I'll be watching for answers too, as I have the same problem. I additionally have the problem of not living in town so daily shopping is not practical.

The only hint I have right now is something I saw on PBS today that used dried veggies. They had a really good dehydrator and showed how to use it and then demonstrated recipes using the finished product. I've been searching the internet for a similar dehydrator but so far have not found one I want.

Waiting patiently for other suggestions.

I don't have a very good suggestion. I sort of have the same problem because my husband and little guy don't like vegetables. I pretty much eat all the fresh vegetables by myself. But I eat a lot, probably a pound of salad each day, so vegetables never go to waste in my house. But I've seen the green bags commercial. They claim the bag help to prolong veggies and some fruits shelf life. The key is to keep the fruits/veggies unwashed and very dry before putting them into the bag. Not sure if it's true. Maybe someone who have used them can give us some input. Al

I bought a generic set of green bags to try and they really did extend the life of fruits and veggies. I was surprized. I saw a set a "green" plasticware too that looked like something that would be good too. Those were on QVC. I know the stuff is expensive, but so is throwing out food and having to buy new.

I bought one of those "green" food life extender things (Rubbermaid I think) and it didn't seems to help at all. I too have the same problem because only my little guy and I like veggies, DH eats them because he "has" to and the Picky One will avoid fruits and veg at all cost. I am constantly throwing things away and it irks me to no end.

If anyone has a solution I will be very grateful too!

Alexa

Sometimes you can buy very small amounts of fresh veggies that are on the salad bar. That way you just make a small amount. Only problem is that you have to shop often. Otherwise I guess frozen is the only other way to go.
Joann

I do have some of those green bags and they do work, Beverly sent them to me. They keep stuff a few days longer but they won't keep it indefinitely. They're really good for fresh herbs too.

I find that bananas go bad quickly, Ashley eats them, I never do. Never will, either, LOL, and Ashley never seems to eat them up.

Fortunately, I love fresh veggies and eat a lot of them and I'll put anything into a pot of vegetable soup, from beets to parsnips to spinach or chard. If I do make a big pot of vegetable soup I can it in pints so I can take it to work for lunches, and I always take leftovers to work for lunch, I never eat out.

I'll eat vegetables or leftovers for breakfast too, anything from chicken pot pie to leftover chop suey is fair game for breakfast, which I don't eat until about 10 am anyway.

Other than that, frozen is about the best way to go, even I have vegetables go bad, although they then become chicken food so I guess they aren't wasted as badly as they would be if I threw them out. Fruit is another matter, I don't care much for fruit, and make myself eat it, so it often goes bad.

Annie

Barb, this forum and the Harvest forum have been great for ideas on this type of thing. The Harvest forum has more than just canning and boil water baths... I was thrilled when I found that I could freeze lemons and oranges whole. Now, a lot of the vegetables I get I blanch what's not used immediately and throw it in the freezer. That or cook the whole dish and portion it up for freezing.

Also, since there's only the refrigerator freezer space, I went and bought some 'bins' so that I could make the most out of the space - precooked things in one, meats in another, etc.

As for lettuce, salads, there's no remedy there.

I have the green bags and definitely think they help things last longer. I was sceptical. Very sceptical.
I bought some from reuseablebags. com and have been very happy with them.
The first thing I did was buy a bunch of bananas, split the bunch in half and leave one half on the counter and the other half in a green bag. DEFINITE difference.
I can keep a bell pepper in the fridge for almost 2 weeks without any slimyness (sp?).

Canned and frozen veggies are also good options.
Maybe look into freeze-dried as well. I don't have a lot of experience with these...yet! They're in my long term storage, but I haven't cracked open any yet!

I'm sorry about your husband passing. Please come here....whenever. We're here. 24/7 it seems.

Deanna

Barb, I use the green bags and I think they help. I learned never to leave anything in the plastic bags from the market. Vegetables I put in the green bags and wash later when I use them. Green onions I trim wash and dry really well wrap loosely in a paper towel and put in the green bag and they last much longer.

This last year or so someone here said to keep lettuce on the door shelf and I dont know why but it keeps longer. Again someone here said to wash, trim and dry celery and wrap tightly in foil and that worked. Keeping potatoes in the frig keeps them fresher and putting mushrooms in a paper lunch bag just folded over loosely keeps them much nicer than plastic bags. Red and green peppers get sliced frozen on a cookie sheet and stuck in a Ziploc for future use. The thing with the green bags is not to use a twist tie just fold them over loosely so they breath.

I am so sorry for the loss of your DH Christmas must have been hard for you this year but hopefully it brought back great memories to.

Claudia

I find that romaine lettuce keeps much better than the baby lettuces or even the red/green leaf lettuce. And I chop up the romaine lettuce a leaf at a time until I fill the salad bowl with enough for one person. I wrap paper towels around the lettuce and only wash & dry it one leaf at a time when I'm ready to make a salad. I also wrap partly used peppers in paper towel to help wick away moisture. I have better luck with keeping the English hot-house cucumbers longer than the regular ones. I cut off a chunk of the cucumber, wash it, dry it, then slice into my salad, leaving the rest of the cuke in the plastic wrap it comes in.

Barb First of all I'm sorry to hear of the loss of you husband. The holidays are difficult at best. Our prayers are with you.

Mom purchased some of the green bags and they help some but can be expensive even if you reuse them. A few hints we've learned over the years to extend a few items.

Bananas Ripen them to the point they are just yellow, no green and then put them in a dark colored (not green but black) bag with a paper towel. The skins will turn dark but the banana will stay pretty much unchanged for 2 week or more. I don't like cold bananas so I'll take them out as needed and bring them to room temp before eating.

Celery: Separate, wash, trim and dry celery. Wrap in tin foil. (I know it sound like a bad idea but it really does work) It will keep for up to a month or more if it is really fresh when you buy it.

Lettuce: I find my vacuum sealer does a wonderful job of keeping lettuce fresh and crisp for several weeks. For head lettuce, wash, core and drain it well. Put a paper towel in the bottom of a vacuum container. Vacuum. If you don't have a vacuum sealer then just doing the first steps and sealing in a lettuce keeper will help a lot. Loose leaf I just seal and wash as needed. Spinach would be treated the same way as leaf lettuce.

Carrots will stay for some time in the veggi drawer. If they do get limp you can peel, and cut them into sticks and store in water in the fridge. But you have to change the water often.

If potatoes get soft, you can soak them in cold water before cooking and they will firm up a lot.

Herbs will stay in the fridge for several weeks if you place the stems in a little water in a cup and change the water often so the stems don't get yucky.

Grapes: Never seal the bag that grapes come in. Leave them in the bag, wash as needed but leave the bag unzipped that they are in.

Also it's helpful to check the humidity in your veggie drawers. Newer refridgerators allow you do adjust the humidity level. Some fruits and veggies like more humidity and some like less. I don't have the whole list off the top of my head but I can check my root cellar books or you can google to see which are which. If I remember correctly oranges like low humidity, apples higher but I need to double check my facts before anyone banks on them.

Hope this helps a little.
Mike

Well, Mike covered it pretty well there. :) The only thing I can think to add is to store mushrooms in a brown paper bag (in the fridge) with a paper towel in the bottom. They will last longer.

Some produce lets off ethylene gas which causes other fruits and veggies to go bad faster. Apples shouldn't be stored with plums or bananas, and none of those should be stored near tomatoes or avocados, etc. You can buy little disks and bags that absorb ethylene gas and slow spoilage.

Beverly sent me some of those green bags several years ago, and I find they are especially good for lettuce, herbs, tomatoes and citrus. My only problem with them is getting them dry after washng them (hair dryer to the rescue!) and finding them here.

DH is on the road for work 22-25 days out of the month, so I've had major readjustment to make. The main adjustment I've made is to make peace with frozen vegetables. In most cases they are as healthful as fresh, and you can just take out as much as you want to prepare at one time.

Another thing I've learned is that the buying in bulk -- or even larger sizes -- doesn't pay off in the long run for one person. I now buy the small sizes of a lot of things because it will all get used as opposed to my throwing half out.

A FoodSaver vacuum sealer to the rescue for longer food storage - in the freezer, refrigerator, or dry storage. Using a FoodSaver canister, I can keep Romaine or leaf lettuce for much longer than other methods I've tried.

I also like to dehydrate food. That bargain box of mushrooms are easily sliced and dehydrated. Dehydrate sliced zucchini or yellow squash. We use these as "chips", instead of potato chips. When Wal-Mart had sweet potatoes on sale in November for 25-cents a pound, I bought 25 pounds and dehydrated the cooked/mashed sweet potatoes on the fruit leather sheets. When crispy dry I pulverized the sheets in a blender into sweet potato powder and stored it in a vacuum-sealed canning jar (using the FoodSaver jar attachment). Now I can rehydrate the powder with hot water for mashed sweet potatoes for one, or one hundred. Free-for-the-picking apples are dehydrated and used for snacks, making applesauce, apple pie, added to homemade granola, etc.... I make my own "convenience" foods.

Don't forget the salad bar at your grocery store. I especially like to use it if I want some special toppings for a homemade pizza, or a small amount of veggies for a pasta salad, so I don't have to buy a lot of whole produce, or purchase expensive out-of-season produce. That's where I get a quarter cup of chopped bell peppers in the winter when prices are so darn high. Or a small amount of red onions, broccoli, etc...

We're into home food storage and I LOVE using freeze-dried foods. Need some peas and corn for that 1-cup of leftover brown rice to make Spicy Mexican Rice? Take 2 T. freeze-dried corn, 2 T. freeze-dried peas, add hot water and let set (covered) 5 minutes and you have peas and corn that tastes like fresh-picked.

I also use a lot of dried tomato powder rather than keeping tomato sauce, tomato paste, pasta sauce, or pizza sauce. I make all of those in amounts I need using tomato powder.

-Grainlady

Thank you, thank you. I'm glad I waited until everybody had more time. I am much smarter and cannot wait to try some of these ideas out. I learned a long time ago that it was useless for me, even when DH was around, to get stuff in bulk. Not only did you spend unnecessary money, but you tend to forget you have certain things--plus there is a matter of space. Here are a few of my own comments:

1. I would love to perfect my dehydrating of stuff. My luck has not been too good so far. I have tried though.
I think I need some good reference material. Do you dry more than one thing at a time?

2. I am going to try and purchase a Foodsaver thing. I had one of these when they first came out. I am sure they have been highly perfected by now. What kind? (in between price--not too high not too low) What is a Food Saver Container?

3. I already had the idea of purchasing a salad from one of the Fast food restaurants. My first purchase was highly successful. The next time the lettuce was limp, the carrots were limp and I was disappointed. I will have to look for another source. Most of the places do not have a salad "bar" where you have choices. Their salads are already prepared. Good containers for Winter Sowing though.

3. What kind of a black bag for bananas? Dale hated the fact that the peel got all black and he wouldn't eat them. I can't eat a whole banana though--especially first thing in the morning. They make me half nauseated. Late in the day, okay.

4. Really appreciate the hints about green bags (I had tried them but read somewhere that they weren't that successful.) Based on your comments, they must be, so I dug them out. Will remember though not to fasten with a twister tie--and the celery hint is fabulous. I can't tell you how much I have had to throw away, and I like to add it to a lot of things, tuna, salads, etc. The hint about Romaine, which is my favorite, can't understand why the fridge door, but will try. English cukes, I do better with, but I even had the rest of that go bad.

5.I have always frozen the peppers and used in sauces, but don't they get too soft to go well in salads after being frozen?

6. I have some herbs growing under lights in my heated garage (down to 45 degrees).

Finally, thanks so much for your kind thoughts. I was having a rough time but made my mind up that it was something I had to work through. I got out the music for my electric piano and started all over again. Music is great therapy. I sew, I knit, I exercise (been cooped up with the bad weather. Hope this is not too long and will be chopped. - Barb

Of course not too long, Barb. Hang in there.

I dehydrate a lot of things, but usually one thing at a time, i.e. a dryer full of zucchini or tomatoes or apples or whatever.

Unlike Grainlady, I cannot eat the squash chips by themselves, not even with salt. I use them in soups and they're good, but they seem dry, tasteless and just kind of icky as a snack.

Ashley loves dehydrated apples but again, I don't so much.

Come here whenever you need to or want to. It seems that someone is nearly always here!

Annie

Barb I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your husband. I hope you find much healing with your music. It can really be inspirational.

I can't add to the wonderful advice you have had from everyone but I will say that I buy so much fresh fruits and vegetables that it seems there is always something in the bottom of the fridge going soft. So I have two solutions (apart from my compost bin, which also does well). I chop all the soft leeks, celery, parsley etc, including cucumbers and tomatoes and put them into a frittata or omelette with chopped potato and onion.

Or else I chop and throw them into some vegetable or chicken broth and make a soup, which can then be frozen if there's too much.

Overripe bananas are chopped and put around my rose bushes, dug in a little so they don't go mouldy on the surface.

Overripe other fruits are either made into a cooked sauce (eg apple sauce) or tossed into the compost bin where they will eventually become garden fertilizer.

I find some frozen vegetables are better than fresh, depending on how far they were transported before they arrive at your table. I'm sure you have found some good ideas in this thread.

SharonCb

Barb, I'm so sorry about the loss of your husband.

I really like the Evert green bags (don't know about all of the brands because this is the only brand I've used) for Romaine and bell peppers in particular. You have to get as much air out of the bag as possible and only put one type of produce per bag. I use my bags many times. I use them for radishes, all types of hot peppers, turnips lemons, limes, carrots, cauliflower and all other types of produce. I wrap celery and iceberg lettuce in plastic wrap and make sure it is air-tight. If fresh when bought, it will keep for several weeks.

The stems of fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro is placed in a tall jar of water and a plastic bag is used to loosly cover the top of them.

Barb....I have been cooking for "just me" for 17 years....
Things I do to cope....invite people in to eat as oftena s you can....if you cook well and I know you do, many people are glad to have an invitation to eat a good "family" dinner in an every day atmosphere...
Then you get to cook a roast and have leftovers!!
Plan on throwing away lots of lettuce.....or find a friend to share with.
Soups are my friend....I make a big pot and either invite in friends or take "gifts" to "old widder ladies"...:-((
And package the rest in smaller containers for this Widder Lady!
I keep packages of small quick cook meats in my refrig....chicken breasts, individual ground beef patties, small pork chops or slices of pork loin. I buy a salmon piece and cut it into one serving pieces and freeze.
When I buy some Fresh broccoli...I eat for several days...and frozen veggies are really very good.
My best advice is to become the "hostess with the mostest"...not necessary to have a fancy dinner party, but just friends in for dinner....begets invitations to their house for dinner.
If you are a good cook, find people who need a meal....and cook for them...and your self as well.
Linda C

So sorry for your loss! I have only been married for just over 3 years, and already cannot imagine how difficult such a loss would be to deal with.

I have something to add on the lettuces, celery, bunches of greens front. Even though our grocery stores have mostly installed the annoying mister attachments that keep spraying the vegetables, they still can be a bit dehydrated when you buy them. This is because the cut end of a plant seals over quite quickly in order to keep whatever moisture the plant holds. So all the misting helps, but isn't enough.

When you get any of the above veggies home, trim a quarter inch from the cut end(s) and leave to soak in a container of cool water for a couple of hours or overnight. Soaking up the water refreshes the veggies the same way it refreshes cut flowers. Then be sure and drip or pat them dry before following the steps others have noted. The infusion of fresh water will help them stay fresh longer.

I lived alone for many years, and loved fresh vegetables. During that period, I lived near several produce stores which helped as I could stop in regularly, but still, a head of lettuce is a head of lettuce!

Another thing to focus on is planning. For example, say you enjoy munching on celery stalks from time to time, but can't get through a bunch before it will wilt and go bad, determine how much you are likely to eat fresh, and then come up with a recipe to use the rest before it spoils.

If you'll likely eat half a bunch of celery fresh, how about using the other half in a cream of celery soup (which you can freeze in meal sized portions) or use some as a side dish (sauteed celery in a mustard cream?) and some in a vegetable soup?

For fruits, you can reserve some to eat fresh, and then cook and freeze other portions to eat as desserts...a bag of fresh plums or apricots? Set a few in your fruit bowl, lightly poach the others with a bit of wine or liqueur, and bring it out when you are out of fresh to eat topped with a bit of crunchy granola or yogurt or on a slice of angel food cake or toasted sweet bread.

Puff pastry bought frozen in a box is excellent for a single person, as you can cut off enough for your own single use, line a baking cup with it, fill with some of your frozen fruit and make yourself a nice little treat without all the leftovers of a regular pie or cake to deal with.

I developed a real passion for soup while I was living alone because it freezes so well and is such a healthy way to use a variety of meats, vegetables and grains. Living alone, it can become very easy to get into a rut and not get a healthy variety of foods in your diet because it just seems like too much work. But you can make soup out of just about anything, and it is also an excellent way to use up the bits and pieces of leftovers when your fridge begins to be crowded with tupperware containers!

And remember, if you would be willing to go through the trouble to cook a good, balanced meal for someone else, then you should be willing to do the same for yourself because you are just as important, if not more, than anyone else. Cherish yourself the way you would cherish someone else, you deserve your own care.

Barb, I'm so sorry for you loss. It's a big adjustment for you.
Let me give you my ideas.
I am single and live alone, but I love REAL food, love to cook, etc.

Fruits like blueberries, strawberries - When purchased fresh, layer them on a sheet pan (wax paper on bottom and freeze them. Remove from freezer, put in a ziploc bag and they will be removable individually-they won't clump together. Or make up the mix you like, and freeze that.
I buy frozen wild blueberries in a 2lb. bag at Walmart,put a few in a smaller container for immediately use (in the freezer, as they thaw so quickly) and leave the rest in my separate freezer. I did the same with fresh strawberries I bought in the spring. You could do that with all kinds of fruit.

Spagetti, lasagna, pot pies, vegetable soup, etc. When I make something like this, I made a standard batch. Then cut it down into individual servers. You can freeze the soup first in a plastic ziploc type bowl, then remove it and vacuum seal it in a Foodsaver type product. They suck out all the air then seal the bag...known as vacuum packed. Or just freeze each portion making sure they won't get freezer burn. I made mini pot pies in the small 4" aluminum pans, freeze them, then vacuum seal them. I do have a stand alone freezer so that helps tremendously. You don't HAVE to vacuum seal them but they are wonderful to have and you have a vacuumed product that can last a lot longer than normal freezer time.

I make my own yogurt, when I'm ready to eat a serving, I add honey, add a topping of frozen blueberries and by the time I get to work, they are thawed. Or just let them set out for about 10 minutes. Freezing them works well.

With the vacuum canisters, you can store cheese, crackers, small carrots, veggies cut up....all kinds of things, depending on the size container you use. They are costly and you may want to just start out with a basic foodsaver. The bags are costly, about $10 a box. Different sizes, pints, quarts, gallons. I do wash mine and re-use them.

I did find the FOODSAVER V850 on sale at KOHLS on Black Friday weekend for $70 from $130. It has the cannister and attachments. I also got the "canning attachment for wide mouth canning jars. You can vacuum seal with canning lids and jars, even used lids. You could make up individual salads, without dressing, and seal them and refrigerate them.

My best to you..
June Lynn

Barb - I don't much care for bananas to eat out of hand -- the texture is offputting to me -- but I like them in smoothies, cooked or frozen. So I peel them all at one time, wrap them well in plastic wrap, and eat them like popsicles ot throw them in smoothies. No reason you couldn't freeze them in halfs.

Well, I must take my hat off to all of you again. I hope you all have enjoyed this post as much as I have. It has provided good reading when I have been holed in here because of the ice and snow. Please accept my thanks to all of you. I'm so anxious to try some of this stuff, but I think I am going to have to save up for awhile to do all of my purchasing. - Barb

Another way to deal with some veggies (sort of already mentioned) is to eat part of it fresh and freeze the other part.
Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower: separate some to eat fresh, blanch the rest and pop into freezer bags in portion sizes you can use.

Lettuce, greens: Part fresh, the rest can be tossed into soup or stocks.

Onion, peppers, celery: Slice off what you can eat fresh and put the rest in freezer bags. No blanching necessary.

This will give you some "nukeable" veggies without additives for easy meals and some veggies to cook with (soups, casseroles, etc.).

You can also make a meal plan for a week (or two) and try to use similiar ingredients so that you can buy and cook just once or twice and eat many meals. Make your own "TV dinners". Go ahead and cook a roast, potatoes and carrots for 4 or 6 or whatever. Package the extras up in individual portions for times when you don't want to cook.

Deanna

So sorry for your loss.
We have the same problem but these things help:
1. You can keep bananas in the fridge, the peels turn dark but stay nice and firm inside.
2. When you buy strawberries, stem and hull them and run under scalding hot water. Dry and store in airtight container. They stay good FOREVER.
3. Once you wash and cut crisp veggies like celery and carrots, store with a little water in an airtight container. It helps them stay crisp.
4. You can buy butter lettuce, it still has the roots attached and you just put water in the base of the container.
5. Grow your own herbs. That way you aren't buying fresh for a meal and wasting the leftovers. Just pick what you need.
I've heard that frozen vegetables and fruits are sometimes better for you than fresh because they are frozen fresh and often spend less time losing nutrients after being harvested.

Barb, I hesitated to add to this since I've shared my picture/method before. I used to use the greenbags, which work very well. I found I was eating better though when I would bring all my produce home for the week and prepare it ahead of time. I store it, divided, into Lock and Lock containers (I purchased mine from QVC) after cleaning/cutting it. The best part is that I don't have to do it when I don't have as much energy, and since it's ready to go, I find I eat most of it. I do the same with lettuce; clean it, run it through a lettuce spinner and store it in a Lock and Lock. I've had it keep up to two weeks, and everything stays crisp. Here's a picture of the other vegs, which is a week's worth for two people: