Almanac for Homemakers

How Long Can You Keep Fresh Fruits? "Before storing fruits, sort them and either use or discard damaged fruits immediately." Fresh fruit is great until it isn't. Here are some tips from our Almanac to keep fruit fresh: 1. Unripe fruits should be left to ripen in open air at room temp. 2. Melons can be stored at room temp for a few days. 3. Fresh fruits can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. 4. Leave stems on fruit to help keep fresher 5. Citrus fruit will keep better in the refrigerator You can find more tips on how to store fruits and veggies in this article from The Kitchn . (I didn't spell that wrong, that's the name of the site) I know I store my fruits and veg wrong. Part of me just doesn't care ok. There I said it! I'll wash it and put it away, but after that I'm not losing sleep if my bananas are next to the apples. I do feel bad when something goes bad in the fridge. That...

Shop to Avoid Leftover Fruits "When estimating the number of servings from fresh fruits, allow for waste - the inedible parts, such as parings, trimmings, cores, and pits." Our Homemaker Heroine is having a rough time with her grocery shopping. Yesterday she had some vegetable issues. Today she is contemplating her life decisions. "Why didn't I just go for that math degree? I went and got an Art degree and now I'm unemployed staring at fruit for 30 minutes while the produce monger wonders when he should call 911 on the weird lady that won't put the raspberries down." I have no problems saving money on my fruit shopping. Here is a tip. Buy what you and your family likes. One day I went to the store and bought some grapes. They were gone within two days and that was with me hiding them. I just got some pineapple and I can guarantee you that will last me all week as I will be the only one eating it. The kids expr...

An Irish Fruitcake, Begorra! "It's Saint Patrick's Day. So let's think Irish. For instance, how about an Irish whiskey fruitcake." Ok Begorra isn't a food. It is a euphemism that means "by God". In some Irish counties, saying begorra means "Holy Mother of God". So it's kind of like....slang. You can click here for a recipe for a Traditional Irish Fruitcake , which is called barmbrack. Our Almanac post suggests that you purchase one from Molly O'Rourke's Label! Unfortunately, the company that made these famous fruit cakes has gone out of business. These cakes in a green tin were sought after at one point.  It's almost sad to see them gone and not find much information on their company and how it got started. ... Fruit cakes have been around since the Romans. You might have a loaf that has been passed around the family ever since the first Christmas. Barmbrack is usual...