4 Ways to Find Produce during Coronavirus Lockdown (and how to keep it good for longer!)

Are you struggling to find produce?

I was shocked to hear that so many people are struggling to find good produce during the Coronavirus lockdown. On my Instagram stories, I had asked people what type of ingredients they are having trouble finding. So many people said that the produce in their local grocery stores were often very picked over or rotten.

That can be so frustrating when you are trying to make sure your family is eating healthy during quarantine. In addition to working from home, homeschooling your kids, cooking and cleaning, adding a shortage of produce to the mix can be completely overwhelming!

But don't worry! I'm here to help with 4 Ways to Find Produce during Coronavirus Lockdown.

4 Ways to Find Produce During Coronavirus Lockdown

Check out my 4 tips in this FB live I did on the Get Nourished with Renata FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/renata.idrustrebing/videos/10157257651017405/

Here are my 4 Ways to Find Produce during Coronavirus Lockdown:

1. Ask your local grocery store when they may next restock: this may seem like an obvious idea, but so many people don't do it. Since grocery store workers are under a lot of pressure right now, I try to be extra courteous and kind. They may not have a firm idea of when the produce truck will be there, but they could give you a ball park day or time. Or they may have some other tips like the best time to avoid crowds, if you should try online ordering, or when there might be toilet paper again!
2. Look for alternative grocery stores: in the area I live in, there are some smaller grocery stores that don't get as many people going to them. They are smaller Mexican or Asian grocery stores. So start researching around you, if there are some alternative grocery stores you could check out. Also consider gas stations and pharmacies that may have produce options.
3. Look for local farmers markets or produce stalls: This is a great option to venture a little bit out of the city, if you are able to, while still practicing social distancing. Find some country produce stalls or farmers markets that you can support by purchasing their produce. As always, continue to carefully clean all containers and produce that you bring into your home.
4. Order extra fruits and veggies from your favorite local restaurants: this is another awesome way to support local businesses while also getting more fruits and veggies into your diet. Perhaps you have a favorite salad or side dish that you can get an extra serving of when you next order from the restaurant.

Now that you've been able to find some produce, the next step is to figure out how you can keep it fresh in your home for longer. Or maybe, you were able to find produce that is a little bit bruised. How can you use it without wasting so much of it?

Gluten Free Dutch Baby with Mandarin Curd

4 Ways to Keep Your Produce Around for Longer

Here's my 4 Ways to Keep your Produce Around for Longer:

1. Freeze your produce: most fruits and vegetables can be chopped up and frozen. For instance, you can freeze chopped up strawberries, whole blueberries, chopped up celery, carrots and even onions. My best tip is to chop up your produce, lay it in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once the produce is completely frozen, transfer it to a resealable bag or container for long-term storage. This method makes sure that you don't get a huge clump of frozen produce that is impossible to pry apart to get a smaller volume for a recipe.
2. Try pickling: pickling food is actually really easy and can be a great option for carrots, cucumbers, peppers and onions. I have a quick pickling recipe right here that is super quick and easy.
3. Find alternative uses for less-than-ideal produce: If you've found produce that has a couple of bruises, it can still be used with minimal waste. The only thing is you may have to use it in a different recipe. Think about using bruised strawberries for Strawberry Chia Jam, or less than crunchy apples in an easy Apple Crumble. There's so many veggies that you could throw into soups or stews, or puree them for smoothies.
4. Use as much of the produce as possible: most people throw away parts of vegetables that you can actually use. Take, for instance, broccoli. Most people throw away the broccoli stems but you can actually save them to use in soups, or smoothies. Yes! It's true! If you have a Vitamix or high speed blender, it will puree the broccoli and you won't tell that it's in the smoothie. You can do the same thing with cauliflower and asparagus stalks. You can also freeze these stalks to keep them for longer.

Strawberry Smoothie Bowl

I hope these tips help you to find produce and keep it for longer. If you have any. other tips, share them in the comments below!

Have questions about how to eat healthy during this Coronavirus lockdown? Need a recipe for an interesting assortment of ingredients that you picked up from the grocery store? Let me know below! I want to help you!

Tomatillos and parsley