Fruit & Vegetables

• ​Most fruit & vegetables do not require refrigeration:

- bananas

- garlic

- onions

- potatoes

- pumpkins

- swedes

- sweet potatoes

• The vegetables and fruit can be kept at room temperature until ripe (provided the skin is not broken), and then should be refrigerated:

- apricots

- avocados

- kiwifruit

- mangoes

- melons

- nectarines

- papaya

- peaches

- pears

- plums

- tomatoes

• Brush off any visible soil from vegetables and wash under running water and dry any fruit or vegetables just before you use them.

• Scrub fruit and vegetables with hard surfaces,such as rockmelons, oranges, potatoes & carrots, with a clean produce brush.

• DO NOT wash fruit and vegetables and then store them, they may begin to grow moulds.

• If you’ve handled visibly dirty vegetables, like potatoes with soil on them, make sure you wash your hands, knife and chopping board before you handle other foods.

• Cut away damaged or bruised areas on fresh fruit and vegetables, as bacteria can grow in these areas - clean the knife when finished to avoid contaminating other food.

• DO NOT eat cut produce if it's been left out of the fridge for 2 hours or more.

• If you have excess vegetables, you can freeze them by cutting up and blanching them by dipping them into boiling water to kill any bacteria.

• If you bottle fruit and vegetables at home:

- stick to the high acid fruits such as pears, apples and stone fruit.

- if you bottle tomatoes, mango, paw paw, banana or any other tropical fruit you must add some

  citric acid

- vegetables can only be safely bottled if bottled in vinegar.

• If you want to produce your own vegetables in oil or flavoured oils you can keep them refrigerated for up to 10 days - if you want to bottle them, you need to acidify the vegetables and any fresh herbs first.

• All raw and lightly cooked sprouts can pose some risk, however, alfalfa, mung bean and clover sprouts are most commonly linked to food poisoning - to reduce the risk of food poisoning from sprouts:

- avoid giving all raw and light cooked sprouts to vulnerable people

- avoid any sprout that's dark in colour or smells musty

- if buying loose sprouts, use tongs or a plastic bag turned inside out to pick them up, if buying

  packaged sprouts, choose crisp looking ones, preferably from the refrigerator

- if you grow your own sprouts, be aware that even the most hygienic of conditions will not ensure

  the sprouts are bacteria free

- cook all sprouts thoroughly before eating.