to an ice bath.
   • Cut your fruit and vegetables into thin and even slices from ⅛” to ¼” thick.
   • Blanche vegetables like broccoli, carrot, potato, corn, cauliflower, and peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes before transferring to an ice bath.
   • Use 4 cups of water and ¼ cup of lemon juice to soak fruits prone to oxidization and discolouration for 10 minutes.
   • Toss your fruit and vegetables with a sprinkle of seasoning like salt, spice, or sugar for a fuller flavour after dehydrating.

3. Drying Your Produce

   When it comes to the drying process, itself, there are two methods to choose from. There’s using your oven for your at-home harvest and there’s using a dehydrator (which can be a little easier).

   Oven Drying

   The first few times you dehydrate with the oven will be a bit of a food rescue trialing period as you may overcook or undercook your produce.

   When you undercook your produce, it will have remaining moisture which can cause the leathers to spoil. Overcooking, on the other hand, just means you’re likely to get a crispy texture rather than a chewy texture.

   Here are some other tips:

   • Turn your oven on to its lowest setting. This can be 54-71°C (130-160°F), 71°C (160°F), or 93°C (200°F) depending on your oven, and note that the higher the temperature, the more airflow you’ll need.
   • Keep the oven door open so air can circulate and remove moisture.
   • Add height and place your fruit and vegetable slices on a wire cooling rack on top of parchment paper so heat can get to both sides evenly.
   • Rotate the racks of fruit every two hours front and back, side to side, and even flip them if your oven doesn’t get even heat.
   • Your food rescue dehydration is complete when the pieces feel like leather!

   Dehydrator Drying

   Dehydrator drying is much like oven drying but a little easier and leaves your oven open to cooking the family meal at dinner time.

   Your dehydrator might have a “fruit” setting; if it does, go ahead and use it. If it doesn’t, you’ll want to preset it to 60°C (140°F).

   Otherwise, it follows many of the same rules as oven drying.

   Here are some other tips to optimize your food rescue project with a dehydrator:

   • Spread your slices of fruit and vegetables apart from each other on a single layer.
   • The drying time will vary depending on the type of produce you’ve chosen, how thick each slice is, humidity levels, the water content of the produce, and even the altitude you’re dehydrating at!
   • Check your leathers after 12 hours by taking a piece out and allowing it to cool. Then, check every 6 hours after that if it’s still not quite done.
   • It’s better to be overcooked than it is to be undercooked!
   • To know when they’re ready, they should feel dry and leathery after they’ve cooled.

   How long you should dehydrate your fruit and vegetables for:

   
   

4. Curing Your Produce

   The final step of dehydrating the home harvest is the most important of all; curing. The curing process ensures there’s no leftover moisture in your fruit and vegetable leathers that could otherwise spoil and contribute to the very food waste we’re trying to avoid.

   So, even if you believe you’ve overcooked your leathers, the final step is to always cure and store!

   To cure, place your fruit and vegetables in an open container and allow to cool completely. You’ll need to leave them for around 4 to 5 days, shaking daily, just to let any remaining moisture evaporate.

   When cured, you can enjoy your fruit vegetable leathers as a hearty snack, breakfast addition, or banquet bonanza with the family for 10 months! But, to avoid food waste, you’ll want to make sure they’re sealed in an airtight container.