Zero Waste Sonoma, in partnership with the Bay Area Recycling Outreach Coalition, encourages you to explore the resources below in order to practice smarter meal planning and become better at storing your ingredients.

Quick Tips

Check your supplies before shopping Use up the food you have.

Stick to a grocery list to avoid impulsive buying. Don't shop when you're hungry.

Proactively freeze bread, vegetables, dairy, and meat before they go bad if you buy in bulk and don't go through the food fast enough.

Buy a variety of food. Some foods last longer than others. Eat leafy greens and mushrooms first, but keep root vegetables and squash in the pantry to eat later.

Purchase food that is in season for the greatest value, least embedded food miles, and longevity of shelf life. Further, consider purchasing from local farmers and markets first when planning your shopping; that ensures seasonality, freshness, minimal packaging, and maximum impact on the local economy.

How to Keep Berries Fresher Longer

Keep those bountiful berries beautiful longer with this storage tip. You'll be berry glad you did!

How to Store Potatoes

Mashed, fried, baked and hashed - we love our potatoes! But do you know which vegetable is the enemy of fresh potatoes? Learn how to keep potatoes fresher longer with these simple storage tips.

How to Store Avocados

You got your avocado to the perfect ripeness -- congratulations! You can pop it into the fridge to maintain freshness until you're ready to use it, but how do you keep it tasty once you cut it open? Lemon juice makes it mushy, so try this tip instead!

How to Revive Wilted Greens

Lettuce help you revive those wilted greens and get more from your groceries!