Covid_19: How to reduce your supermarket runs

Many of my fellow readers have been quarantined already. A virus by the name of Covid_19 has turned the world upside down. Many countries confine their people, only allowing

• supermarket runs,
• doctors’ visits or
• getting medical supply and medication from the pharmacy.

Despite supermarket runs still being legal, it’s advisable for your health and the health of everyone around you, to go shopping as little as somehow possible. That’s because

• Every trip outside is a risk of catching and spreading the virus.
• Protection gear is scarce almost anywhere. Little explanation is needed that touching anything while grocery shopping is impossible. Shopping cart, products, your wallet, your bags, your car keys…
• The products you buy might be contaminated making a good scrub at home necessary. For every product on display it’s safe to assume that it’s been handled by at least 10 people.

If you feel a trip to the store is needed, I suggest calling the store you’d like to visit before you leave, both to inquire about the wait and what’s in stock.

So, mabye delivery service are the solution to all of the above. Well… they’re not.

• While they do eliminate the trip outside your house, they require a good amount of other people to do it for you. Since it’s their job to do exactly what they do for many customers, it’s actually even worse than getting out yourself.
• It remains unchanged that protection gear is scarce almost anywhere. Little explanation is needed that touching anything while grocery shopping is impossible. Shopping cart, products, your wallet, your bags, your car keys…
• The same applies for the product contamination making a good scrub at home necessary.

How to reduce your supermarket runs

• Buy smart, buy in bulk. The more provisions and staple food you have, the less you need to go out.
• Buy fruit & veg that’s not ripe yet but can continue to ripen at home. Those include:
  • Avocado
  • Tomatoes
  • Peaches
  • Strawberries
  • Papaya
  • Kiwi
  • Persimmons
  • Plums
  • Pear
  • Mango
• Plan your meals wisely. Incorporate fruit & veg into your meals of the next 1-2 days that is usually picked when ripe for consumption. Here is a list to help you do that:
  • Berries (such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
  • Cherries
  • Citrus (such as oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit)
  • Cucumber
  • Eggplant
  • Figs
  • Grapes
  • Olives
  • Peppers
  • Pineapple
  • Pomegranate
  • Summer Squash
  • Watermelon
• Buy frozen vegetables and berries. A spacious freezer will come in handy for that one.
• Check out general ideas on meal planning here.
• Many fruit & veg can be frozen. Learn more about freezer hacks here.