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Stuff from Johannesburg

4 Great Hacks For Keeping Your Food Fresh During Lockdown

MyPR: 4 Great Hacks For Keeping Your Food Fresh During Lockdown:

South Africa is facing a massive socio-economic challenge resulting from the ongoing lockdown and the fact that many people have lost their source of income and are now struggling to afford basic food necessities.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA), while many people don’t have enough to eat on a daily basis, South Africans waste one-third of all food in the country – approximately 10 million tonnes of food a year. Vegetable and fruits comprise 44% of this food wastage. One of the main reasons for this is that we don’t store our food effectively.

It’s important that we increase our intake of fresh fruits and veggies during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that we better our immune systems as we head into winter. However, with more of us social distancing and trying to avoid going to the shops as often, storing a good supply of fresh food can be challenging.

Here are four great ways to increase the shelf life of your fruit and vegetables:

1. Store items in breathable bags

Using natural cotton bags (muslin) can extend the lifespan of your fruit and vegetables, as it allows them to absorb moisture and air. When kept in sealed bags, fresh produce breaks down and goes rotten quicker. Breathable bags keep fruit and vegetables crisp and fresh for longer.

2. Separate your bananas

Separating a bunch of bananas and wrapping each stem in cling wrap extends their lifespan. By wrapping the crown of a bunch, you slow down the ripening process. For optimum results, separate the bananas and wrap them individually. You can also slice them up and rest the cut sides in lemon juice to prevent browning.

3. Learn more about your fridge’s technology

LG’s InstaView fridge has nifty features that help store fresh produce for longer. Different produce requires different temperatures to prolong their lifespan. Fruit and vegetables vary in temperature sensitivity, which is why the FRESHBalancer™ feature on the LG InstaView fridge helps ensure your produce is stored at the correct temperature.

With a simple switch, FRESHBalancer™ keeps your vegetables and fruits in its optimal condition respectively by adjusting the right amount of humidity. You can find out more about setting the ideal temperature here.

For produce that requires specific moisture and airflow to prolong freshness, the Moist Balance Crisper™ is an innovative lattice-patterned box cover which maintains the moisture at the optimal level. This is especially useful for keeping your salad greens fresher for longer.

4. Leave tomatoes out of the fridge

People often make the common mistake of storing tomatoes in the fridge. Not only is this unnecessary, but it actually reduces the flavour of the tomatoes and makes their texture deteriorate more quickly. Instead, put them in a bowl that you have lined with a paper towel. If you have bought stemmed tomatoes, ensure the stems are at the top when you place them in the bowl.

You can also keep avocados, bananas, peaches, nectarines, pears and plums on the counter until they are ripe, then toss them into the fridge if you’re not yet ready to eat them.

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Have you tried: Visiting Port Elizabeth?

Did you know this about Johannesburg? The city was rebuilt four times in the span of one century: First, Johannesburg was a tented camp. Then it was a town of tin shanties. Next it was a town filled with four-storey Edwardian brick buildings and finally, it became a city of modern skyscrapers.

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The Wilds: A Sanctuary of Stone and Steel

The Wilds was officially opened to the public in 1938, carved out of the rocky “koppies” (hills) of the Witwatersrand. Unlike the manicured lawns of the city’s more traditional parks, The Wilds was designed to showcase South Africa’s botanical heritage. It is a vertical garden of sorts, featuring steep stone paths that wind through forests of yellowwood trees, proteas, and ancient cycads. At its highest point, the reserve offers one of the most spectacular views of the Johannesburg skyline, where the brutalist towers of Hillbrow seem to rise directly out of the prehistoric-looking vegetation.

However, like many of Johannesburg’s public spaces, The Wilds fell into a period of deep neglect during the late 1990s and early 2000s. As crime rates rose and the city’s maintenance budgets shifted, the reserve became overgrown and was perceived as a “no-go zone.” The waterfalls stopped running, the stone paths crumbled, and the once-vibrant greenhouse became a skeletal ruin. For nearly two decades, this incredible piece of real estate sat largely abandoned, used only by a few brave locals and the occasional film crew looking for a “wilderness” setting within city limits.