Do you really want to know the life story of the fruit and veg from your SM? Personally, I prefer to remain naive, as I have few other options in feeding my family.
As to those month old stems of celery in your fridge.. unless they smell funky, slimy, or are discolored.. you're fine. Between selective breeding, gassing, and spraying.. they are just as safe to eat as when you bought them.
I think people are generally over sensitive about how vegetables are produced today, because of some particularly disastrous events in the 50s and 60s with DDT.
Humans don’t process plant dna so you don’t need to worry about the genetics of the vegetables either.
The only thing I would be careful around is food that appears to be still good way after it should be mouldy. Usually this is because the veg has been bred to retain a good outward experience but the inner parts are bad.
The sweeter something tastes, the less well it keeps as rule (parsnips being the exception that proves it). The SMs are not able to get fruit and veg onto the shelves quickly, so will harvest a lot of things before they are fully ripe and hope they hit their 'peak' as they hit the shelves. It works with some things - bananas for example. Less well with others - tomatoes and strawberries. Most packaging states a variety these days, so if you know Elsanta strawberries are grown primarily because their skins are tough rather than because they taste nice, then you can just not buy Elsanta strawberries.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Tin Pot, that was my main worry. I once had a 'pet' pepper, which lived in the back of my salad drawer for months and months. After a few weeks, I was never going to eat it, but I was curious as to how long it was going to last It wasn't very communicative - you need some feedback from a pet - so I eventually got bored with it and chucked it away.
Tin Pot, that was my main worry. I once had a 'pet' pepper, which lived in the back of my salad drawer for months and months. After a few weeks, I was never going to eat it, but I was curious as to how long it was going to last It wasn't very communicative - you need some feedback from a pet - so I eventually got bored with it and chucked it away.
We have all been made to feel sell and eat by dates are rigid rules for vegetables etc. Look at them and smell them and use your judgement. I often cut chunks out of onions carrots, cucumber etc to get to the clean undamaged vegetable.
I am a vegetarian now but I would take more care with meats and other food stuffs c which go off more quickly. (I do sometime find the ends of cucumbers, soggy and mouldy in the remains of the soggy plastic wrappers.) Nobody's perfect.
I store my onions from September to March, Potatoes from September to May. Cabbages for 2-3 months. And all of those are just in my barn, put them in the properly controlled climate of the big veg storing warehouses and they will go longer. Pick a fresh lettuce from your garden, get it chilled within 30mins of picking it and wrap it in airtight plastic, then put it in the bottom of your fridge and forget it, it will hold for a couple of weeks. If a vegetable looks ok it is ok, it may not be in peak condition, I wouldn't advise week old sweetcorn or peas (taste wise) but it won't harm you.
If you wrap an ice-berg lettuce from the supermarket in tin foil it will keep perfectly in the fridge for weeks. (there is just so much lettuce a girl on her own can eat in a week!).
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
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As to those month old stems of celery in your fridge.. unless they smell funky, slimy, or are discolored.. you're fine. Between selective breeding, gassing, and spraying.. they are just as safe to eat as when you bought them.
Humans don’t process plant dna so you don’t need to worry about the genetics of the vegetables either.
The only thing I would be careful around is food that appears to be still good way after it should be mouldy. Usually this is because the veg has been bred to retain a good outward experience but the inner parts are bad.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I once had a 'pet' pepper, which lived in the back of my salad drawer for months and months. After a few weeks, I was never going to eat it, but I was curious as to how long it was going to last It wasn't very communicative - you need some feedback from a pet - so I eventually got bored with it and chucked it away.
I am a vegetarian now but I would take more care with meats and other food stuffs c which go off more quickly.
(I do sometime find the ends of cucumbers, soggy and mouldy in the remains of the soggy plastic wrappers.) Nobody's perfect.
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'