If you do a weekly shop in a supermarket, do your fruit and veggies last the week?

[BroccoliSpears]

Mine don't.

Have had to stop the organic box delivery (too skint). Have had rubbish results from the garden this year. I do an online shop from Sainsbos and everything's wilted before I want to use it.

Basil you pretty much have to use the day you buy it (even the living herbs plants).

Bought baking spuds last Wednesday - just went to put them in the oven and they're green.

It's so irritating because you know that decent fresh stuff lasts soooo much longer than the supermarket stuff.

Fruit and veg seem to last better than the meat does IMO. Maybe it's because I try and keep as much of it the frige as I can. I never have enough room in the freezer for the meat, and in any case I always forget to defrost it in time!

Mine do.

Onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic seem to last forever. Things like beans, peas, broccoli go a bit soft before the end of the week but I eat them anyway, they are fine once they're cooked. All fruit except berries seems to last pretty well too. I don't shop online though, so I pick out the stuff that looks freshest in the shop.

I keep stuff mostly in the fridge so it lasts better than in a cupboard.

It's meat I find goes off too quickly - especially when I order on line - things arrive with an expiry date one or two days off.

Grow your own basil. Dead easy.

My fruit would not have a chance to go off - the boys eat it like it's the last crop and we are back buying more within a couple of days.

I find carrots, tomatoes, cucumber last the week in the fridge (all organic) but salad/lettuce doesn't and neither does brocolli.

I buy frozen peas and sweetcorn as it's just easier.

Because I work from home I tend to go and buy stuff as I need it veg wise (or send dh )

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I try to pick a mixture that will last, and then I go back through the list before I pay because I've always managed to order too much stuff that will go off quickly .

When it arrives I check how firm the veg is and tweak the meal order so that it will last better. Generally stews with root veg are later in the week as they last longer. Aubergines and peppers I'll use sooner- or cook and eat later as pasta sauces etc. are often nicer after a couple of days in the fridge. I buy whole lettuce rather than salad bags, and try to buy apples or oranges as well as softer fruit, so that I'll definitely have something that'll last until day 6. I always have frozen peas and cauliflower in, so I've always got two veg handy.

For living basil, in the evening water it heavily, making sure that the water doesn't touch the leaves. By the morning it should have sprung back into shape.

I buy from local market rather than supermarket simply because of cost at the supermarket. The trick with supermarket is get it from right at the back of the shelf where the newer stock is that hasn't been pawed over so much or from the crate right at the bottom if you can get into it. that way it should last longer than just a few days (oh used to work at co-op, they used to chop outsides off leeks when they started looking funny so they could keep them on the shelf!!)

yes.

I buy greensish bananas, granny smiths or braeburns last the week, potaters never have a problem with. Haveto eat peppers by mid-week, Thurs at latest.

Depends on teh fruit/veg.

The potato thing is so true. I tried having a veg box delivered for a few weeks but also stopped for cost reasons. The potatoes were amazing! They tasted brilliant and lasted for ages- I still have some from three weeks ago in a cotton bag hanging on the kitchen door and they're still firm and eyeless. It makes you wonder how long the supermarket ones have been sitting around for before you buy them.

No.

Mostly stuff keeps for a week or 2, if I do the following:
Most stuff in the fridge
Onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, root veg, apples, oranges, bananas in garage (or another cool, dark place). Potatoes sprout and turn green if they are not kept in the dark.
Tomatoes on windowsill (fridge spoils flavour)
Only choose broccoli that is squeaky, firm and bright green.
Take nectarines etc out of the punnet, and store on a shelf not touching each other, so if any turn mouldy they won't contaminate the others.
Put celery in a jug of water. The same goes for spring onions.

As another poster says, always take from the back of the shelf, look at best before dates and get the latest possible. Supermarkets always put the oldest stuff at the front.

Hi

Don't know if this would help you, but I've just tried the stayfresh bags from lakeland for the first time and have to say they are brilliant. You get a pack of 20 and can order different sizes if you wish. Not sure if you are supposed to reuse them but am going to give it a go and see what happens.

We just got back from a weeks camping. We took all our food with us rather than buying there and all the left over fruit salad and vegetables are still fresh as a daisy despite our ice blocks being decidedly warm by the time we arrived home. Actually the kids turned their noses up at week old pears this morning because they were 'too hard and sour'.

here

Lol at your link, Moosemama, where someone got given those bags at Xmas. That must rank alongside (?)WWB's gift of 7 yards of elastic from her MIL.

This stuff is good for making f&v last longer. I keep most of mine in the fridge or in a bag in the garage.

I've just bought one of these as we live in Nigeria where f&v goes off v quickly, bananas being the worst offenders. They can be rock hard and bitter one day, edible next morning and a black mush by breakfast next day. I'll try to remember to report back on whether it works or not.