How to Make Fruits and Vegetables Last Longer

BY MARY HUNT

According to the World Resources Institute, the average U.S. household of four people throws out about $1,600 in rotten food every year. Wow. That makes my head spin! Even if that number is far less in your home, consider these simple ways all of us can stop throwing our food dollars into the garbage.

Freshness Guide

Fresh produce is not cheap, and it’s getting more expensive every day -- or so it seems. Now more than ever, it’s important to bone up on how long your produce purchases are going to last so you make sure no fruits and vegetables end up in the garbage or compost. You can count on these items to be generally fresh for:

ONE TO THREE DAYS

-- Asparagus.

-- Berries.

-- Fresh leafy greens.

-- Peaches.

THREE TO SIX DAYS

-- Avocados.

-- Bananas.

-- Broccoli.

-- Green beans.

-- Tomatoes.

ONE WEEK OR LONGER

-- Apples.

-- Carrots.

-- Cauliflower.

-- Potatoes.

-- Squash.

DON’T OVERBUY

The way to do this is to have a good, realistic plan for the produce you bring into your house. Make certain you will consume it before it goes bad -- regardless of the great sale price or how beautiful it looks in the store or farmer’s market. Simply buying too much is the number one reason that household produce lands in the garbage.

Disinfect The Fridge

I plead guilty on this one. I just don’t think about it if I can’t see a mess. The truth is that anytime something spoils in

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You can spend eons roaming about here, so it is good that there is also a new table-service restaurant at the Gilder serving contemporary American cuisine with regional and global influences, as well as beverages showcasing local breweries and vineyards (the main museum also has the lower level cafeteria). There are also two marvelous gift shops in the Center.

For anyone who hasn’t been to a museum of the quality like AMNH in awhile and expect static, boring displays with complex notes, this is leaps, bounds and lightyears beyond. Even the iconic dinosaur displays have interactive, engaging elements and make key points that are most relevant to our lives. You really feel you are having a conversation with sheer genius. “State of the art” doesn’t begin to describe it.

And when you think about it, what is so remarkable about AMNH is how what is contained here spans the entirety of history, culture, life, the natural world, the planet and even the known universe. And you get to explore it all.

All admission to the Museum is by timed entry and must be reserved online. Open daily, 10 am–5:30 pm. New York and New Jersey residents pay a suggested amount (all the attractions though are separately priced); standard pricing is Adults: $28 for general admission, $34 plus one, $39 plus all the attractions; Seniors and students are $22, 27, 31; Child 3-012 is $16, $20, $24. (Museum members get a whole year of VIP access to the Gilder Center, including free access to the Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium.)

American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, 212-769-5606. Visit amnh.org for more information.

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