Ten Questions to Ask When Buying Produce
This is Part II of a four-part series on shopping for produce.
Part I: Ten Questions to Ask Before Going to the Store.
Part III: Tips for Choosing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Okay, you’ve assessed your supply and your future needs. You have a list and a plan. But it’s best to be flexible. Produce shopping is not an exact science.
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you walk through the market or the produce aisles in the grocery store.
- Where did this food come from? For example, does it have a high level of pesticides? Is it grown locally, which saves on energy costs and pollution?
- How ripe is it? You want a balance between produce that is ready to eat or will keep longer.
- Have I chosen a variety of vegetables? This will get you a bigger variety of nutrients. For example, plan to eat some vegetables cooked, some raw. Choose a variety of colors, textures, and plant parts: Roots (potatoes, carrots) fruits (peppers, tomatoes) leaves (lettuce, cabbage), flowers (broccoli), stems (asparagus), and seeds (peas).
- Do I have a little time to experiment with something new? If so, great! But start with a small amount.
- Will this last me until the next shopping trip? You might want to make a revised menu, right in the store, to decide when you will use up everything.
- What is on sale? If the fruit is already ripe, or the vegetables about to wilt, do I have time to prepare them for eating or cooking? Maybe you can share with a neighbor, make a large soup, or freeze them. Be creative!
- What items on my list are more expensive than usual? Try to get by with less, or substitute something cheaper.
- What is the correct amount of each item to buy? Calculate by units or servings, not weight. For example, note how many potatoes your family eats at one meal.
- Is it worth buying? If the produce is buggy, full of holes, or very soft, you will probably want to pass. But dirt can be washed off.
- Am I doing this right? Whenever you make changes, you will probably make mistakes. Keep track of your expenses and make note of what you throw away.
Next in the series:
Part III: Tips for Choosing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Part I: Ten Questions to Ask Before Going to the Store
Related:
Avoid the Emergency Run to the Store
Photo credit: flydime
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Comments ( 2 )
Do you have a system for using frozen food? I dream of having a rotating system for freezing food so I always have a quick meal ready to defrost…but I find if I freeze food I tend to forget about it if it is not used within a week or two.
So far I have managed to start a rotating collection of chicken stock (I save the carcass of the Shabbat dinner bird and boil it for stock to use the following week.) But that’s about it. Is the key to start small and gradually expand? Or do you have a formal system?
Ms. Krieger added these pithy words on
Apr 21 10 at
9:35 PM
Ms. Krieger, I’ll answer that in tomorrow’s post.
Hannah added these pithy words on
Apr 21 10 at
10:04 PM
I'm Hannah Katsman, a mother of six who likes to help home cooks save time and money. At Cooking Manager, you'll learn tips and techniques for cooking healthy foods from natural ingredients with a minimum of time and effort. Topics include menu planning, shopping, using up leftovers, gadgets and appliances, and more.
