Waste not, want not

Panic buying may already seem like a distant memory, but it was an excellent lesson in ‘waste not, want not’.

Now more than ever, we are being encouraged to be resourceful and to use up what we already have in the cupboards, before we slink off to the supermarket in the early hours. This is a pleasant side-effect of the current lockdown and one that is being welcomed by the economically minded, as food waste is still considered a major issue. But where to start?

Storing food

This may seem obvious, but how you store your food can have a big impact on the food you waste. Store food correctly, and it will not only last longer and taste better! If you keep your tomatoes in the fridge for example, they will taste of almost nothing. Keep them in the fruit bowl however, and they’ll be juicy and sweet. Ever wondered why your potatoes begin to sprout new life within days of purchasing, even when kept in a cool, dark place? Well, if you also happen to store your onions in that same cool, dark place, then we may have found your culprit!

Follow my simple guide below to get more out of your fruit veg and to put a stop to mindless wastage…

Cool, dark and dry

Potatoes / sweet potatoes / shallots / onions / garlic: Potatoes and onions need to be kept away from each other as they can both cause each other to spoil. Bananas: Get the bananas out of the fruit bowl and remove any plastic packaging. Keep away from other fruit. If ripe, transfer to the fridge to prevent from over-ripening. Squash / pumpkin: Keep cool but not refrigerated. Under 10°C.

Room Temperature

Apricots / kiwi fruit / mango / melon / nectarines / passion fruit / peaches / pineapple / plums Basically all fruit with the exception of berries. Tomatoes: Tomatoes don’t like the cold, so keep then out of the fridge. Treat them like a fruit and keep in the fruit bowl. Avocado: This is a tricky one, as most imported avocados ripen in transit so they’re ready for us to eat straight off the shelves. If your avocado is under ripe, keep it in the fruit bowl and transfer to the fridge when it becomes softer. If you’re in a hurry to ripen your avocado, put it in a paper bag with a banana for 48 hours. Bananas give off high levels of ethylene which will help your avo ripen faster.

Basil: Trim the stems and keep in a glass of water at room temperature and consume quickly.

Refrigerate EVERYTHING else:

Artichokes / asparagus / aubergine / beetroot / berries / broccoli / Brussel sprouts /carrots / cabbage / cauliflower / celery / cherries / courgette/ cucumber / figs / French beans / grapes / kale / leeks / lettuce / peas / peppers / radishes / rhubarb / spinach / spring greens / spring onions / sweetcorn / turnips Mushrooms: Store in the fridge, either in original packaging of a in a cloth bag.

Fresh herbs (excluding basil): Keep herbs like you would keep flowers. Trim the stalks and place in a jar with an inch of water at the bottom in the fridge. Alternatively, wrap the herbs in damp kitchen towel and store in the fridge, in a plastic bag with a few punctured holes in.

Herbs are beautiful multi-functional plants that are easy to grow and have many beneficial effects on our health and the health of our gardens. They look and taste fantastic and they are an easy and cost effective way to add interest to our garden and to our diets. They are forgiving tolerant plants that can survive in the most unlikely of containers, and given the right conditions will thrive in the smallest of spaces.

Why not try our online course with Dr. Rachel Petheram and learn how you can grow your own herbs at home?!