- Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Learn some simple chemistry to save yourself some money.
Most fruit and vegetables give off a gas called ethylene. It's what softens peaches or turns tomatoes red when you store them in paper bags. The gas brings about the natural degradation process in fruits and vegetables. The trick is getting the raspberries to your mouth before they soften and mold, a process that can happen on the drive home from the grocery store. Here are two strategies for maximizing your produce enjoyment.
Know your culprits
Peaches, apples, bananas and watermelon all give off a fair amount of ethylene sending everything else in your crisper drawer into a downward tailspin. Separate these fruits from other produce.
Use an ExtraLife Produce Saver
Those who read this blog know I don't often endorse products, but I think this one is nifty. These little green disks transform the ethylene gas in your crisper drawer into water vapor. This means you can actually have a chance to eat the spinach you bought this weekend and didn't have time to cook. One of my clients gave me a disk last week. I put it in a drawer with some apples, pears and green peppers. All produces seems to be in a state of suspended time. So far so good. Each disk says it lasts 3 months. If it can save me one carton of blackberries it will have paid for itself.
I've included a link below where you can buy 3 disks for $11.
Mark Thiesmeyer, MS, MPH, RD
734-747-0123
http://www.amazon.com/ExtraLife-Produce-Preserver-Disks-Set/dp/B000MQ8SS8
