Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Keep Produce Fresher Longer!

Being that I eat Paleo I am constantly buying produce.  The problem is, its hard to use everything before it starts to go bad.  No matter what kind of diet you follow, we could all benefit from learning how to extend the life of our fruits and vegetables.  Luckily for us the Ecology Center in Berkeley has put together a cheat sheet of tips to help us lengthen the longevity of our fruit and vegetables. 

Fruit:
Apples‐storeonacoolcounterorshelfforuptotwoweeks.Forlongerstorageina
cardboardboxinthefridge.
Citrus‐storeinacoolplace,withgoodairflow,neverinanair‐tightcontainer.
Apricots‐onacoolcountertoroomtemperatureorfridgeiffullyripe
Cherries‐ storeinanairtightcontainer.Don’twashcherriesuntilreadytoeat,anyadded
moistureencouragesmold.
Berries-­Don’tforget,they’refragile.Whenstoringbecarefulnottostacktoomanyhigh,a
singlelayerifpossible.Apaperbagworkswell,onlywashbeforeyouplanoneating
them.
Dates‐ dryerdates(likeDegletNoor)arefinestoredoutonthecounterinabowlorthe
paperbagtheywereboughtin.
Moistdates(likeMedjool)needabitofrefrigerationifthey’regoingtobestored
overaweek,eitherinclothorapaperbag‐aslongasit’sporoustokeepingthe
moistureawayfromtheskinofthedates.
Figs‐Don’tlikehumidity,so,noclosedcontainers.Apaperbagworkstoabsorbexcess
moisture,butaplateworksbestinthefridgeuptoaweekun‐stacked.
Melons‐uncutinacooldryplace,outofthesunuptoacoupleweeks.Cutmelonsshouldbe
inthefridge,anopencontainerisfine.
Nectarines‐(similartoapricots)storeinthefridgeisokayifripe,butbesttakenoutaday
ortwobeforeyouplanoneatingthemsotheysoftentoroomtemperature.
Peaches (andmoststonefruit)‐refrigerateonlywhenfullyripe.Morefirmfruitwillripen
onthecounter.
Pears‐willkeepforafewweeksonacoolcounter,butfineinapaperbag. Tohastenthe
ripeningputanappleinwiththem.
Persimmon‐Fuyu‐ (shorter/pumpkinshaped):storeatroomtemperature.
Hachiya‐(longer/pointedend):roomtemperatureuntilcompletelymushy.The
astringentnessofthemonlysubsideswhentheyarecompletelyripe.

Tohastenthe
ripeningprocessplaceinapaperbagwithafewapplesforaweek,checknowand
then,butdon’tstack‐theygetveryfragilewhenreallyripe.
Pomegranates‐keepuptoamonthstoredonacoolcounter.
Strawberries‐Don’tliketobewet.Dobestinapaperbaginthefridgeforuptoaweek‐
checkthebagformoistureeveryotherday.


Veggies:
Artichokes‐placeinanairtightcontainersealed,withlightmoisture.
Asparagus‐placethemlooselyinaglassorbowluprightwithwateratroomtemperature.
(willkeepforaweekoutsidethefridge)
Avocados‐placeinapaperbagatroomtemp.

Tospeeduptheirripening‐placeanapplein
thebagwiththem.
Arugula‐ arugula,likelettuce,should notstaywet!Dunkincoldwaterandspinorlayflatto
dry.Placedryarugulainanopencontainer,wrappedwithadrytoweltoabsorbany
extramoisture.
Basil‐isdifficulttostorewell.Basildoesnotlikethecold,ortobewetforthatmatter.The
bestmethodhereisanairtightcontainer/jarlooselypackedwithasmalldamp
pieceofpaperinside‐leftoutonacoolcounter.
Beans,shellingopencontainerinthefridge,eatASAP.Somerecommendfreezingthemif
notgoingtoeatrightaway
Beets‐cutthetopsofftokeepbeetsfirm,(besuretokeepthegreens!)byleavinganytopon
rootvegetablesdrawsmoisturefromtheroot,makingthemlooseflavorandfirmness.
Beetsshouldbewashedandkeptinandopencontainerwithawettowelontop.
Beetgreens‐placeinanairtightcontainerwithalittlemoisture.
Broccoli‐placeinanopencontainerinthefridgeorwrapinadamptowelbeforeplacingin
thefridge.
BroccoliRabe‐leftinanopencontainerinthecrisper,butbestusedassoonaspossible.
BrusselsSprouts‐Ifboughtonthestalkleavethemonthatstalk.Putthestalkinthefridge
orleaveitonacoldplace.Ifthey’reboughtloosestoretheminanopencontainer
withadamptowelontop.
Cabbage‐leftoutonacoolcounterisfineuptoaweek,inthecrisperotherwise.

Peeloff
outerleavesiftheystarttowilt.Cabbagemightbegintolooseitsmoistureaftera
week,so,bestusedassoonaspossible.
Carrots‐cutthetopsofftokeepthemfreshlonger.Placetheminclosedcontainerwith
plentyofmoisture,eitherwrappedinadamptowelordunkthemincoldwater
everycoupleofdaysifthey’restoredthatlong.
Cauliflower‐willlastawhileinaclosedcontainerinthefridge,buttheysaycauliflowerhas
thebestflavorthedayit’sbought.
Celery‐doesbestwhensimplyplacesinacuporbowlofshallowwateronthecounter.
Celeryroot/Celeriac‐wraptherootinadamptowelandplaceinthecrisper.
Corn‐leaveunhuskedinanopencontainerifyoumust,butcornreallyisbestthedayit’s
picked.
Cucumber‐wrappedinamoisttowelinthefridge.Ifyou’replanningoneatingthemwithin
adayortwoafterbuyingthemtheyshouldbefineleftoutinacoolroom.
Eggplant‐doesfineleftoutinacoolroom.Don’twashit,eggplantdoesn’tlikeanyextra
moisturearounditsleaves.Forlongerstorage‐placeloose,inthecrisper.
Favabeans‐placeinanairtightcontainer.
Fennel‐ifusedwithinacoupledaysafterit’sboughtfennelcanbeleftoutonthecounter,
uprightinacuporbowlofwater(likecelery).Ifwantingtokeeplongerthanafew
daysplaceinthefridgeinaclosedcontainerwithalittlewater.
Garlic‐ storeinacool,dark,place.
Greengarlic‐ anairtightcontainerinthefridgeorleftoutforadayortwoisfine,bestbefore
driedout.
Greens‐ removeanybands,twistties,etc.mostgreensmustbekeptinanair‐tight
containerwithadampcloth‐tokeepthemfromdryingout.Kale,collards,andchard
evendowellinacupofwateronthecounterorfridge.
Greenbeans‐theylikehumidity,butnotwetness.Adampclothdrapedoveranopenor
looselyclosedcontainer.
GreenTomatoes‐storeinacoolroomawayfromthesuntokeepthemgreenanduse
quicklyortheywillbegintocolor.
Herbs-­aclosedcontainerinthefridgetokeptuptoaweek.Anylongermightencourage
mold.
Lettuce‐keepdamp inanairtightcontainerinthefridge.
Leeks‐ leaveinanopencontainerinthecrisperwrappedinadampclothorinashallowcup
ofwateronthecounter(justsotheverybottomofthestemhaswater).
Okra‐doesn’tlikehumidity.Soadrytowelinanairtightcontainer.Doesn’tstorethatwell,
besteatenquicklyafterpurchase
Onion‐storeinacool,darkanddry,place‐goodaircirculationisbest,sodon’tstackthem.
Parsnips‐ anopencontainerinthecrisper,or,likeacarrot,wrappedinadampclothinthe
fridge.
Potatoes‐(likegarlicandonions)storeincool,darkanddryplace,suchas,aboxinadark
cornerofthepantry;apaperbagalsoworkswell.
Radicchio‐placeinthefridgeinanopencontainerwithadampclothontop.
Radishes‐removethegreens(storeseparately)sotheydon’tdrawoutexcessmoisture
fromtherootsandplacetheminaopencontainerinthefridgewithawettowel
placedontop.
Rhubarb‐ wrapinadamptowelandplaceinanopencontainerintherefrigerator.
Rutabagasinanidealsituationacool,dark,humidrootcellaroraclosedcontainerinthe
crispertokeeptheirmoisturein.
Snappeas‐refrigerateinanopencontainer
Spinach‐storelooseinanopencontainerinthecrisper,coolassoonaspossible.Spinach
lovestostaycold.
Springonions‐Removeanybandortieandplaceinthecrisper.
SummerSquash‐doesfineforafewdaysifleftoutonacoolcounter,evenaftercut.
Sweetpeppers‐Onlywashthemrightbeforeyouplanoneatingthemaswetnessdecreases
storagetime.Storeinacoolroomtouseinacoupleadays,placeinthecrisperif
longerstorageneeded.
SweetPotatoes‐Storeinacool,dark,well‐ventilatedplace.Neverrefrigerate‐‐sweet
potatoesdon’tlikethecold.
Tomatoes‐Neverrefrigerate.Dependingonripeness,tomatoescanstayforuptotwo
weeksonthecounter.Tohastenripenessplaceinapaperbagwithanapple.
Turnips‐removethegreens(storeseparately)sameasradishesandbeets,storetheminan
opencontainerwithamoistcloth.
Wintersquash‐ storeinacool,dark,wellventilatedplace.Manygrowerssaywinter
squashesgetsweeterifthey’restoredforaweekorsobeforeeaten.
Zucchini‐doesfineforafewdaysifleftoutonacoolcounter,evenaftercut.Wrapinacloth andrefrigerateforlongerstorage.

What did you find most helpful?