Repurposed jars/items
Bento silicone
How to store stuff
Most refrigerated produce stays fresh longer when sealed.
Store bananas away from other fruits since they produce a lot of ethylene gas. Wrap the crown of bananas in wax wraps.
Before placing in the fridge, trim off the ends of asparagus and place it in a jar with some water (like you would for flowers in a vase) and wrap a bag over the top.
Wrapping celery and broccoli in foil and keeping in the fridge can make it last up to a month longer.
Lettuce may wilt with moisture. After washing, place a paper towel in the container with lettuce.
Freeze fresh herbs in an ice cube tray with olive oil.
Fresh ginger goes in the freezer. Also makes it easier to grate and peel.
To keep berries fresh longer, mix one part distilled vinegar with ten parts water for washing berries.
Place apples next to potatoes. Ethylene gas produced by apples prevents potatoes from going bad.
Cover avocados with a light layer of lemon juice to slow browning.
Keep onions in a pair of thin tights. Hang in a cool, dry place.
If you don’t use syrups often, store them in the freezer. High sugar content raises the freezing point, so this prevents spoilage without affecting the product.
Regular fridge cleaning eliminates bacteria that may make food spoil faster.
Let cheese breathe. Use cheese paper or baking parchment to wrap it up instead of plastic wrap or foil.
Stale bread can be revived with an ice cube and a short oven visit.
Store chopped carrots and celery submerged in water.
Save rice water for nutrients
Eat first bin in fridge or keep a whiteboard of perishables on the outside
Keep older ripe fruit away from new fruit
Separate fruits and veg
Freeze chopped herbs
Revive limp kale in water
If your lemons are going bad, juice them and freeze the cubes to use the juice later.
Store onions in old tights
Wrap leafy greens loosely in a damp tea towel in the fridge to help them last
Save potato water
Save veg scraps for stock
Freeze veg scraps for broths:1
Turnips, celery, onions of any kind (skin and ends), scallions, garlic (skin and trim), carrots (skin and roots), fennel bulbs and fronds (in moderation), tomatoes (skin, seeds, flesh, pulp, tops), any mushroom, delicate herbs like parsley and thyme (stems and whatever is about to go bad, woodsier herbs in moderation), ginger (peel and trim), napa cabbage (core and trim, napa only), leeks (root end and green tops).
Renewable groceriesLook for growth tips later on in this document.
Needy plants:
Chia seeds can become sprouts easily, potatoes, sweet potatoes, Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Shallots, Celery, Bulb fennel, Carrots, Turnips, Parsnips, Beets, Lettuce, Bok choi, Cabbage, Mint, Cilantro
Low light, low maintenance:
Basil. I’ve had basil plants that were harder to kill than cacti.
DIY Booch
Easy to grow groceries
Tomatoes
Rosemary
Bell peppers
Squash