One week has passed in 2016 and it is already shaping up to be another round of produce price increases. A hurricane in the USA this past week has jumped prices on certain fruits and vegetable imports more than 50%. Certain items likely won’t see an appearance in the Fresh Food Box until the Canadian growing season is back in full swing. Items like Broccoli and cauliflower are going for $4.00 to $8.00 wholesale, which would make up nearly the entire cost of one of our single size bags. In order to continue providing the best possible variety and quantity of produce to our customers some last minute changes may need to be made on the produce going into your Fresh Food Box. Any Ontario items that you see below or on your monthly newsletter will be included without a doubt, however due to the turbulence of the current import market some of the few things that we are forced to import during these winter months may require a last minute change. May and June couldn’t come sooner!

In your $10 bag we have included: Apples, Oranges, Potatoes, Pepper Squash, Red Cabbage, Red Beets, Yellow Onions, Sweet Potato, English Cucumber, Mushrooms, Carrots, Eggplant

In your $15 Box we have many of the same items in greater quantity  with additional items: Apples, Oranges, Potatoes, Pepper Squash, Red Cabbage, Red Beets, Yellow Onions, Sweet Potato, English Cucumber, Carrots, Eggplant as well as Avocado and Spinach

In your $20 Box we have many of the same items in greater quantity with additional items: Apples, Oranges, Potatoes, Pepper Squash, Red Cabbage, Red Beets, Yellow Onions, Sweet Potato, English Cucumber, Carrots, Eggplant, Avocado, Spinach as well as Romaine

Produce storage tips to get the most from your Fresh Food Box:

Fruits:

Apples
Store in the refrigerator to keep crisp for three to four weeks or store outside of the refrigerator in a cool, dry place to keep crisp for about one week. 

Avocados

Store avocados at room temperature for up to a week until they are ripe. Once they’re soft to the touch, move them to the refrigerator, where they can keep for up to another week. Tip: If the avocados you bought aren’t soft enough to eat yet, you can ripen them in a jiffy: Just throw them into a paper bag with a banana (bananas produce the most ripening-inducing ethylene of any fruit). They’ll be guacamole-ready in about a day.

Berries

Store in the refrigerator to keep fresh for up to 10 days. How long depends on the variety of berry, but blueberries will stay fresh the longest. Tip: Berries are one of the most perishable fruits because they’re so thin-skinned. Washing them and leaving them on the counter will cause them to mold within hours, so don’t wash them until you intend to use them.

Citrus (grapefruits, oranges, etc.)

Store in the refrigerator to keep fresh for two weeks, or store at room temperature to keep fresh for seven to 10 days. Schueller points out that because citrus fruits have a tougher skin, they will last longer than most other fruits. Tip: Meyer lemons and limes have a shorter shelf life, only two weeks in the refrigerator.

Grapes

Store grapes in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Grapes also have a bloom, so it’s best not to wash them until you’re ready to eat them.

Pears

Store unripe pears at room temperature for approximately five days. Once ripe, refrigerate for up to a week.

Tomatoes

“Tomatoes should be stored in a cool, dry place and enjoyed within a week once they’re fragrant and soft to the touch,” according to Schueller. You want to avoid refrigerating tomatoes because it puts the fruit into cold shock and inhibits the taste.
Vegetables:

Bell Peppers

Refrigerate peppers for up to two weeks or store them at room temperature to keep fresh for about a week.

Broccoli and Cauliflower

Keep cauliflower and broccoli in their wrapping and place in the refrigerator, where they will last three to five days.

Greens (lettuce, spinach, etc.)
All leafy greens should be stored in the refrigerator and will last three to seven days. If leaves aren’t prebagged, wash and wrap loosely in a paper towel (to keep the water from rotting the leaves), then put in a plastic bag.

Mushrooms

They should be stored in their packaging in the refrigerator and used within five to seven days. Like other produce, mushrooms will perish faster if they’re presliced.

Root Vegetables (onions, potatoes, etc.)

Store in a cool, dry place—ideally in an open basket away from the oven. While most last approximately a month, baby potatoes have a shorter shelf life of about 10 days.

Photo credit: UnitedSoybeanBoard via Foter.com / CC BY