I try my best to buy a lot of fruits and vegetables for my family so we can eat healthy. One of my biggest pet peeves is to open the fridge and see that my produce has turned inedible.
Sometimes I feel like I'm in a race to use up all my perishable foods as fast as possible so I don't waste my hard earned money. I wish I could say I always used 100% of my produce and nothing ended up in the trash. I think it's horrible to throw away good food. Unfortunately, I can't always beat the clock and cook or eat every ingredient in my produce drawer fast enough.
Do you know that on average in the United States more than 25% of fresh fruits and vegetables that are purchased are thrown out before they are even consumed. That's more than 226 pounds of good food thrown in the trash by each family each year. (Information Source: OXO)
The reason we are throwing away so much good food is because we are simply not taking the time to store it properly when we get home. I know I am guilty of keeping some of my produced in the plastic grocery store bags that I use when I purchase my fruits and vegetables. Those bags are actually part of the problem.
There are three main reasons produce rots and spoils:
- Ethylene Gas:
Fruits and vegetables give off ethylene gas. Exposing produce to
ethylene gas speeds up the ripening process, causing it to over ripen
and go bad.
- Improper Airflow: When produce rests against the walls of containers, bags or crispers, moisture can build up and cause rotting.
- Uncontrolled Humidity: Fruits and vegetables require the perfect balance of humidity to keep them crisp and prevent wilting. To make things more difficult, different kinds of produce require different humidity levels. (Information Source: OXO)
So, OXO came up with the Greensaver Produce Keeper. This great food storage unit neatly stores your produce and keeps it fresher longer.
The GreenSaver can absorb ethylene gas, promote airflow and control humidity.
I tested out the GreenSaver with a bag of fresh sweet peppers sent to my from Melissa's Produce. The peppers fit perfectly in the produce keeper and looked so nice in my fridge.
They were plump and perfect for two weeks and I was able to get a lot of use of them. The produce keeper was easy to use and I was able to use it right away.
Melissa's Produce
is the leading U.S. variety distributor of specialty and organic fresh
produce. The company imports exotic fruits and vegetables from around
the world.
One of the recipes that I was able to make was this Roasted Sweet Pepper Salsa. It was fantastic to have a salsa so jammed packed with a lot of Melissa's Produce peppers that are high in fiber and vitamin C.
Ingredients:
10-12 Sweet Peppers cut in half and seeded
1 large onion roughly chopped
5-6 cloves garlic
8-10 Roma tomatoes cut into large chunks
2-3 spicy green peppers (optional)
salt and black pepper to season as needed
2-3 Tbs canola oil
2-3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Toss tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic cloves with salt, black pepper and canola oil. Then roast in a 400 degree oven for 50 minutes.
Allow roasted ingredients to cool down a bit then blend with lemon juice and more salt (to taste) in food processor. This will form a thick and chunky salsa. Enjoy with tortilla chips or any dishes you eat with salsa.
Link to greensaver.oxo.com
for comprehensive information about how GreenSaver works, venting
guidelines, activated carbon packet refill reminder, and more.
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Disclaimer: I was sent an OXO GreenSaver Produce Keeper and Melissa's Produce bags of sweet peppers. I was not paid for this review. All opinions and recipes are my own. |
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