It always pains me when I have to discard fresh (or unfresh) produce from the fridge because they have gone bad before we can finish them. And it's even more upsetting with the rising food prices and increasing food waste problem. 

That's why we're completely blown away when we discovered the secret to storing fruits and vegetables to make them fresher for longer, without investing in expensive vacuum containers, or wasting tons of single-use paper towels every week. And we can't wait to share it with you!

Stop using paper towels or newspapers to wrap your food

If you have been using disposable paper towels, or worse, newspapers to wrap your fresh produce, STOP! According to the Food, Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), "Wrapping food in newspapers is an unhealthy practice and the consumption of such food is injurious to health, even if the food has been cooked hygienically." 

"Printing inks may also contain harmful colours, pigments, binders, additives, and preservatives. Besides chemical contaminants, presence of pathogenic micro organisms in used newspapers also poses potential risk to human health," the advisory said. Food contaminated with ink? No, thank you. 

Yes, paper towels do a good job in absorbing moisture from the produce, but they are single use. Do we need to say more?

Here's our secret tool: Uncommon Reusable Bamboo Kitchen Towels

Here's why you need at least a roll of the Uncommon Reusable Bamboo Kitchen Towel in your home. Not only does it completely replace disposable paper towel's functions, it does an even better job than paper towels. They are stronger (do not tear easily), softer (you can even use it on your skin), more absorbent and of course, reusable (up to 100 times).

Read on to find out how you can use Uncommon Reusable Bamboo Kitchen Towels to keep the various common produce fresh for as long as possible. Tried and tested! 

Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries)

• Pick the carton with the freshest berries. Choose those that are firm and plump.
• Line a wide and flat container with reusable kitchen towel.
• Place unwashed berries apart in the container. Crowded berries get smushed easily, leading to spoilage.
• Place another reusable kitchen towel on top before closing the lid, to prevent water droplets due to condensation from touching the berries.
• Our strawberries lasted more than 2 weeks without turning mushy when we store them using this method in the fridge!

Mushrooms

• Line a mesh produce bag with reusable kitchen towel.
• Place unwashed mushrooms inside the bag and keep them in your fridge.
• Mushrooms have high water content, causing them to turn slimy fast, especially if you leave them in their original plastic packaging. The kitchen towel will help absorb excess moisture, while the mesh bag allows air circulation.

Leafy Vegetables (Spinach, Kale, Arugula, Bok choy)

• Line a large airtight container with reusable kitchen towel.
• Loosely fill it with unwashed leafy greens.
• Top with another reusable kitchen towel and seal container.
• Store in a cold part of the fridge.

Carrots

• Wrap unwashed carrots with reusable kitchen towel.
• Place them in airtight reusable silicone bag. Remember to remove excess air when you seal.
• Store in crisper drawer of your fridge so that they stay fresh and crunchy for up to a month!

Herbs (Coriander, Mint, Thyme, Spring Onion)

• Trim the ends of the coriander leaves.
• Wrap the leaves and roots separately (we prefer doing so as they are often used individually) with reusable kitchen towel. You may wish to divide the coriander leaves into smaller batches.
• Store the wrapped coriander in an airtight silicone bag and keep in fridge.

• For hardier herbs like thyme, rosemary and sage, you can also store them using the same method. 
• Spread thyme on a reusable kitchen towel, and roll it up.
• Place the rolled thyme in an airtight silicone bag and keep in fridge.

You can also watch our video here.

Note: We like to refrigerate our produce unwashed to reduce the risk of excess moisture, which will lead to spoilage.

Photo credits: @anythingjamie