I hope you enjoy Starting from Scratch, my second book, published each week online, one chapter at a time. Before the book’s final publication, I hope to sprinkle readers’ thoughts, opinions and advice throughout. After all, you each have helpful systems and solutions in the kitchen worth sharing. By making a contribution, your comments will be printed, crediting you and/or your blog, and you’ll get free copies of the book. In addition, for each section, I’m consulting an expert blogger – for this excerpt, it’s Karen Evans, author of Fitness: A Journey Not a Destination.

In Starting from Scratch, I attempt to teach the cooking neophyte a thing or two about how to move and groove in the kitchen. I start with the basics and move forward with more “advanced” skills, in hopes that cooking becomes easy and pleasurable, versus a pain in the rear.

So far, I have delved into topics such as:

• How to stock the cupboard with non-perishable items
• Hints for better meal-planning and preparation
• How to eat more balanced meals and feel good

Today, I’m going to write a bit about buying fresh: what to buy, ways to find affordable, fresh food and a couple of helpful hints to keep food fresher, longer.

After all, fresh food tastes better – plain and simple. And it makes cooking easier, too.

What to Buy

Vegetables and Fruit. As Karen Evans suggests, buying produce in season helps ensure you’re getting the freshest available, but also helps keep the cost down. Here are some items you might want to keep on hand:

• Onions. Vegetables like onions (yellow, purple and green), shallots and garlic enhance the flavor of lots of dishes and can be used in everything from tomato sauces to soups to fish dishes.
• Lemons and limes. These fruits are great pick-me-ups for meat, seafood and vegetables.
• Greens. I keep a supply of fresh greens on hand for making salads. If you look for specials, time-saving pre-washed containers aren’t too expensive. Steamed spinach and chard are nice, healthy side-dishes, too.
• “Winter” veggies. Russet potatoes, sweet potatoes broccoli, red peppers and carrots are staples in our household, but we frequently purchase cauliflower and others. And don’t forget avocados!
• “Summer” veggies. Fortunately, we grow our own veggies to enjoy in the summer, including juicy tomatoes, corn, beans, peas, squash and beets. But you can buy these just about anywhere during the summer months.
• Fruit. It’s hard to go wrong with bananas, apples and oranges in the winter, but it sure is nice to add melon, berries and other sweet fruits to the mix in the summer.

Dairy

• Milk, butter and eggs. I also keep a nice supply of yogurt on hand, as well as buttermilk and cream.
• Cheese. We get a little carried away with cheese in our family, but the ones we always have on hand are cheddar, (good!) parmesan and mozzarella. I also like goat, blue, brie and others. Actually, I haven’t met many cheeses I didn’t like.

Meat, Poultry and Seafood

• Meat. We do like beef in our family, but prefer the tender and flavorful cut of tenderloin. To offset the expense, we purchase a whole tenderloin, cut it ourselves, vacuum seal and freeze. Farm raised and/or organic meats are definitely more expensive to buy, so check for specials or buy in bulk, then freeze.
• Poultry. We eat a lot of chicken, pork tenderloin and ground turkey. Also, it’s more cost effective to buy a whole chicken and cut it up, rather than buying a package of breasts. Again, to save money, you can save money by purchasing these items in a larger quantity and freezing what you don’t eat.
• Seafood. The fresher the fish, the better. But some seafood, such as shrimp, is frozen at sea. This is great to buy frozen, then thaw just before eating. Believe it or not, if placed under running water, shrimp thaws in a few minutes.

Where to Buy

Mass grocers. Though the supply of fresh produce, meats and poultry may exceed that of farmers’ markets and high-end specialty stores, chains like Ralph’s, Albertson’s, Kroger’s, Safeway and others are nice for the well-rounded shopping experience. You may also be able to save money by using coupons and buying items on special. I’ve actually found our local discount grocer, Winco, has a wonderful supply of more affordable, fresh produce, because shopper traffic is heavy.

Farmers’ markets. As Karen suggests: “In the summer my family shops the local farmers’ markets for super fresh produce directly from the growers. Not only are we getting great tasting, fresh produce, we are also helping the local economy.” Not only can you access fruits and veggies, but I have found amazing cheeses from local farms at our market.

To assist you in sourcing markets, there’s an iPhone application called Locavore, which finds out what’s in season and available at your nearby farmers’ market. There is also a helpful link from the USDA for finding farmer’s market near you.

Local Farms/Orchards. Also according to Karen, “Look for nearby farms that allow you to pick your own berries in the summer. It saves the growers the cost of hiring workers to pick the berries and it’s a fun family activity as well. In the fall, look for orchards that allow you to pick your own apples. Around the country, many orchards host apple festivals in the fall with hay rides and apple picking included. Often a tour of the orchard can be arranged as well.”

Wholesale clubs. According to the CEO of Paksense, the freshest meats in the Boise market can be found at Costco. I have found great deals on everything from lamb to tenderloin to cheese at our local store. Vacuum sealing helps maintains freshness in the freezer.

Trader Joe’s. Once a Trader Joe loyalist, always one! Among other deals, Trader Joe’s has a wonderful selection of cheeses that are very affordable. Same with Grocery Outlet.

Local Fishmonger. Depending on where you live, fresh seafood may be easier, or more difficult, to access. I miss my days in Boston and Seattle when fresh halibut, lobster and salmon were at my disposal. Now that I’m land-locked, I am devoted to my local fishmonger. It’s not always less expensive, but it’s far more fresh and tasty.

Organic/Fresh Markets. If budget is no worry, the product, meats and seafood look like an oil painting at Sprouts, Bristol Farms, Whole Foods or similar markets.

Helpful Hints

Keep ‘em fresh. Fresh herbs can wilt fairly quickly. One way to keep herbs fresher longer is to wash and dry them, wrap them in a clean paper towel, then store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Alternatively, herbs such as thyme, rosemary and parsley can be chopped and stored in small airtight containers in the freezer.

Eat ‘em fast. The nutritional value of some produce, like spinach, will decline the longer they sit in your refrigerator. So eat these veggies fast. (Alternatively, if you grow your own, you’ll have a fresh supply at your disposal when the season is right).

Speed it up. If you need to defrost frozen meat, poultry or seafood, it’s best to do so in the refrigerator overnight. However, if you forget, you can place them on the surface of a cast iron skillet to thaw. It usually thaws in 3-4 hours, and I prefer this method over a microwave.

Take a sniff. If a piece of fish smells fishy, it probably isn’t fresh. If the fish shop it closed and/or you purchase seafood at a local grocer out of convenience, ask the attendant to tell you the freshest items on hand. They’ll be more forthcoming than you might expect.

Look at dates. Regardless of what you buy and where, be sure to look at expiration dates to ensure you are getting the freshest products possible. If it’s on sale, it may be about to spoil. That’s ok, but make sure you can use these pronto! Also, watch the expiration date on milk and other dairy products after you buy them. A swig of spoiled milk doesn’t exactly get the day off to a good start.

About Karen Evans

Karen Evans is the author of the inspiring and informative blog, Fitness: A Journey Not a Destination. Karen majored in Public Administration/Community Service, but at the age of 37, was inspired to start a career in the field of health and wellness. That is what led her to attend massage therapy school and become licensed to practice. She is a wife and mother of two on a journey to lead the healthiest life possible through exercise and nutrition. She firmly believes we can all lead healthier lives if we have the desire to do so. She maintains her own health and well-being while helping others do the same.

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2. Courtney

   
   08/17 2010

   Hi Melinda…
   I think we are going to commit to purchasing a package from Spuds, a company which delivers fresh, organic fruits and veggies once a week or once every two weeks to your house. I can hardly wait! They just bring whatever is in season to you & you can include your preferences of what you do and don’t like, which is a great option for folks who are unable to make it out to the farmers’ markets! Also, I have a new FAVORITE thing which I think you’ll love too, blue cheese on crackers with honey drizzled over the top. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried it before, but if not, I PROMISE you that it will become one of your favorites too!