It’s Day 17 and the Green Book Fairies are looking at great ways to store food at home.
Let’s Talk About… Food Storage!
The problem:
According to Friends of the Earth, we waste about a third of all food produced for human consumption. This wasted food has taken loads of fresh water, land and labour to produce. If it were a country, food waste would be the third highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are often wasted at home, so unless you like to feed your compost more than usual, you’ll probably want to find ways to make food last and save some money! Often food is thrown away because of “use-by” and “best before” dates but food can usually be good for way longer.
The solution:
Sometimes it’s unavoidable to buy groceries in plastic – either way, it’s usually best to remove the packaging and store your food inside other containers once you’re home.
- Remove the packaging! Get those salad leaves in a sealed container in the fridge
- Use the freezer! When veggies or fruit are on the turn, cut them up and freeze them for future use. Some people crack eggs into sealed containers and freeze them, too
- Hide them away! Root vegetables should be kept in dark, dry places to stop them sprouting
- Keep them alive! Herb bunches such as parsley and coriander should be bought loose, then trimmed and put in a jar of water
- Test the freshness! “Use by” or “best before” dates are guides, but often food will last way longer – look up ways to test freshness
- Save leftovers! Keep them in a sealed container in the fridge, and store leftover cheese, fruit and veg fresh in wax wraps
- Keep them dry! Re-use jars to store pulses, flour, sugar, and other dry goods
- Make soup and jam! Leftover veggies can make stock and nutritious soups, and for soft fruit – look up quick recipes for jam
Top tip! Pop an egg in water – if it sinks, it’s good; if it floats, it’s bad. Often they last way beyond the date given.
Fairy verdict:
“Simple things like beeswax wraps and Tupperware make it easy to be eco friendly when storing leftovers, and with so many options online beeswax wraps are way cuter than plastic wrap!”
– Kaitlynn, Ontario