So much has happened since early this year,...way too much... and I have neglected to post...I will try to remedy that.
Let's just say that things were already chaotic for us before the Covid-19 pandemic started knocking on our country's door...
Due to my son being diagnosed with stage 4 small cell lung and liver cancer in mid-January, and all that it entails - doctor visits, lab work, chemo treatment series, etc - we cannot just hunker down and quarantine, except for short periods of times, but we are taking all the precautions we need to take to try to ward off any infections.
Some of us garden, and some of us shop at the farmers markets, or our favorite supermarket...Some farmers markets have closed and some are converting to 'drive-by' locations, where you don't even have to get out of your car.
Since we can't go shopping as often now, sometimes we might buy a bit more of the fresh veggies than we normally would...and they might start spoiling before you get to use them all...here are some good storage tips I have found.
How to stop vegetables wilting when picked
Cut the green tops off vegetables like carrots, beets and parsnips before you put them in the fridge. These tops absorb moisture and are what hastens carrots and other root veg to go limp and bendy.
Some of the tender top leaves can be eaten of course, but do store them separately from their bottoms!
Do not wash lettuce or leafy greens before storing unless there is too much dirt, but if you do have to wash them, let them dry naturally before storing.
For root veggies, such as radishes, carrots, beetroots etc, I make sure they're as dry as possible, then break off the leaves near the crown first and store the roots sealed in veggie cloth bags and if I want to use the leaves I'll put them in a separate bag. Lettuce can last up to 2 weeks. Green beans are a little more difficult, let them dry before storing away
It's important to handle veggies carefully, as any bruising will go bad quickly. In cold seasons, it's fine to keep spare veggies out of fridge, but still I seal them up in bags. The main point to keep in mind is to keep the veggies cool and out of the sun or any direct heat.
I know putting some veggies like radishes in a bowl of cold water in fridge will keep them crisp, but be careful you don't nick the radishes, because some vitamins could leach out into the water. (Sonia note: my husband loved radishes...I would trim off the top and root end, wash well, and store in a glass jar filled with clean water to which I added salt. He would munch on them as if they were candy)
A good way to store celery and most brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, artichokles, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, etc., in the fridge is to wash (cut celery into long sticks) and wrap in slightly damp tea towel, then put into plastic bag removing as much air as possible. If you've got a large celery for example, wash and prepare it and keep half in plastic bag in fridge and the rest do the tea towel wrap thing. Once I went away for 4 weeks and this celery was as good as freshly picked!
I'll continue to share hints and tips on saving our fresh veggie purchases and any other advice I find to make these days a bit easier on us...
