making produce last

this seemed the easiest way to share this information.  if i could put it in a post for southernsavers, i would.  but since i can't, and i wanted to let all you people that i love know about this great deal, i am awakening my blog.  :)

basically, if you have been following my writings at southernsavers, i have been blogging about how to keep produce fresh longer.  i learned that there are three things that we can do to help.

1.  control the humidity.  this is essentially the job of our produce drawers, but carrots have different needs than squash, and so it gets tricky to do this well with the humidity settings on those drawers.

2.  control the ethylene gases.  these are emitted in varying levels by different kinds of produce.  ethylene is our friend in that causes things to ripen, but once things are ripe, these gases will continue to work causing things to spoil faster.

3.  avoid excess water.  most of the time water causes produce to deteriorate faster than if it was dry.  (ever notice water in your lettuce bag that turns your lettuce to slime?  yep, that's the idea.)

so, in my searching for ways to make produce last, a friend told me about these containers made by tupperware called fridgesmart containers.  they are designed to help us with all three issues!!  there are vents in the containers that you can open or close to control humidity (and a lovely chart printed on the container that tells you what to do for each different type of produce!)  just putting your produce in an individual container will keep it from being affected by another produce's gas emissions.  and finally, there are ridges in the bottom of the container that allow the excess moisture to gather there and elevate your produce out of it.  sounds amazing, right?

well, when i went to price out these awesome containers, i was immediately deterred by their cost.  a set of four containers costs $84.  on the christmas wish list they went.  then, a friend shared that right now (until FRIDAY), the set of four is on sale for $50 off, making it $34 (plus tax and shipping).  i wanted to tell everyone i knew about them because from all the research i've done, these really are amazing.  one friend said that her romaine lasted for a month!!  sign me up!  i am TIRED of wasting fresh produce because it goes bad so quickly.  i figure these will more than pay for themselves.

i am having a party (but please, please know that i couldn't care less if you order or not, i just wanted to share my fun find!) and if you want to order, just RSVP NO (because i'm not having an actual party to come to) and then you can order on-line (just look for my party when you order).  if you live close to me, don't order online, just let me know by thursday night, and i can add your order to mine and cut down on your shipping cost.

if you have questions, let me know.  :)