Did you know that the average U.S. household throws out a quarter of the produce it buys each year because of spoilage? For a family of four, that adds up to about $500 a year, according to a University of Arizona study cited in a recent Associated Press article.
And with most of us doing some economic belt-tightening, you don't really want to throw away your money like that, do you?
We didn't think so -- especially with food prices expected to rise up to 5.5 percent this year. To help, we have some Web sites that will teach you how to buy and store fruit and vegetables so they don't go bad before you're ready to devour them.
One great source is provided by the Henrys Market chain. Writer Shelley Levitt's "Spoiled Rotten" article offers extensive advice, and assures us that you don't have to go to the market every day to buy produce: "With proper storage and a little planning, you can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables with just a single weekly trip to the supermarket." Levitt accomplishes this with a list of "Fastest to Slowest Spoilers -- What to Eat First." Levitt will also clue you in on what to refrigerate and what not to refrigerate.
If you're in a hurry, here are eight steps to keeping things fresh. Check, for example, Step 3: "Do not store fruits or vegetables in airtight bags. This prevents them from releasing gases and breathing. When fruits and vegetables are suffocated, they will spoil faster."
RELATED LINK:
L.A. Farm Girl on where to get the best produce in the South Bay
Find a Farmer's Market every day in the South Bay
Get bigger savings from your newspaper coupons
10 ways to live beneath your means
Database of South Bay eateries where kids eat free
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