It doesn't matter how meticulously we plan our week, we often have a night where we just don't feel like cooking.
Which means that we neglect our veg in exchange for a takeaway - and just have to hope and pray that they'll last another few days in the fridge.
And it’s not just us. Online electricals retailer, AO.com, has found that Brits spend on average £9.80 on the fresh stuff each week - but a whopping £10 worth of their overall shop ends up in the bin each week.
Sob.
As well as sticking to good portion sizes to ensure you’re not throwing your rice down the drain, we teamed up with AO.com to give you some advice on making your fresh food shop a little more evergreen.
Check it out...
Keep salad leaves crisp
Nobody likes soggy salad. NOBODY. Make sure those leaves keep their crunch with this super handy tip. When you’ve prepped a big salad bowl that none of the tots touched, place a couple of sheets of kitchen roll over it, and wrap with cling film. This prevents the moisture from sitting on the leaves. Wilting be gone!
Keep berries sweet
Did you stick the entire punnet under the tap even though you only wanted to nibble on a strawberry or two? Big no-no. Avoid washing your berries until right before you're ready to eat them, as moisture encourages mould growth. Yucky. And if you bought berries to blend, pop them in the freezer right away to preserve all the goodness until they’re ready to be blitzed.
Make an asparagus bouquet
Flowers in a vase? That’s so last year. Instead decorate your kitchen with the finest (and freshest) of asparagus tips sitting in a glass. Wrapping a damp paper towel around the bases and storing upright in a glass filled with an inch of water keeps them hydrated, meaning they’ll be lean and green for longer.
Put your herbs in the freezer
Grown your own beautiful herb garden, but simply don’t need thyme by the truck-load to make your pasta? Then trim and chop leftover leaves while they’re still in their prime, place in ice cube trays and top them up with water. All you have to do now is pop them in the freezer.
When you’re ready to use, just pop as many cubes as you need into your cooking and the water will evaporate, leaving you with fresh garden-grown herbs every time.
Keep garlic and onion bulbs way from the sun
Usually we encouraged you to try and grow your own vegetables, but in this case, it’s better to keep the sprouting at bay.
To keep your flavour staples from reproducing, hide them away in cool, well ventilated home away from the window. No sprouting = more time to enjoy onion and garlic breath.
Just a drop of lemon juice… time and time again!
If you only need a few drops of lemon juice, pierce the lemon with a fork or skewer and squeeze out the juice you require. This will help the lemon stay fresher for longer and prevent it from drying out once cut (this works great with Limes too)
Store your spring onions in a plastic bottle
Before they’ve shrivel away, their bloom having been and gone, diced your spring onions and pop them in an empty bottle ready for the freezer. Then just shake straight onto your stir frys and into your stews when the time comes. Simple.
Store your apples with your potatoes (sorry, pears!)
An unusual pairing, but it’s best to let your apples lodge alongside your potatoes, rather than sitting amongst the rest of your fruit bowl. Pop them in a ventilated bag together in a cool dry place to keep your spuds from sprouting, thanks to the gasses emitted from the forbidden fruit. How'd you like THEM apples, eh?
Wrap your carrots in foil to keep the crunch
Wrongly estimated your houmous-to-carot-stick ratio? Fret not, your discarded dipping sticks will live to see another day. Pop your peeled goods in a plastic bag, squeezing out all the dreaded air. This could give them an extra two weeks edibility.
Cut off your leafy pineapple head to make it last
Although having your leafy pineapple top peeping from your fruit bowl makes your selection seem so much more exotic, we’re afraid you’ve got to give it the chop if you want your spikey fruits to stay zingy-fresh for longer.
Why? Well, cutting off the leafy tops and storing it upside down helps redistribute the sugars that sink to the bottom during shipping and keeping it good to eat.
Sad looking lettuce? Give it an ice bath
Refresh limp, wilted lettuce by giving it an ice bath. The cold water will make its way into the dehydrated cells, waking them up and giving leaves a new lease of life. Just like when we accidently hop in a cold shower…
Store your bananas and avocados on opposite ends
Want to make your costly avos last longer? Then keep them away from bananas, as they release ethylene, a hormone that makes our beloved creamy fruit ripen quickly.
Do you have any tips of your own to add?
Let us know via Facebook or Twitter (@CloserOnline) now.