We get it, we’ve been there. You make the effort to visit the farmers market, or shop plastic free at the supermarket and after 2 short days that haul of fruits and vegetables you bought ain’t looking too fresh anymore...
Why? Well because plastic is actually pretty darn useful at keeping fruits and vegetables fresh. It keeps oxygen out and separates your ethylene emitting veggies from your ethylene sensitive ones (this is a gas hormone that's emitted from particular fruits and vegetables to help them ripen!)
However by now, most of us know the issues with plastics, once it's created it’s here to stay. Even if it’s recycled it never goes ‘away’ so limiting our use is the best thing we can all do.
So what can we do to shop plastic free AND keep our veggies looking fresh and edible until we are ready to eat?
Eco-friendly Vegetable Wash
First step in making sure your produce stays fresh is to prep them for storage. When you get home fill your sink with water and use our Vege Bar to rid your fruit and vegetables of chemicals and pesticides the natural way. Shake the Bar around under the surface, then go ahead and give your produce a good wash. For hard fleshed vegetables like potatoes we recommend using our Vegetable Brush to give these veggies are good scrub. Once washed, give it a good rinse and then lay everything on a Hemp Tea Towel and allow it to dry off.
Our Favourite Plastic-Free, Eco-Friendly Food Storage
If you have fruits and vegetables that you will use in your morning smoothies, a great hack is to chop them up on the day of purchase and freeze them in a Silicone Pouch. These pouches are perfect to portion your smoothies out day by day, helping your morning to run smoothly without the need for any plastic. Looking for smoothie recipe inspiration? Check out Cass’s Green Smoothie Bowl Recipe.
There are a few exceptions, but most leafy greens like Kale, Spinach and Lettuce love water and will be happy to remain a little bit damp. Chop up your freshly washed leaves and before they dry out completely, place them inside a Silicone Pouch in your fridge. These airtight food storage containers will keep your leaves fresher for much longer! Or you can damp one of our Bulk Produce Bags, place your leafy greens in and add to your crisper. They’ll stay fresh for days!
Treat produce like fresh herbs, broccoli and cauliflower like flowers and keep them upright in a Wategos Glass Pantry Jar in your fridge with a little water. To keep them fresher for longer, change the water and cut the ends every few days to allow the plant to absorb the fresh water.
If you’ve found some floppy vegetables at the back of your fridge (and who hasn’t!) don’t panic! They have simply lost moisture but they are still edible. Using a glass container is perfect for the ice water hack to bring them back to life. Simply fill a Rectangle Eco Stow (or you could use a Silicone Pouch) with water, ice and add your veg. Carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, celery and zucchini love this trick!
Silicone is also a great way to keep your prepped vegetables cool and fresh in the fridge. We love to keep half an onion or some carrots stored in our Collapsible LunchBox - especially if we know we’re going to be eating them up that week!
Stainless steel containers are also ideal if you’re heading out for a picnic, to work or simply looking for an eco-friendly lunchbox or airtight food storage container for the kids for school. Check out our plastic-free range of lunchware - there’s so many options! Stainless steel will help maintain a cooler temperature and is durable and safe to use with food.
Our Organic Mesh Produce Bags are a perfect way to buy your produce plastic free - and then add it straight to the fridge or pantry! They are lightweight and breathable as well as machine washable so you can replace plastic bags for good with these environmentally friendly beauties.
Wherever possible, we recommend buying loose fruit and veg, seasonal if you can - and try not to buy the pre-packaged stuff. It's always a plus to show your children that food doesn’t grow inside plastic bags!
