TIP #51: CUT IT, STORE IT, FREEZE IT

Do you ever buy produce and then it goes bad before you get to it? We all should run to our local farmers market or grocery store every 2 to 3 days to insure that our produce is fresh. It's just too hard sometimes to get to the store that often. Here's a tip to insure your produce doesn't go bad too quickly, to make it easy for soups, casseroles, pies, etc. and to make sure you have items that later on that might not be in season.

Wash vegetables or fruit. Cut, dice or slice. Store in Tupperware containers or freezer Ziploc bags. Remove as much air as possible by squeezing it out. Pat to flatten on countertop. Label the month and year as well as contents. Store in freezer until ready to use.

Ideas:

onions
leeks

bell peppers

peppers
chilis

squash, any

corn

peas

spinach

broccoli

cauliflower

carrots

beets

celery

eggplant

pumpkin

tomatoes

apples

peaches

apricots

strawberries

berries, any

pears

cherries

pineapple

plums

grapes

and others