Fresh Food
Keep Your Food Fresh For Longer

Fresh Food is something we all want all the time. Well why not; we pay enough for it don't we?

One of my biggest expenses over the month is the cost of my weekly food bill and I would imagine this is the same for most people. So it makes sense to try and make sure that the food we do buy lasts and stays fresh for as long as possible.

I always make sure that part of my frugal living daily routine, is to ensure that I store and use my food in the most economical and practical way to ensure that I don't have to throw anything away.

picture by ralphhogaboom on flickr.com

The following tips were given to me either by my friends or was gleaned from watching my mother and grandmother. I hope they help you to ensure that you always have fresh food on your table.

Bread

• Freeze bread and only defrost what is needed.
  
  
• Always keep fresh bread in a bread bin.

Flour

• Little insects like to lay their eggs in some flour and if not killed off you could end up with a nasty crawling surprise, next time you go to use it. So always freeze fresh flour for 48 hours to kill off any eggs. Then store in an airtight container out of strong sunlight and in a cool area.

Honey

• Although honey never goes bad it can become thick and cloudy after a while. If this happens, take the lid off the jar and place in a pot of hot water until the honey returns to normal.

Onions

• Make sure onions are stored in a cool dark moisture free area. They can also be stored in the legs of clean panty hose. Simply put one onion in, tie a knot then add another onion. Continue to the top and then hang them up.

Mushrooms

• Always store mushrooms in a paper bag inside the fridge but not in the crisper.

Tomatoes

• Keep ripe tomatoes out of sunlight. Do not use Tomatoes straight from the fridge, as most of there flavour can be lost. Allow them to get to room temperature before eating in salads.

Potatoes

• Always store potatoes unwashed and in a vented paper bag or mesh bag. Store them in a cool dark area, away from any onions. (Potatoes can give off a gas, which forces onions to ripen too quickly.)

Lettuce

• Always cut lettuce with a plastic knife, never a metal one that will make the lettuce go brown. If you do not have a plastic knife, simply tear the lettuce.
  
  
• Keep lettuce in the crisper in the refrigerator without any plastic bag.

Apples

• Apples freeze very well both whole or sliced. However frozen apples are best used as a pie filling rather than for eating raw.
  
  
• Always freeze apples after washing.
  
  
• When making a fresh food fruit salad, keep peeled sliced apples in lemon juice until ready to serve.

Cheese

• Cheese can be either fresh or mouldy to eat but not all of us like the mouldy variety. So to keep your cheddar from going mouldy too quickly you can wrap your cheese a in a paper cloth which has been moistened with vinegar, then place inside a plastic bag in the fridge. Make sure the cloth remains moist.