Saturday, April 6, 2013

Kitchen Land's Guide to Storing Fresh Produce

     Since we have started participating in the Bountiful Basket Co-Op, we have ran into the problem of how to store fresh produce to keep it its freshest. Every weekend, we are getting $20- $60 of fresh produce all in one go. in the past, we would only get what was needed for a meal or what could be quickly eaten. This made frequent trips to market and and we would spend $60+ per trip. This made eating a very expensive venture. That is why we started participating in the Bountiful Baskets organization. We try to severely limit our weekly purchases and stick to eating only the produce that is available through them (quite the challenge some weeks). Here is some methods we have found for keeping produce its freshest and most enjoyable. For best results, choose only the freshest produce before trying to store produce. Check in every so often because we plan on updating this as we learn more about fresh produce.

Apples-  There are a couple of different methods. Our favorite is to keep them in the Garage (ours stays pretty cool), making sure that they are all bruise and blemish free. For those of you who do not have a cool, dark place (like a garage or basement) a tightly sealed bag in the fridge is best. Do not wash before storing.
Asparagus- Cut the bottom inch off of stocks and store up right in a container of water in your fridge. Change water if it gets cloudy. Keeps asparagus fresh for about 7 days.
Arugula- If purchased with roots on, Wrap in a damp paper towel and place in a plastic bag. Put this in the most humid part of the fridge (the veggie crisper drawer).
Bananas- The counter top is the best place for this. If your bananas are already yellow, prolong their life a little by separating them from the main stem.
Basil and other fresh herbs- keep upright in a container of water (like you would flowers) OUTSIDE of the fridge. We keep ours in the window. They will grow roots! We have talked about planting the sprouted leaves, but eat them before we get around to it.
Bok Choy- Cut the bottom root section off the stems. Place in a bowl of cold water for about half an hour. Swirl to clean, remove from water and blot dry. Place leaves on clean, a clean, dry paper towel. Roll up leaves in the paper towels and store in a plastic bag.
Broccoli- Cut into florets and keep in a sealed plastic bag. Also, placing florets in a bowel of water in the fridge is nice for snacking.
Cabbage- remove any wilted outer leaves. Rinse and let drain in a colander. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Will store well in fridge for up to two weeks. Please note: Once you have cut or scored cabbage leaves, the vitamin C depletes with in 48 hours. So for maximum health benefits, once you cut into your head of cabbage, eat within two days.
Carrots- Using only fresh bright carrots, rinse well in cold water and store in a large bowel with enough water to cover carrots, cover tightly with a lid. Change water every four days. Carrots will stay fresh for two weeks.
Cauliflower- Cut into florets and keep in a sealed plastic bag.
Celery- after trying many different methods, we have found that placing celery in a tightly closed plastic bag keeps it the freshest. This works whether it is cut off the root base or kept intact. The key to storage is keeping moisture out (so no prewashing for best results). Can keep fresh for up to two months.
Cilantro- Place upright in a container (we use a drinking glass) with about an inch of water. Cover tops with a plastic sandwich bag and keep in fridge.
Garlic bulbs- Keep in a cool, dark place that is free of moisture. The refrigerator is not a good place. Think pantry or garage (if yours stays cool). Some people like to keep theirs under a clay pot. This will inhibit sprouting. Once you break into the bulb and start using the individual cloves, the garlic will start to age faster.
Ginger- OK, this sounds weird, but we store our ginger in a pot of organic soil and water it when ever the soil dries out. As we need some ginger, we just dig it up, break off a piece and cover it with soil. If you think about it, ginger is really just a root, so it makes sense.
Green Onion- Place  upright in a container (we use a drinking glass) with about an inch of water. Cover tops with a plastic sandwich bag and keep in fridge. Keeps crisp for 7- 10 days.
Green, yellow, red, or orange peppers- these store well in the crisper section of your fridge. Just be sure that they are free of paper or plastic bags to ensure good air flow. Freezing is supposed to be a good option, we will get back to you on that.
Kale- Wash off all dirt and sand. Shake off excess water and wrap with dry paper towels. Can store well for 3- 5 days.
Radishes- if purchased with greens on: cut greens off, wrap in damp paper towel and place them (the greens) in a plastic bag (great if added to soups or for juicing). Rinse radishes and keep in a plastic bag.
Strawberries- believe it or not, strawberries store best if kept at room temperatures. Just be sure to remove the moldy ones, do not prewash, and place a dry paper towel at the bottom of the container you with to store them in.

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