{"id":18499,"date":"2011-02-24T16:25:20","date_gmt":"2011-02-24T21:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/18499\/reduce-waste-food-fresh\/"},"modified":"2011-02-24T16:25:20","modified_gmt":"2011-02-24T21:25:20","slug":"reduce-waste-food-fresh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/18499\/reduce-waste-food-fresh\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Reduce Waste and Keep Food Fresh"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted By
Advocate for Saving Dogs<\/p>\n

How to Reduce Waste and Keep Food Fresh<\/h4>\n

\t\tposted by: Tracy Petrucci<\/a><\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

We all know the popular mantra, “When in doubt, throw it out,” but
\ndoesn\u2019t that seem just a little wasteful? I know, I know, it\u2019s probably
\n better to toss it than to suffer a bout of food poisoning. But the
\nfact remains that a lot of food which was once perfectly good is getting
\n lost and forgotten in the back of the fridge.<\/p>\n

In fact, a study<\/a>
\n from the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab found 93 percent of
\nsurvey respondents acknowledged buying food they never used. Jonathan
\nBloom, author of “American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly
\nHalf of Its Food,” blames a lot of it on refrigerator clutter.<\/p>\n

“It
\n gets frustrating when you forget about something and discover it two
\nweeks later,” Bloom said. “So many people these days have these massive
\n refrigerators, and there is this sense that we need to keep them well
\nstocked. But there’s no way you can eat all that food before it goes
\nbad.”<\/p>\n

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could shop every day for the
\ncontents of your dinner? In some cultures, they do. Jordan Ferny, a San
\n Fransisco business owner and writer of the popular blog, “Oh Happy
\nDay,” is spending time in France this year. Initially finding it
\namusing that her landlord took her out to “learn how to shop,” she
\nbelieves she’s found the key to happiness, as well as the key to
\ngetting her picky son to eat his veggies.<\/p>\n

In certain regions
\naround the world, and even in parts of the United States, niche shops
\nare readily available just blocks from people’s homes. It’s easy to
\nshop daily for the items you need, utilizing specialty stores for
\ncheese, meat and even fresh flowers. It’s sort of like having a
\nfarmer\u2019s market that’s open every day. And best of all, there’s no
\nwaste when you know what you need in the moment and you can use it up
\nright away.<\/p>\n

“It is a luxury to have such fresh food every day.
\nWe eat a warm baguette every night with our dinner that we bought five
\nminutes before. We are just cooking simple recipes but the ingredients
\nare such good quality that every night feels like a special meal,” explains Ferny<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But
\n for most, it\u2019s just like Ferny describes it, a luxury. Many U.S.
\nsuburbs, and even the smaller cities, don\u2019t really offer its patrons the
\n enjoyment of such an array of shopping opportunities. That\u2019s when
\nutilizing the available farmer\u2019s markets come into play, and yes, even
\nin winter.<\/p>\n

Currently there are 698 farmer\u2019s markets open in winter<\/a>
\n in the United States, with a 17 percent increase since 2009. The
\nNational Farmer’s Market Directory, released just last December from
\nthe U.S. Department of Agriculture, attributes the rise to the increase
\n in popularity of shopping locally, a way to assure you’re getting the
\nmost bang for your buck.<\/p>\n

“Buying daily or bi-weekly is
\nimportant because when you go to the farmer’s market, your produce is
\nguaranteed freshly picked ripe yesterday or that very day,” explains
\nHeidi Hofelich, a sustainable agriculture student and farmer at Csarda
\nHaz Ranch. “Your food isn’t shipped far from countries on the other
\nside of the equator, where it’s picked green… we need vital minerals
\nin our food that conventional mainstream agriculture fails to
\nrecognize.”<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s no surprise the popularity of farmer’s
\nmarkets is on the rise. But with the busy lives of modern Americans,
\nsometimes it’s still too hard to squeeze in the extra trip. In that
\ncase, lots of areas offer the ability to order fresh produce from a CSA
\n (community supported agriculture) right to your doorstep. <\/p>\n

But
\n no matter how the produce ultimately ends up in the fridge, it all
\ncomes back to the issue of waste. Here are a few tips for keeping your
\nprecious produce fresh: <\/p>\n