when you come back from the grocery store with a bag full of fresh fruits and vegetables, you pat yourself on the back because you've done a good job. Good intentions exist, but then reality begins. After a few days, your lettuce softens, your carrots soften, and you find yourself throwing your best intentions in the trash. Read on and learn 10 tips to help you get the most nutritious food from your produce while avoiding waste. In addition, they can save you some hard-earned cash.

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1. Considering that frozen agricultural products

are contrary to the general view, fresh agricultural products may not always be the most nutritious. Deborah Madison, author of vegetable literacy, says some of the best produce can be found in the channels of frozen food. "Field peas are a good example of a more nutritious frozen vegetable," Madison said. A 2007 University of California (Davis) study compared the nutritional value of fresh and frozen vegetables, and found that frozen green beans lost 10% of vitamin C in 12 months, while fresh peas lost 60% in the refrigerator after 7 days of refrigeration. Mung beans, carrots and spinach also retain more nutritional value when frozen. And there's no need to defrost before cooking - studies have shown that thawing frozen vegetables may reduce their nutritional supply.

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2. Know how to refrigerate. You want your fruit to ripen, but not too fast. It will lose too much nutritional value. Vegetarian chef Amy Chaplin says some agricultural products, such as citrus fruits, berries and lettuce, ripen quickly if not refrigerated. But other agricultural products, such as tomatoes and potatoes, ripen easily at room temperature, and you can leave onions, winter melons and garlic out of the fridge, because keeping them in a cool, dry place helps them stay longer, adds Deborah Madison, author of vegetable literacy. Listen now to what every woman should know about self-defense - from an expert. Using crisper drawer (and its humidity setting)

almost every standard refrigerator is equipped with crisper drawer. Compared with other refrigerators, crisper drawer can keep the product cool and protect them from the influence of hot air entering when opening the door. " "Some people put drinks and cheese in it, but chips are the best place to keep fruits and vegetables," said Amy Chaplin, a vegetarian chef. If your chips have a humidity setting, try it. Fruits and vegetables release a gas called ethylene (a ripening agent), so the trick to making your product more durable is to make sure you put together those that release similar levels of ethylene. Here is a quick guide. For these non ethylene emission devices, set the humidity setting in your potato chip drawer to high: leafy greens, spinach, arugula, basil, lettuce, broccoli, broccoli, and carrots. Set the humidity in your chip drawer to moderate ethylene emissions: melon, lemon, lime, and orange. Set the humidity setting in your fresh drawer low to meet these high ethylene emissions: apples, grapes, mushrooms, peppers, pumpkins, avocados and pears.

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4. Vegan chef Amy Chaplin says the best way to prevent spoilage is to clean your produce only when you eat it. Put your blueberries in their containers and wash the berries you eat every day. Deborah Madison, author of vegetable literacy, urges people to dry as much produce as possible after washing to reduce humidity, because it can be difficult for those who like to plan ahead. Chaplin recommends washing greens, putting them in a salad spinner, and then in a cotton bag or towel to keep them dry and airy. This kind of cloth can absorb water and keep vegetables fresh for a longer time.

read more: [always buy organic food (even if you have a budget!) ](https://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1004202-20-foods-always-buy-organic-even-your-budget/ time period.)

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5. Deborah Madison, the author of vegetable knowledge, said that putting stems and tops on vegetables, such as beets, radishes, radishes, carrots, broccoli and broccoli, usually piles up in compost piles or trash cans, but they are actually delicious and nutritious. Don't lose vitamins. And minerals in leaves and stems, she suggests. Just cut the lettuce into thin slices, add salad or slices, and fry it into side dishes. You can even add them to the soup pot with root vegetables to increase the amount of soup you like best.

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6. When eating, the skin is often discarded, rich in nutrition and fiber. Deborah Madison, author of vegetable literacy, likes to peel carrots, celery roots and potatoes. To make the most of the vegetables, she suggested, "don't peel them, just scrub them well." Vegetarian chef Amy Chaplin likes to wash vegetables with a vegetable brush made of coconut fiber. Instead of peeling off the cucumber skin, she suggests moving it up and down with a fork to make it tender. Madison also likes to put the skin on the wax gourd when making soup. When maintaining the skin, it is best to choose organic products to avoid the possibility of chemicals appearing on the skin for routine production.

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7. Buying local vegetables, or growing them yourself, may be a challenge at first, but one of the best ways to get the most nutrients from agricultural products is to grow them yourself, or buy them from local growers, says Deborah Madison, author of vegetable literacy. Many farmers in the mass market begin to pick up agricultural products before they mature to avoid deterioration. So these fruits and vegetables don't reach their maximum nutritional potential, she added. The simplest vegetable garden is herb garden, because herbs cover a small area and sprout quickly. " "Anything that comes directly from the garden, if it doesn't sit around," Madison said.It will be more energetic and nutritious. " Some agricultural products, such as tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, mangoes and dark green leafy vegetables, are rich in fat soluble nutrients, which are best absorbed by human body with some fatty acids. In a 2004 study at Iowa State University, researchers found that people who ate salads absorbed more antioxidants than people who didn't eat any salads. So the next time you're mixing salads or grilling carrots, add a little olive oil. Your body, including your taste buds, will thank you.

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9. Amy Chaplin, a vegetarian chef, said that marinating your products is both delicious and beneficial. When you salt vegetables, a natural fermentation occurs that "boils" the food, producing enzymes and probiotics that help the digestive and immune systems. "When you make pickles, it's a way to extend their lifespan," Chaplin said. Fermentation is what we do before we refrigerate. "Try to ferment cabbage into kimchi or pickles, soybeans into miso, or ground carrots, carrots, radishes or onions, Chaplin suggests." Eat it, or freeze it. Although it's convenient and cheap to buy agricultural products in bulk, you may not be able to use them all when they're fresh. 'think like a chef,' says Amy Chaplin, a vegetarian chef. 'buy only the fruits and vegetables you'll use right away.' If you can't eat right away, freeze it. Deborah Madison, the author of vegetable literacy, poured applesauce or stewed tomatoes into a container and stored them in the refrigerator. She said they are easy to fold and easy to use in the future.

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how to make full use of products? Do you have a favorite way to save money and get the most nutritious value from fruits and vegetables? We'd like to hear from you. Please leave a comment below to share how you get the most from your products. In addition, if you have a special recipe that can help you make the most of your fruits and vegetables, please let us know.

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