• Remember that any form of fruits and vegetables "counts" toward the daily goal. Compare the prices from fresh, canned and frozen. If you buy canned items, choose fruit canned in 100 percent fruit juice and vegetables with "low sodium" or "no salt added" on the label.
• Check your grocery store circular for items "on sale." Plan your fruit and vegetable menu items based on the sales fliers.
• Buy "in season." Apples, pears, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and winter squash are among the fruits and vegetables in season in the fall.
• If you find yourself throwing away spoiled fresh fruits or vegetables, be sure to buy what you will use within a short amount of time. Some fruit and veggies, such as berries and leafy greens, spoil quickly. Others, such as carrots and apples, can last more than a week if stored properly.
• Use leftover produce in other recipes or preserve them at home. Visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/food and click on "Food Preservation" for more information.

Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

Featured in Food Wise October 2016 newsletter (PDF)