Proper storing of vegetables...help?!
Proper storing of vegetables...help?
I have many fresh vegetables from my hubby's farm garden (it's not our farm). Green beans--some I cut, blanched, and froze, but how should the fresh ones be handled. I will use them tomorrow night for supper. Do I leave them out or put them in the fridge?
Also, I have a lovely large cabbage head (no..not me! It's a vegetable). I know this will keep well in my veg crisper, but do I wrap in plastic, or just as it is?
Mushrooms...they get slimy no matter what I try. Help!
And also green onions. They just get wilty when I put them in the crisper without any covering. Again, help?
I would like to make my vegetable last a bit longer. I hate throwing out good food, but there are only the two of us to eat it. Thank you for your help in advance :-)
Answers:
Since you are using the green beans so soon, you could probably get away with leaving them out. I would just put them into a ziptop storage bag and leave them in the crisper.
I would also put the whole cabbage head into a ziptop bag. Cabbage is very hearty though, so if you wanted to cut it up or shred it before you stored it, it should be fine.
Mushrooms are a pain in my ***. If you keep them covered, they get slimy. If you leave them uncovered, they will absorb all the refridgerator funky smells. I would saute them, cool, and freeze them. If you want them fresh... well... I don't buy them unless I'm going to use them that day or the next. Make salads, add them to whatever you're making for dinner, and have omelets with sliced mushrooms for breakfast. :)
On second thought, since you've already got them, you could try wrapping them with a dry paper towel, maybe that will help absorb some of the moisture.
You can rinse them (gasp!) as well. They will absorb SOME water, but as long as you don't leave them soaking they will be fine. You can also remove the gills too before rinsing, as they tend to absorb the most water.
Green onion: yep... ziptop baggie.
I always take all of my veggies out and put them in ziptop bags as soon as I get home. If I don't, I'll never do it. :)
I wrap my herbs in damp paper towels and put those into ziptop bags as well, because I have a teeny apartment refridgerator. If you have the space, the best way to store leafy herbs is to stick them in a glass of water (like flowers in a vase) and keep them in the fridge.
Most fruit I'll just leave in the store bags... citrus and apples don't need a whole lot of prepping.
The only thing I don't prep before is berries. If you wash those things then store them in the fridge, they will mold SO fast, sometimes even as soon as the next morning. Some restauraunts wash, core, and slice their berries beforehand, but they also tend to add sugar, which is a preservative.
Good luck with your veggies!