Saving Produce to Save Moneyby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 18 Jul 2007 04:36 AM Don't throw it out! Is half of your summer produce winding up in the trash? The summer heat can shorten the life of fresh produce. But, if you have a few secrets in your kitchen, you can reduce your produce waste. I recently posted an article in the food blog called "Fun with Celery." In that article, I gave a surprising but simple tip on how to make your celery last twice as long. The article made me start thinking about how we used to waste a lot of produce. I would by a variety of fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables, but much of it would go soft or bad before we could finish it all. If you are lucky enough to live near a produce stand or market, you can buy fresh every day. But, I can't justify the gas expense here to make a daily trip, so I've discovered some tips to reduce the produce waste. Blueberries are often on sale here for buy one get one free. We generally eat one pint right away and freeze the other. You can freeze blueberries when they are mushy, too, as long as there is no mold. Frozen berries are great for smoothies, or to be used (thawed) in muffins. Tomatoes should never be refrigerated because that will alter the taste and texture, and dry them out. They also don't freeze well. When they start to get mushy, the only thing you can do is turn them into sauce. Then you can freeze the sauce. Apples that are starting to get that mealy texture (as they lose their moisture content) can be chopped and used in muffins and piece. Alternatively, you can slice them thinly and hang the slices to dry for a chewy, healthy candy or as decorations, ornaments or air fresheners in your home. I haven't figured out how to save lettuce, yet. Is there anyone out there who could help? Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites. Related Articles: Growing My Italian Kitchen Garden Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags food budget, produce, reducing waste, saving on groceries Discuss this article
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