Happy & Healthy

VEGETABLES & FRUIT-FRIDGE CHECKLIST

Hello, green & co here. If you run into me at the Appie, it’s very likely in the vegetable section where I fill my basket with vegetables for an orphanage. Because those avocados, heads of lettuce, and bundles of carrots are constantly winking at me. As a result, I ALWAYS buy too much.

Do you recognize this problem and wonder why your cucumber is limp after a few days and that once fresh yellow bell pepper suddenly has spots? Probably not the fault of Sir Heijn, madam. There’s a good chance that YOU are the culprit in this story. Did you know that:

1. …vegetables need oxygen?

Poke holes in the bag where you store the zucchini. In an airtight plastic bag, you kill them according to Barry Swanson, emeritus professor of nutrition at Washington State University. Make sure the vegetables have enough space in the drawer; with too little air circulation, they suffocate.

2. …there are cleaning rules?

Wash your vegetables and fruit only at the moment you are going to use them. Moisture promotes the growth of bacteria.

3. …vegetables and fruit are not a match?

Many fruits produce ethylene gas. That is a ripening hormone that causes accelerated spoilage.

But how do you store them best?

Cool and eat within a week

– leafy greens (spinach, endive)

– carrots

– cauliflower

- broccoli

– asparagus

– lettuce (head and chopped)

– mushrooms

– green beans

– spring onions

– beets

– zucchini

– leeks

– strawberries

– raspberries

– grapes

– cherries

– berries

Riper and tastier outside the fridge

– tomatoes

– (sweet) potatoes

– pumpkins

– tubers (kohlrabi, celery root)

– eggplants

– cucumbers

– bell peppers

– onions

– ginger

– garlic

– citrus fruits

– bananas

– pomegranate

– papaya

– mango

First not, then yes in the fridge (first ripen and then cool, so they don’t become overripe)

– avocados

– peaches

– nectarines

– kiwis