Keeping it Fresh Pt 2

In one of our past blog posts, ISland Growers discussed some tips about keeping your herbs fresh for longer. Today we share our own experience in keeping fruits fresh. 

Our stash for the week. A mix of local and foreign fruits. Mangoes, oranges, local plums, red plums, pommerac, grapes and strawberries.

The world is currently still battling the Covid-19 pandemic. Here in Trinidad and Tobago, the cases have risen to alarming levels where the Government has declared a State of Emergency to help flatten or reduce the infection rate. 

This means that sourcing food for your family has to be carefully managed both on an economical and safety front. 

Buying food in bulk will help lessen your trips to the green markets or grocery stores. While this makes sense, it introduces the possibility of some of the bought vegetables, fruits and herbs going bad before you get to use or eat it.  Fruits tend to develop mold very easily. This is possibly due to the fruit contaminated with spores and then moisture allowing the mold to grow. 

Google and you will find many useful tips and tricks to help you prevent fruits from going bad easily. What has worked for our family is a very simple method of washing the freshly purchased or picked fruits with a water and vinegar mix - usually one ounce or 30 ml of vinegar to one (1) litre of tap water. Soak the fruit for 30-60 seconds, remove from the mixture and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet or flat surface lined with paper or cloth towel. Allow to air dry, place in clean packaging (kits, bags etc) and place in their storage area (refrigerator, counter top). 

This week''s strawberries soaking in the water and vinegar mixture for approximately 30-60 seconds.

The above has help us keep fruits fresh for a long time. Strawberries which can develop mold quite easily, lasts more than 7 days after purchasing (provided it is not eaten by then!). Our little one loves fruits and getting a fresh supply of fruits for his consumption is a weekly activity. With the pandemic, accessing the fruits is tricky as it means braving the crowds to purchase. We get some from our backyard but inevitably we must purchase and keeping them fresh is important to ensure we save on money and safeguard our wellbeing. 

So when you purchase or pick your next batch of fruits, take the extra 2-5 minutes of prep time that will more than likely keep your fruits fresh long enough so that you will actually get to eat it!
Stay safe. ​