Clearly Fresh - A Clear way to stretch your food dollar!

I have seen this logo on my Costco broccoli florets for awhile
With food prices soaring and the bounty of summer produce, it is so important to be able to store food so that we can lengthen its shelf life and minimize waste.  There is nothing worse than having to throw out half a container of fuzzy strawberries, or slimy celery. You may have noticed that some of your packaged produce at the supermarket has a sticker with wavy intersecting blue and green lines on it, the sign of packaging that provides for optimal moisture and air exchange to lengthen the shelf life of produce.  This technology that has been used for years for commercial packaging and shipping of produce is now available for home cooks. You can buy this same kind of packaging to use in your home to keep your favorite fruits and vegetables fresh longer.  I was intrigued when I was approached to try these new Clearly Fresh bags.  I have tried other specialty products meant to help me beat mold and decay to delicate fruits and vegetables, but have not really been much impressed by the actual results in my kitchen.

However skeptical, when I received a sample of these new bags, I agreed to try them. I held on to them to see firsthand how they would work in helping me to extend the useable life of the produce I purchased on our way home from the Outer Banks.  I used these to test their effectiveness with strawberries and raspberries, two fruits that are quick to deteriorate, as well as grapes that we got at Morris Market.  I kept some of the fruit the way I normally would in the fridge and half I put in the Clearly Fresh Bags and stored. After about 4 days, the strawberries that were not stored in the Clearly Fresh bag were fuzzy and had to be discarded.  However,  my daughter ate the Clearly Fresh strawberries for a full week, which stayed fresh.
How do they work? These bags use BreatheWay technology that slows the respiration rate of produce and allows ethylene, a ripening agent to leave the bag freely.  The result is packaging that allows the optimum balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide, slowing the rate of deterioration and keeping your precious produce fresh longer. I don't know about you, but with food prices the way they are, anything that helps me make the most of seasonal produce or bulk produce purchases is great by me.

So try these bags yourself, and take advantage of summer produce  and bumper crops and your produce will be Clearly Fresh!

Question:  What was the last spoiled item of produce you pulled from your fridge??

















Comments

Michelle L. said…
These sound awesome! I had to throw away lettuce...it was not crispy; it was just plain sad.
prasouda diet said…
Very cool theme
Unknown said…
Technology really gives us more convenient life, this idea is cool to helps our food stay fresh. I always want to eat fresh fruits and taking vitamins daily to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Oh I will have to find these, especially if they work. We throw out so much produce and for sure now that the markets are closing for the winter or fall season I am always on the hunt for money saving ideas. Thanks for your review.
Shopping Online said…
Thank you for this wonderful post. We all learned a lot from it and I'm sure all the moms appreciate this informative post. Keep it up!
The Vak Shack said…
Your blog is fantastic! Do you have any posts about Foodsaver machines? Check out my blog and let me know what you think...If you'd like I can send you some free samples if you want to try? Let me know :) Amanda
CH1CK3Npoop;P said…
I shall keep your information in mind :) I had to get rid of mouldy cheese ~ well it was sitting at the back of the fridge! then there was sloppy, chunky milk before that...
food processor said…
Thank you for all the beautiful posts, thoughts, photos and food through the years..You can always change your mind, please do!
This is great! Thanks.
Nice idea indeed. I also love eating fresh fruits and veggies! Will be trying your advice and will not let my veggies and fruits left in fridge for long. Got to bookmark your blog for reference.
KitchenFairt said…
Wow. I am investing in these bags, I almost always find one soft carrot, or head of lettuce in my produce drawer..
Dinner said…
Thanks for sharing yummy post...
walid ibrahim said…
greetings
beautiful posts
salad recipes said…
Great post!
Unknown said…
Very quick, very easy, very good post.

Raspberry Angel Cake
Brenda Nelson said…
Anything we can do to reduce food waste is a good thing. I do not have a Costco in my area, and the grocery store I shop at does not have these bags. I am in a rural area, not a lot of choice for shopping. Anyhow, it is super important for people to be aware of what they bought and to remember to use the foods they have bought because there is really nothing sillier than paying for something you are just going to throw out in the end. Good advice, nice looking blog. Thanks