When you buy produce, you’ll be doing yourself, your waistline, your health, and the economy a favor. Everyone loves crunchy green and brightly colored vegetables and fruits! They are about as eco-friendly as you can get, especially if you like to support local farmers.
If you want to stretch your money and get more bang for your bananas, you need to know how to buy fresh produce, how to prepare it, and a few cooking tips. There are tell-tell signs that will keep you from wasting your money on items that are not worthy of consumption and making costly produce mistakes!
Many people just grab any old thing when they shop for groceries. They grab the first thing they see and move on. Typically, I spend more time in the produce section of a store, than in any other section. Why? Because being picky about your food is what saving money is all about. Discerning divas want their produce to be fresh and full of nutrients! Don't you? Incorporating fresh vegetables or fruits a few times a week can help you shed a few pounds over time. Eating salads a few times a week is a great start!
Have you ever gotten out produce you just bought, just to discover that it wasn’t fit for a criminal? That really sucks! After all, you took the time to go shopping, paid for the items, and planned to have them during the week. Sure you can return them, but that takes more time and more energy.
Simply taking a few extra minutes when you buy produce can save you tons of time and money later on, but it’s evident that some people just don’t know what to look for. My mom was kind enough to show me what to look for at an early age. As the market changes, those older 'rules to buy produce' still hold true. Incorporate these ideas to make your meals healthier and to save you time and money!
Tips to Save Money on Produce
Choose to buy produce that’s in season. It’s healthier, fresher, and less costly. You pay a high price to buy melons in the winter, for example. Wait until they are plentiful on the vine before you grab your next cantaloupe.
Organic produce costs are varied. If you can buy them without parting with an arm or leg, do so. These products are grown in eco-friendlier environments and are higher in nutrients, and supposedly use organic pesticides that aren’t harmful to your health.
Look at what you’re buying. Check the packaging and move the produce around to see what’s in the bag. Many times packaging colors are used to mask what’s inside.
As a general rule, harder and firmer are always better:o)
When you only use part of an item (such as head lettuce or cabbage), don’t remove the core from the part you don't use. Produce keeps much more flavor and freshness when you keep the core until you’re through using it.
Take produce out of bags that you buy them in, especially items like cucumbers and corn. Leave them free standing in the produce bin of your frig. They'll last much longer that way.
To save money on produce, store fresh berries in their original containers and only take one serving at a time. Better move fast though. Berries especially, mold very quickly after you’ve opened them.
Buy produce in bulk. If you eat a lot of celery or carrots, buy them in bulk if possible. Lots of vegetables keep fresh for weeks if carefully chosen. If you’re not going to eat them though, only buy what you’ll use.
Smaller is better on many items. If you want to cut back on the amount of stuff you throw away, buy produce that's smaller in size. When it comes to produce, larger is not always better! Larger pieces of produce can be pithy or have large seeds. They are generally older too, so they won’t last as long. Opt for medium to small sized items. They are sweeter, tastier, and have more nutrients than older produce.
Check for molding on citris fruit. If you see a white color on the outside of these fruits, don’t buy them. They are older and mold has begun to form.
Many people shy away from those shiny items that have wax added to preserve them. Problem is, that the wax actually also helps preserve the produce and saves the nutrients. Simply wash them with warm soapy water before you use them or cut the wax away. You’ll find that what’s under the wax is perfectly edible and fresher. Some wax won’t hurt you, but some items that have heavy wax like cucumbers, are not meant to be eaten. (or enjoyed.) Wax has no nutritional value, so ditch it.
If you buy bags of produce to save money on produce but don't use all of them, you're wasting money. It’s better to buy them individually so you don’t waste them. I used to buy bags of Idaho potatoes until I got tired of throwing away the ones that didn’t get used. When I stopped buying potatoes by the bags, we started eating less of them.
Check produce bought in bags! Ever notice how there is always one piece of produce in the bag that’s bad. When you get home from shopping, open the bag, find it, take it out, and throw it out. The same is true of course for apples, grapefruits, and other bag produce. Remember the old adage when you buy produce: 'One bad apple spoils the whole bunch!'
To save money on produce, buy it from local farmers markets when and where you can. Local produce is always fresher than produce that’s sent in from other states or countries. If you don't have a farmers market in your community, check out the local grocery stores. They usually buy produce they sell from local farmers.
Check cores. Any produce that has a core, is a great way to check for the items freshness, especially if there's a stem. Look for black areas around the core and try to move the stem. If the stem hold firmly in place and there aren't any black areas, the produce is fresh.
Shop around and look for sales. If you love Fuji apples but can’t find them in your regular grocery store, shop around. If you’ll consume them, it’s worth the extra time and money to find them.
On vegetables and fruits that have thin skin, keep them there, don’t peel them away. The skin of most produce contains most of the vitamins. (carrots, squash, potatoes, apples, etc)
If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, settle for something else. You may not be able to find Fuji apples, but Braeburn and Gala apples are a good substitute and will satisfy you.
So you run to the store to buy produce, and find that they have watermelon already cut up, ready to eat. You think "Wow"! That'll save me a ton of time in the kitchen. Don't do it. Look at the packaging silly! These items are sold in plastic containers that are not good for the environment (cause you'll throw them away), and they cost much more to buy than if you prepare it yourself. If you hate cutting things up, get the kids involved and let them help you. Make it fun for the family so you can pass on the tradition of 'doing it yourself' and save money too!
Stir fry. Many people forget about stir frying when they buy produce. It's a great healthy alternative instead of fixing them the conventional ways. Peanut oil is healthy for you, is a thinner oil, so it's perfect for stir frying. Stir frying also saves you a ton of time in the kitchen.
Cut vegetables on an angle when you prepare them. Cutting on the diagonal conserves the nutrients. Making straight, vertical cuts, cuts away some of the nutrients.
Don’t buy stuff you or your family won’t eat. You may see a great deal on Butternut squash, but if you or your kids won’t eat it, it’s a waste of money to buy it.
If something doesn’t look good, don’t buy it. I saw a girlfriend of mine in the grocery a few years back. She was buying some unsightly broccoli. When I asked her about it, she retorted that she 'had to get broccoli' for her husband. I didn’t say anything but I wouldn’t have been caught dead buying what she bought. (Never mind eating it or actually serving it to my child!) If you're caught in a pinch and something doesn't look good, head over to the frozen veggies instead.
Never buy apples that are missing the stem. These apples go bad very quickly, so beware when you buy produce.
Buy items that are on sale. So maybe you had your heart on fresh pineapple, but you find that pineapple has increased in price by $1 and mangoes are on sale. You’ve got two choices. Satiate your desires and cut back on other items to buy the pineapple, or buy the mangoes. You’ll be surprised at how you can negotiate with yourself when you need to!
Steaming your vegetables is the right choice, if you choose to cook them. Steaming your vegetables conserves the nutrients. Boiling them takes them all away and renders your food lacking in valuable vitamins.
Substitute. If the fruit in the produce section is lacking, don’t forget about dried fruit. Raisins, dates, prunes, apricots, and other dried fruits make great snacks.
You won’t save money on produce by buying bags of prepared lettuce. These items are convenience foods and you’ll pay for them at the check out. (Unless they’re on special!) Also, foods sold already prepared in a bag are full of preservatives and additives. It’s how they keep fresh! It’s much healthier to individually buy produce and make your own salads with your own veggies.
Alternatives. Don’t forget that you can buy fruit in it’s own juice in a can, or frozen veggies. Don’t buy canned vegetables unless they are low in sodium, but remember that frozen veggies hold more nutrients than the canned versions.
Most produce nutrients are found in the skin, so don’t always cut or peel it off. To get more nutrients from your produce, buy a scrubber specifically for vegetables and leave it near the kitchen sink. Scrub them with warm soapy water instead. You’ll add more antioxidants to your meals by doing this.
Take your time when you buy produce. Remember, it's your money and your energy you're using. People got used to just throwing stuff away but when there's a tough economy, you need to conserve. If something is bad, keep it, but return it the next week when you shop. (Don't make an extra trip!) Sure it's a pain to do this, but when you get your cash back, you'll have a smile on your face.
Keep these green tips in mind when you buy produce. You'll lose weight by consuming more produce, save a ton of money on your food bill, and get more healthy nutrients and vitamins in your diet!
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