6 WAYS TO KEEP VEGETABLES AND FRUITS FRESHER FOR LONGER

And thus be able to save for that bag

Ideally, I would like to bike past a juice bar every day on my way to the editorial office to buy a fresh smoothie. It saves me a lot of hassle and cleaning in the kitchen, I can tell you, but of course I also make them myself sometimes, because with my spending pattern, I wouldn't have anything left at the end of the month otherwise. So sometimes I have to cut back a bit. Recently, that's been on the shakes. They are now almost always made at home (and that's an achievement!). On Saturdays, I do my grocery shopping at the Albert Cuyp market for all the vegetables and fruits, and I can use them all week. I have a whole system for how I store the food, because before you know it, everything is rotten if you're not nice to it. Do this and you'll enjoy your fresh vegetables and fruits longer and thus be able to save for a nice new bag.

Avocado

I usually don't use a whole avocado, so I sprinkle the other half with lemon (there's always a bit of juice left in a wedge that I squeezed in the morning) and then put it in the fridge. This way, the avocado doesn't turn brown either.

Bananas

It's really annoying when they turn brown so quickly, so to prevent that, wrap a little bit of cling film (the transparent kind) around the stems, which slows down the ripening process. Bananas should always be stored outside the fridge (they turn brown quickly in the fridge). If you just bought really hard (green) bananas, it's best to place the fruit next to another piece of fruit in the fruit bowl, as they will ripen super quickly.

Tomatoes and cucumbers

If you store those things in the fridge, they lose all their flavor. Such a waste. But be careful, don't place tomatoes and cucumbers next to each other, as tomatoes release a substance that causes cucumbers to ripen very quickly and become less tasty.

Celery

Wrap this vegetable in aluminum foil and place it in the fridge. This way, the celery stays super fresh and crunchy.

Pineapple

Preferably outside the fridge on its own. By the way, I usually cut it into small pieces right away, pop it in a Tupperware container, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over it, and put it in the fridge. I can use this for about 3 days, after which the pieces do turn a bit brown.

Mint

I often add mint to my smoothie or I make tea from it. Maybe you've experienced that this stuff always turns brown very quickly and starts to smell a bit. Here's what you should do. Wrap the mint in kitchen paper (toilet paper is fine too) and make it nice and wet. It can be quite soaked. This way, it stays fresh and green.