Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great addition to your diet; however, the cost can be detrimental to your pocket book, especially when they spoil before you eat them. The key to saving money, and getting to enjoy those wonderful fruits and veggies, is learning how to store them properly. For some reason, they never teach you which veggies you are supposed to refrigerate, which ones you are not, which ones to wrap, and which ones to let breathe (this should really be a class taught in high school). So here is a little bit of knowledge on the subject. I hope it will help you preserve the taste and quality of your produce.
For starters, vegetables remain fresh longest in a moist environment, such as your crisper drawer. The setting should be set to high moisture for vegetables, and low moisture for fruits. The crisper’s function is to slow the dehydration of the vegetables. However, there are some things you can do to help as well, such as wrapping most vegetables in plastic wrap, or storing in an airtight container. Wrapping vegetables also helps contain odors and keep them from transferring to other foods. There are some vegetables that should not be wrapped in plastic wrap; like mushrooms, which should be kept in a paper bag.
It is possible for vegetables to have too much moisture also, which can cause brown spots. For lettuce and spinach, make sure they are drained well before storing, and place paper towels in the bag to soak up extra moisture. You will need to change the cloth often. You can also buy a special storage device made specifically for lettuce, which raises the lettuce and does not allow it to sit in accumulated moisture at the bottom of the container.
There are also some items that stay fresh longer if not refrigerated, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, hard rind squashes, eggplant, and mature onions. These should be stored in a cool, dry area. Tomatoes should only be refrigerated once fully ripe and only for a short time.
You fridge’s temperature setting is also very important. The fresh food compartment of your refrigerator should be kept between 34-40 degrees Fahrenheit. You can check this by using an appliance thermometer. Having the temperature too low can result in freezing, which will turn your veggies brown and limp.
Here is a chart to help you with storage times for some of the most popular vegetables:
|
Vegetable |
Fridge Time |
Storage Tips |
|
Asparagus |
2-3 days                     |
store in crisper |
|
Broccoli |
3-5 days                     |
wrap and store in crisper |
|
Celery     |
1-2 weeks                  |
store in crisper |
|
Carrots      |
2 weeks                       |
wrap and store in crisper |
|
Lettuce |
1 week                        |
wash, drain well, wrap, and store in crisper |
|
Mushrooms |
3-5 days                     |
store in paper bag in crisper |
|
Peppers  |
1 week                         |
wrap and store in crisper |
|
Cucumbers |
1 week                         |
wrap and store in crisper |
Follow these guidelines and you should be enjoying fresh produce from now on! Good luck!
Tags: fruits, storing your produce, vegetables