We struggle to eat fresh, unprocessed food amidst work, ball games, and music lessons. The worst is having to toss your efforts out in a slimy, stinky, plastic bag filled with you think was mesclun mix!
You’ve made the effort to buy the freshest for your family, when you purchased foods that were picked locally and being sold the same day as being picked. You are far more likely to have that food last longer than another piece of produce that had to travel half way around the world before even getting to your supermarket.
Now let me help you make that freshness last - Without the Plastic!
Remember: Two basic rules
Produce needs to Breathe! Excess moisture is the enemy of fresh fruits and veggies
Separate fruit and vegetables and keep bananas away from everything.
*make sure to unwrap the veggies from the plastic and remove any binding bands before the storage process.
That bag of lettuce got buried again! I know, I’m busy too and it happens all the time, the next thing you know its all slimy!
Ideally, when you get your lettuce home, rinse and dry the leaves, either by hand or in a salad spinner, making sure to remove any dead or wilted leaves.
Enter cotton pillowcase, tea towel or cloth! in a pinch use paper towels
Once they're dry, place in a thin layer on top of a towel. Gently roll the towel as if you're making a jelly roll cake, except the cake is the towel and the filling is the greens.
Would not recommend taking a bite here! Store your roll in the crisper drawer. This should be done with all greens including beet and radish tops.
Asparagus
Should be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped with a moist paper towel or you can stand them up in a glass of cold water wrapped with a damp paper towel.
Rhubarb
Yep, it's a vegetable! And since its growing season is so short, freezing it is a great way to ensure scrumptious homemade pies all year long. If you're planning to use within the week, you can store cut rhubarb in the fridge wrapped in a damp towel or in a container that breathes.
Re-purpose your odd china!
Basil
Storage in the refrigerator can brown the leaves and speed up basil’s demise. Store it at room temperature with stems placed in a jar of water. Large bunches can double as a centerpiece.
Radishes
You had great intentions to try this awesome dip (Previous Blog Post) on the weekend but now its Wednesday and the radishes are squishy and the greens are gross.
Green tops draw moisture out of root vegetables. Remove them and store separately as you would lettuce. Store the radishes in a glass container with water (change after a few days) covered with a small cloth or wrapped in a damp cloth in the crisper drawer for up to 10 days.
While we are improving our Storage game, let’s ditch the plastic as much as possible!
Mason Jars, Glass Containers and Clean Cotton Cloths are my essential storage tools and are easily found in everyone’s home.
A product I am anxious to try is Bee's Wrap for cut veggies and fruit.