# Wasting produce; how bad is it in your home? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698 "2010-06-10T20:16:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/21 "2010-06-11T01:44:52Z")
We used to be terrible in our house, until we bought some of those ethylene capturing bags, at which point the waste went down to virtually zero. We’ve had three week old lettuce be almost as good as the day we bought it, save for some drying out near the edges. They were about $10, but have paid for themselves many times over. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/22 "2010-06-11T05:30:39Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Here is the trick: frozen veggies. Peas and carrots freeze wonderfully, and canned potatoes taste just as good as the real thing - though you have a different texture, so they can’t be used, say, for mashed potatoes. > > But I almost never throw out veggies now. I forgot that - most of our veggies are indeed frozen. Broccoli, peas, and corn are our staples. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/23 "2010-06-11T10:10:40Z")
I picked “less than half” but would have gone for a “very rarely” option. I plan all my meals in advance - if I’m buying some herbs for a special recipe I’ll look up other recipes that use those herbs, and then other recipes that use the other ingredients I use in the second recipe and so on. It’s always a little bit gross when I find, say, a cucumber at the bottom of the crisper drawer that I’ve forgotten about. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/24 "2010-06-11T11:18:18Z")
I used to be really bad at this until a change in financial circumstances meant we had to be a lot more careful about how we spent our money. I started meal planning in advance, and now that we’re more financially comfortable, I’ve kept it up. I always have frozen peas and corn in the freezer (well, it would be silly to keep them in the pantry), and I bring a chicken salad to work for lunch each day, so buy those ingredients on a weekly basis. With my weekly meal planning, I’ll plan two-three ‘fresh food’ meals, then the rest will be meats that can be supplemented with frozen veg or long-life foods like rice and pasta. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/25 "2010-06-11T12:09:15Z")
Most of our area grocery stores have shriveled old produce, shipped from far away and stored for weeks or months already. It’s amazing how much longer farmers market produce keeps. I miss how delicious produce was when I lived in California and Texas. We do use a lot of frozen brussels sprouts, peas, corn, and spinach. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/26 "2010-06-11T13:05:22Z")
I picked less than half but it’s pretty darn close some weeks. What I have discovered is that if I do as much prep as possible on the weekend when I’m shopping I’m more likely to actually use it through the week. I clean and cube melons, chop peppers, slice cucumbers and put them all in containers in the fridge. Anything that will go bad faster when prepared I don’t and I use frozen wherever possible. It all falls apart when I’m tired, late or would rather be doing something else and just shove what I’ve bought in the fridge to be sorted at some mythical “later”. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/27 "2010-06-11T13:12:18Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > Most of our area grocery stores have shriveled old produce, shipped from far away and stored for weeks or months already. It’s amazing how much longer farmers market produce keeps You’re so right. I live outside Chicago and was shocked at how long the just-picked produce from the CSA farm located a little ways north of us lasts compared to what you buy in the grocery store. Learning that most apples have been in climate-controlled storage for months just bowled me over. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/28 "2010-06-11T14:56:01Z")
I usually cook for one. I have no problems making through a whole pepper or a cuke, but what kills me is stuff that you’re forced to buy in largish bags – I don’t think I’ve ever used all of a bag of celery. I should try chopping half and freezing it. (Although the wasted stuff does get composted.) ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/29 "2010-06-11T15:08:33Z")
About a quarter of what we buy is crap when we get it home anyway. Pithy apples and peaches, brown mangos, lovely melons that are mush inside. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/30 "2010-06-11T15:18:18Z")
> [@Ichbin\_Dubist](#): > > I usually cook for one. I have no problems making through a whole pepper or a cuke, but what kills me is stuff that you’re forced to buy in largish bags – I don’t think I’ve ever used all of a bag of celery. I should try chopping half and freezing it. (Although the wasted stuff does get composted.) Wrap celery in tinfoil. It lasts forever in the fridge wrapped in tinfoil. Alternatively, if it’s not rotting but just a bit limp, cut off however much you want to use and put them upright in a glass of water, sort of like they were flowers, for 20-40 min, depending on just how limp they were. They’ll crisp up again very nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/31 "2010-06-11T17:19:49Z")
Get a juicer and then throw all your veggies about to go bad into a cup of juice. If you put ice cream and sugar in with it, it kills the awful taste of the veggies 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/32 "2010-06-11T17:22:52Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Wrap celery in tinfoil. It lasts forever in the fridge wrapped in tinfoil. > > Alternatively, if it’s not rotting but just a bit limp, cut off however much you want to use and put them upright in a glass of water, sort of like they were flowers, for 20-40 min, depending on just how limp they were. They’ll crisp up again very nicely. I store fresh cilantro in the fridge like that, too. I just have to be careful to not knock the glass of water over. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/33 "2010-06-11T17:25:26Z")
No waste. If something is looking iffy it either gets used, fed to the dogs, or fed to the chickens. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/34 "2010-06-11T18:12:25Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I store fresh cilantro in the fridge like that, too. I just have to be careful to not knock the glass of water over. Since I get so many herbs through the CSA membership, I went out and bought an [herb keeper](http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=850&f=33132&q=herb+keeper&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1). That one is large enough to fit in the fridge door without tipping, and the lid keeps moisture in. If you fill it to the marked water line, that is enough water to keep the stem ends wet but not go up much further. That one is tall enough for big sprigs of cilantro or parsley. There are smaller versions out there for shorter herb lengths/amounts, too. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/35 "2010-06-11T18:25:58Z")
We probably waste about 15%, although all scraps and iffy stuff gets composted, so it isn’t completely wasted. We have a nice refrigerator in our new house, which I was very surprised to find keeps veggies fresh much longer than our old crappy one. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/36 "2010-06-11T18:35:38Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > “Less than half” is the lowest possible option. Really?!? > > I thought I was bad because I probably throw out a cucumber or some lettuce once a week or so. That’s maybe 5% of the produce I buy. I guess I’m in the minority. > > I’ve found the trick to produce is that you need to buy no more than 2-3 days worth at a time. If you’re buying it once every week or two, yeah, it goes bad. Buy what you’re going to eat in the next few days, and plan on buying it at least twice a week. I’ll take this answer. or This! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/37 "2010-06-11T18:35:55Z")
if we don’t eat it, the chickens will. Most people don’t know that chooks are omnivores and will happily eat pretty much anything they can lay beaks into veggie wise. Although they are not fond of watermelon rinds. But the dog likes those, so they share. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/38 "2010-06-11T19:03:48Z")
I used to be very bad in this area, throwing away at least half of what I bought. But two things have changed that. One is that I’m on a more restricted diet now, so only buy the food that I know I’ll be eating. And my buying habits have changed. Rather than buying a whole chicken that will sit in there till it rots, I now buy boneless/skinless thighs, which is the part I like the most. Also, I bought a large freezer for the basement, so much of my food gets frozen right away, rather than sitting around in the refrigerator. It’s easier for me to freeze those chicken thighs as soon as I buy them. I still have to throw things away occasionally, but never as much as before. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/39 "2010-06-12T17:11:06Z")
I’m not sure it makes sense to argue that composting produce gone wrong isn’t still in some sense “wasting it.” I mean, it’s going to a useful purpose, but that makes for some damn expensive compost. Financially, it’s still a waste. Having said that, certainly some amount of produce is going to waste and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t join yard waste in the compost bin. A last chance for usefulness! ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698/40 "2010-06-12T17:35:16Z")
I used to be bad at this, but I’ve found two things that make it so that I almost never waste it now. [ul] [li]I bought a [Foodsaver](http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Advanced-Design-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B000AANXDG) and it really does work.[/li][li]More importantly, when I get home from the store I “prepare” all of my produce. Wash it, trim/peel/break it down, slice, etc.[/li][/ul] I’ve found that I will use what it ready to go far, far more than I will use what needs to be done at the time of cooking. I usually grab a cutting board and knife and sit down and watch a baseball game/tv show/movie while I work at it (I’m a big believer in multitasking) so that it doesn’t seem as much like a chore. For onions I’ll even slice some and dice some and put them in their appropriate storage. Same with celery, carrots, green onions. The more I can do ahead of time makes cooking time faster and me more likely to use everything I buy. Plus, it makes it much easier to eat foods that are better for you. Whole foods are always better for you than processed foods. If you do a little preparing ahead of time you won’t have to eat processed junk or fast food. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasting-produce-how-bad-is-it-in-your-home/542698.md?page=3)