Pre-Packed Fruit & Veg

[chris667]

It is very hard if you live on your own, but the only way I can manage it is batch cooking.

I go to a butcher's when I want meat. I buy exactly enough for me. I really love meat but for ethical and environmental issues I just have a tiny bit of exactly what I want. I even bring my own containers - they just weigh out what I want plus the weight of my container.

Likewise, I go to the greengrocers to buy fruit and veg. They are great there. I just buy what I want, put it in my bag.

If I fall for buying an enormous pack of meat or veg in a supermarket there's a high chance I'll end up throwing away most of it, so it actively saves me money.

Easier said than done, but food is important!

 

[Electric_Andy]

I try and buy loose fruit and veg if I can, but often it's impossible withouth driving around to different supermarkets. If I have veg in the fridge that's going off, I'll do a "eat what you have" stew or something in the slow cooker. Also difficult living on my own but I try and take things to my partner's house when I'm staying there so at least it gets eaten.

I still think a lot more can be done in supermarkets. A while ago I found all the veg I needed as loose options, and when the lady rang it through the till, she put it in plastic bags

 

[wiggydiggy]

Aldi offer almost all their fruit and veg as singles. Tomatoes, for some reason, are pre packed. Bananas are single @ 14p or pre packed.
Due to health problems our appetites are poor so we are trying a "new" idea.......we have just bought a 2 week supply of frozen ready meals. One is not quite big enough but we can easily throw in some chips or a can of veg.

Frozen Ready Meals can be very cheap - Asda have some for 90p and Tesco cheaper than that at 75 - 85p. Tastewise I've had these and they can be a bit bland but I like to add some Worcester or Soy Sauce to things to liven them up.

 

[Dave7]

Frozen Ready Meals can be very cheap - Asda have some for 90p and Tesco cheaper than that at 75 - 85p. Tastewise I've had these and they can be a bit bland but I like to add some Worcester or Soy Sauce to things to liven them up.

I walked around our local Tesco express and was pleasantly surprised by the choice.
The home delivery is MrsDs choice so I have gone along with it. We shall see.

 

[vickster]

Frozen Ready Meals can be very cheap - Asda have some for 90p and Tesco cheaper than that at 75 - 85p. Tastewise I've had these and they can be a bit bland but I like to add some Worcester or Soy Sauce to things to liven them up.

It’s worth considering the animal welfare of such cheap meals if not vegetarian (although likely not any sort of premium cut but still).
I eat plenty of fruit and veg and throw little away (even though I live alone and shop in supermarkets), bananas are the one thing but if they are going off, I usually have an emergency tin of custard to go with them!

 

[presta]

The other bugbear is the time it takes for stuff to ripen. If you have to keep stuff a week to ten days before you can eat it, that just increases the risk of ending up with stuff you can't use in time if it ripens faster than you'd bargained for. Apples are convenient, because they're always edible straight off the shelf, and keep for ages. Pears & kiwis are a PITA.

"packaging only being used when it serves a clear purpose. This is usually done to prolong the life of the produce as well as offer some protection for the produce itself"

Lemons, oranges, kiwi fruit and garlic are sold in net bags, they're not doing anything to protect or preserve anything. Apples are in poly bags, but they have just about the longest shelf life of all, so they don't really need preserving.

it isn't only Tescos that does it

No, I can see Sainburys moving in the same direction.

Do you have a local greengrocer near you - ?

No, there's a market which is right outside the front door of Tesco, but that's less than weekly now. There's a new Asian food shop just opened which has quite a large fruit & veg stall, and quite alot of unusual stuff I don't recognise too, I might give them a try. Branches differ, too, the Tesco on the east side of town has more loose stuff than the one in the one in the market place.

I fail to understand why Sainsbury's sell packaged bananas at a lower price than loose bananas!

It reduces waste by stopping people from rejecting the ugly or over ripe stuff. Or transfers the waste to the consumer.

And on a point of information, my reading of Tim Spector's recommendation is that it is 30 different varieties of plant-based food. I'm currently trying this out and when I add in nuts, seeds, pulses, beans, herbs, spices, tea and coffee etc I can get to 30 with not many more types of fruit and veg.

My whole diet easily makes 30 varieties, but I don't get all 30 in one week. They're not evenly distributed either, apples, tomatoes, carrots, bananas & peas account for just over half of all my fruit & veg consumption.

when fruit and veg are sold singly, they are now sold at price per item prices and not by weight

I tried asking them on Twitter how they decide which are per item and which weight, but they didn't reply.

* I once froze a lettuce, what was defrosted did not look good!

My freezing mistake was aubergine, by the time it was defrosted it was almost liquid.

we often have a voucher to use

Tesco stopped sending me vouchers when they noticed I was buying smaller quantities and maker more shopping trips. I developed tennis elbow, and can't carry the bags more than half full any more.

 

[presta]

A suggestion for your left over tomatoes.

 

[Cycleops]

My whole diet easily makes 30 varieties, but I don't get all 30 in one week. They're not evenly distributed either, apples, tomatoes, carrots, bananas & peas account for just over half of all my fruit & veg consumption.

if you can make it to 57 Heinz have got you covered.

 

[Lookrider]

I walk over to the local allotments with dog every now and then ..always get some veggies
And the local " learning issues" kids have a plot there so a little support to them will do them good

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Aldi offer almost all their fruit and veg as singles.

Not my local one, most are pre-packed.
The exceptions are bananas, squash, melons, but I couldn't just buy 3 onions or 2 potatoes.
I have to say, though, that I very rarely bin food.
Any (not a great amount) spoiled fruit or veg go in the compost bin.
I cook in batches, freeze in portions - without labels, so I give myself a surprise dinner
Pre-packed fruit I normally consume before they spoil, I also have a masticating juicer 😎

 

[Reynard]

I very rarely bin food either @Pat "5mph". The real trick is a) knowing how (and where) to store stuff, b) keeping cooking plans fluid and c) good kitchen know-how.

Soups and curries are brilliant for using up tired veg, so are pasta sauces, and I do make pickles, chutneys, marmalades and jams.

Just two of us here, btw.

I do despair at the amount of packaging on some things, but it's often there for a reason. People do tend to poke and prod the produce, and not everyone has the same standards of hygiene...

 

[oldwheels]

I seem to be an exception in not having a problem with quantities and nothing ever gets binned. Living where I do and shopping in Oban a day's journey away encourages me to buy as much a possible.
Meat is not a problem as I make either mince or stew and freeze it in one meal pack sizes.More expensive cuts I can get locally and the local bacon is much better than supermarket but packs can be frozen for later use.
Savoy and other cabbages keep well for weeks but any other veg showing signs of not keeping are frozen in suitable size packs.
I make quite a lot of soup which is also frozen and used as required.

 

[tyred]

I try and buy loose fruit and veg if I can, but often it's impossible withouth driving around to different supermarkets. If I have veg in the fridge that's going off, I'll do a "eat what you have" stew or something in the slow cooker. Also difficult living on my own but I try and take things to my partner's house when I'm staying there so at least it gets eaten.

I still think a lot more can be done in supermarkets. A while ago I found all the veg I needed as loose options, and when the lady rang it through the till, she put it in plastic bags

I always buy my fruit and veg loose in the supermarket and take the small plastic bags back with me and re-use them to stop the cashier from giving me more.

 

[fossyant]

We'll all have trouble buying stuff with the current supply issues. But, who the heck buys more than 1 cucumber (limit 2 or 3) on a shopping visit - they don't last that long. As a family of four, 2 would be out limit in summer, not this time of year. Likewise, we don't but more than two packs of tomatoes.

I do batch cook though - I make what ever we have in, or needs using up, and if there is left overs, it's frozen for my lunches.

As for keeping food longer, our fridge and freezer were a bit knackered so we replaced with a new one that's frost free, but has 'zones'. Where, say, carrots would last a week in the fridge previously, they are now fine, and crunchy for three weeks or more. Out of the fridge, they usually go off in days. This has saved us a fortune in waste. Everything keeps for so much longer.

 

[mjr]

It's disappointing if a town has no greengrocer. It should be viewed as an existential service and protected, but I think only pubs currently get special protection like that.

Is there a fruit &veg box scheme serving Braintree, or nearby smallholders with roadside stalls?