Farmer's Markets: Staying Fresh With Z Wraps

Summer is the busiest season for Farmer's Markets. Produce is plentiful and the bright sun and fresh air beg to be enjoyed. Its time to break out the reusable grocery bags and get down to shopping!

Farmer’s Markets are all about freshness. Baked goods come straight from the chef's oven and fruits and veggies are picked the same day as the market or the day before. You can’t get any fresher unless you grow the food yourself.

Many of the products at Farmer's Markets are organic and most farmers refrain from using pesticides or chemicals on their plants. This is great for our bodies, but also means that the food will go bad faster.

Preserving the freshness of Farmer's Market produce once you get home can be tricky. It's disheartening when that beautiful bundle of salad turnips turns sad and shriveled before you even get a chance to eat them.

But keeping your Farmer's Market haul fresh isn't impossible. With some tried and true tips you'll be able to get the most out of your local goods.

A simple tip is to head home straight from the market. You don't want to leave your fruits and veggies baking in the sun.

Once you get home, make sure to store fruits and vegetables separately from each other. Fruits give off Ethylene gas, which causes vegetables to go bad faster.

Lettuce and kale can be kept crispy for well over a week if wrapped in an X-Large Z Wrap with a damp paper towel. That means more tasty salads and crunchy sandwiches.

Other vegetables, such as scallions and asparagus, are better kept in a glass of water. Make sure that the ends are fully submerged and change the water if it begins to look murky. Using this trick, you can get a full week of usage. 

This time of summer is when strawberries are at their peak ripeness, which is what gives them their exceptional flavor and added nutritional value. Strawberries will never taste better than they do right now! Buying in bulk is a cheaper option and trust me, once you taste them, you'll want to.

Strawberries, just like all Farmer's Market produce, go bad quickly. However, freezing them allows you to preserve their perfection for weeks to come.

Wash and dry the strawberries (don't let them soak in water), remove the tops, and place them on a baking sheet without touching one another. Cover the strawberries with an X-Large Z Wrap and freeze until they are completely solid. Transfer the frozen berries to a reusable container or wrap them in a Z Wrap and put them back in the freezer until ready to use. After freezing your Z Wrap, simply leave it on the counter to warm up before opening.

Farmer's Markets' treats like breads, muffins, pastries, and cookies can also lose their freshness between the market and your mouth. No one likes stale bread and a rock solid cookie is definitely not what the doctor ordered.

In order to stay fresh and delicious, baked goods need to retain their moisture. Without this, they will leave you utterly disappointed.

Z Wraps are perfect for keeping breads and desserts mouthwateringly delectable. The Beeswax that is used to make Z Wraps is both waterproof and breathable, so it protects your food from getting wet (soggy bread is just as bad a dry bread), while simultaneously keeping in moisture.    

Another way to ensure all your Farmer's Market buys gets used is to make meals ahead of time. Make that lasagna with the fresh spinach you bought as soon as you get home from the market. Then store it in the fridge or freezer for later. You'll thank yourself when you have a no hassle local meal all ready to go!

If you are ever unsure about how to preserve or store something from a Farmer's Markets, just ask the farmers themselves. They are very knowledgeable about all things produce and are sure to have an answer for you.