Wednesday, January 28, 2015

How to Store Produce

It seems like it takes me a lifetime to get anything done these days and blogposts have been near impossible to do. The babies are keeping me busy as you can imagine. When I do get free time, I always have this inner argument where I ask myself if I want to sleep, get some time to myself to read, catch up on tv, or take a bubble bath, or get chores or stuff like blog-posts done. The bubble bath usually wins this battle as sleep isn't too much fun in short doses.

So a couple months ago, we came to the conclusion that we weren't eating enough produce. For fear of contracting scurvy, we decided to try Full Circle. Full Circle is this local business that delivers fresh, organic produce to your door once a week.

I was really skeptical about it and worried that they'd deliver things that we didn't like or that I wouldn't be able to use all the produce and it would go bad. However that hasn't been the case. We've been able to customize our orders and it's given me the opportunity to try things I haven't had before and to plan my meals around the produce that I have. We've actually spent less on our monthly grocery bill since starting it.

I promise this isn't a sales pitch for Full Circle, but the service has inspired me to find out the best ways to store my produce. Gone are the days where I throw everything into the crisper bin in my fridge or into a bowl on my kitchen counter. I was confused as to why so many things were going bad so quickly and the answer was that I was storing them incorrectly. I'll cover the produce that our family goes through most often, if I miss something, comment below and I'll let you know how to store it.

Greens

Examples: Romaine, Arugula, Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach, leeks, broccoli, green beans, brussels sprouts.

1. Cut off the bottom stems or the root (head) of the the greens (for broccoli, you can leave as is until you're ready to use it).
2. Separate the leaves and rinse them thoroughly getting rid of all the dirt and mud. 
3. Shake off the excess water. 
4. Wet a paper towel and wring it to get all the excess water out - you want it damp, not soaked.
5. Wrap the produce in the paper towel and place them in a ziplock bag and seal (make sure to get all the excess air out of the bag while sealing - air causes dryness).

Tip: You could also place a damp towel at the bottom of the bag, put the produce in and then place another one on top.

Carrots & Celery

If the carrots still have their stems attached, cut them off. The stems will drain the moisture from the root itself and leave you with dry, brittle carrots. 

- Rinse the carrots thoroughly and wrap them in a damp paper towel and store in an air-tight ziplock bag.
- Cut the head of the celery off and rinse each stem getting rid of all the dirt and mud. Wrap in a damp paper towel and store in an air-tight ziplock.

Tomatoes & Avocados

I use to just throw these in the fridge and call it good, but tomatoes are actually supposed to be stored at room temperature for maximum flavor. Storing them in the fridge compromises their texture and dulls their flavor. 

If you buy avocados fully ripe, you could put them in the fridge, but to help them ripen, leave them on the kitchen counter with the tomatoes. Either way, I always leave them out as I eat them way too fast for them to go bad. 

Apples

These are another fruit that I was getting all wrong. Sometimes I'd put them in the fridge, but most of the time I'd leave them out on the counter. For apples to remain crisp, they need to be refrigerated. This process is good for apples that you plan to snack on.

Sometimes you have apples in bulk (especially when fall comes around) and it's not very practical to put them in the fridge. This is just fine as they're usually used for canning or pies - I'd put those apples in a dry, well ventilated space like the bottom shelf or floor of your pantry. 

Citrus

Whether you have Oranges, Lemons, or grapefruit, there are a couple ways you can store these. 

First of all, if they're fully ripe and you're not sure you can polish them off in the next several days, store them in the fridge. 

I think they taste better at room temperature and therefore like them better that way. If they're under-ripe, then definitely leave them at room temp.

Bananas

1. You can store bananas at room temperature on your kitchen counter. 
2. If  your bananas are ripe and you want them to stay that way longer, you can place them in the fridge or peel them and put them in a ziplock bag and freeze them for smoothies.
3. If they go brown, don't worry, use them for bread, muffins, or smoothies.

*CAUTION - Store them away from other fruits and vegetables as they'll speed the oxidation process.

Grapes

1. Don't wash your grapes until you're ready to eat them as washing them will compromise their texture and will speed the ripening process. 
2. If buying in bulk, separate the clusters (keep them attached to the vine) and place them spread out on a plate or in a bowl.
3. Place in the back of your fridge where it's coldest or in the temperature controlled crisper bin.

Potatoes, Onions, Garlic

All of these vegetables have the same storing process.

1. You will need brown paper lunch bags and a hole punch.
2. Fold the lunch bags in half lengthwise and punch holes in a row down the middle. When you unfold you'll have 4 rows of holes.
3. Place the potatoes in one bag, onions in another, and garlic in another (you may need multiple bags if you have multiple items).
4. fold over the top of the bag to close, label,  and store in your pantry where it's cool and dry. The holes in the bag will keep the produce ventilated. 

* If you bought in bulk, just store in the original bags in your pantry on the bottom shelf or on the floor. Just make sure it's dry in there and that they aren't stored by any air vents. 

Mushrooms

I LOVE mushrooms and I always have them in stock. mushrooms need a cool, dry, space to hang out. When fresh, mushrooms have as much moisture that they'll need for storage, no need to add more to them. If you store them in an air tight container like a ziplock or wrapped in Saran wrap, the moisture from the mushrooms will condescend and they'll turn slimy. If too much air gets to them, they'll turn dry and useless.  

The best way that I've found to store these guys is to put them in a brown paper lunch bag and store them in the fridge. If you bought them at the store in a container of their own, leave them in that container until you're about to use them. 

CAUTION - Don't wash until you're about to use them as the water will make them turn slimy if you store afterwards.

I hope that was helpful! Again, these are the things I most often have in stock (I'm sure I forgot a few),  let me know if there's anything else you have on hand that you're not sure how to store.

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