Nowadays almost every dang thing comes in some sort of fashion as an processed food. I guess along with making everything else in life “faster”, your food would need to become that way as well. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve eaten and still eat some fast food. I’m not trying to push eating fresh is healthy for your diet either. I would just like to share some information with you. For me, I have always loved fresh fruits and veggies. Give me some lemon pepper or ranch and I’m in heaven. I also enjoy some fresh seafood. As for chicken, beef, or turkey I prefer it cooked well done-dead.
Many super markets and farmers market offer fresh fruits and vegetables. These types of establishments are highly likely to get your food fresh from a local area in town. Unlike a regular grocery store. Sometimes there is days or even weeks between when it’s picked and when it arrives and actually displayed for your purchase. You always can check the freshness by observing the color- it should be bright and or lively. Smell it and know when it’s in season. Im also always in the look out for soft spots. This reminds me of the commercial about the tomatoes. People don’t rub and squeeze in the fruit to try to taste it but to judge the freshness.
When you’re buying fresh food or any food, don’t over buy. Meaning don’t buy more than what you need. Unless you’re looking to prep and freeze certain things. Veggies can last in the refrigerator five to seven days. If you buy more than needed you’ll just end up throwing money in the trash. Many times we grocery shop for longer than a week and often end up not using some vegetables in time. Having an idea of what you’re cooking and when is a better way to know how much of these items you may need.
As a shopper , washing your fruits, veggies, and meats should have been something you were doing prior to this date. For me basic water and a little hand rubbing will clean these foods. However if you prefer some sort of solution, that’s fine. Always remember that fruits and vegetables come from the dirt or trees . Between birds and snakes it’s best to wash it off. That’s only two things I’ve named that could possibly touch your food. However if you choose canned or frozen things are different. Fist thing is you won’t get all the nutrients from the vegetables or fruit that’s been canned because it’s processed. By the time they’re done processing the food to last in the can, the benefit of eating a nutritious food is not so beneficial. As for frozen, they’re normally picked and frozen quickly. This makes it easy to obtain more of the nutrients this way. Often times more than fresh and especially more than can. However, most times you’ll find that frozen can be more expensive. As for the taste, I feel like the preseason frozen food often taste like frozen food (which it is), but for me I don’t want me food to taste frozen. I find this a time when you have to manipulate the food to taste as you want.
Being around so much vibrant fruits and vegetables gets me excited to cook. I love the fragrances as they can smell very enticing. Often times I’ll see something that I haven’t. This causes interest to investigate so I may prepare a dish where I can enjoy this newly discovered food. Often times we go off looks, colors, or even odors as to if we’ll eat something. As my grandmother says “you don’t know until you try it”. I’m sure you’ve heard of this before ( haha). I buy fresh often. So there’s little in this produce section that I haven’t tried or will be trying soon.
I encourage you to take a trip to your local farmers market or Supermarket and walk around the produce section. Give the air a sniff and notice the smells. Try something new rather it’s fresh frozen or by can. Just remember to rinse ( if you’re from the south like me, it’s rinch not rinse -lol). Also mix the two and give it a try. Many times you can add fruit to your dish or maybe just the juice of fruit to bring out flavors from other dishes. Just go out and try something new!
Cooking from my soul to feed yours ~ Klohee’s Kitchen 