Purchasing

Whether you shop at a farmers' market or a supermarket for your locally produced foods, follow these guideslines to keep fresh produce at its finest:

• Purchase produce without bruises or damage.
  
  
• Go directly home from the farmers' market or supermarket! Avoid side trips. Produce may decline in quality if left sitting in your car, especially when it is warm.
  
  
• Produce that tastes best stored at room temperature include: melons, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and winter squashes. Store in a clean, dry, well-ventilated place, away from direct sunlight. Remove from plastic bags; leaving produce on the
  
  
• Some produce can be ripened on the counter and then stored in the refrigerator. Examples include: peaches, pears and plums.
  
  
• Most other produce keeps best stored in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40 degree Fahrenheit or below. Use your refrigerator crisper drawer for whole produce.
  
  
• Store fruits in a separate crisper drawer from vegetables. Fruits give off ethylene gas which can shorten the storage life of vegetables. Some vegetables give off odors that can be absorbed by fruits.
  
  
• Refrigerate produce in perforated plastic bags to help maintain moisture yet provide air flow. If you don't have access to commercial, perforated bags, use a sharp object to make several small holes in a food-grade plastic bag.
  
  
• Wash hands before working with produce.
  
  
• Wash produce thoroughly under clean, running water. Wash produce before you use it, NOT when you bring it home!
  
  

• Download a related PowerPoint and handout, "The Garden Grocery: Food Safety & Selection at the Farmers' Market" at http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/farmar.shtml

  
  
  

Click on this picture to view a related YouTube video created by the Nutrition/Education subcommittee.