Supermarket Strategies: Fall Produce

One of the keys to saving at the grocery store is to buy what is in season. What you should be buying this month for the best savings and for the healthiest fresh food is the topic of this week’s:

When you find a sale on any of these fruits or veggies – stock up! Remember to keep a price list, so you know a true bargain when you see one!

Apples

• Although available all year-round, when purchased in the Fall, apples are at their ripest.
• Pick apples free of soft spots or bruises
• If purchased in the Fall, apples can stay in the fridge for 3 weeks
• If purchased in the Winter or the Spring, they have already been sitting in storage, so they need to be eaten more quickly
• 1 pound of apples is equal to 2 large apples, 3 medium apples or 4 small apples. This little fact might be helpful when you go to purchase apples for a recipe!

Beets

• Buy beets that are rock hard – no soft spots!
• Keep roots in the fridge lightly wrapped in plastic for several weeks.

Butternut Squash

• Buy squash that feels heavy for its size and is free of cracks.
• Store in a cool, dry place (not the fridge) and under these conditions they will last for months!

Carrots

• Carrots are usually available pretty cheap year around.
• To save the most, buy carrots – not baby carrots. Baby carrots are peeled and cut down carrots. Because they are peeled, they tend to dry out quicker.
• Store carrots loosely wrapped in plastic in the fridge.
• KEEP AWAY from apples – they will turn them bitter!!!

Pears

• Pears ripen OFF the tree – so buying them when hard is not a bad thing.
• Leave at room temperature to ripen.
• You’ll know its ready to eat when pressed at the top you find the pear is soft.
• If you buy a pear that already feels ripe, you can put it in the fridge to extend its life a few days.

Sweet Potatoes

• When buying, avoid spots, sprouts and shrivels.
• Store in a cool, dark, dry place.
• Sweet potatoes actually need to be eaten within a few weeks of purchase.

Happily submitted to Thrifty Thursday!