Storing vegetables and herbs

[jgm]

I asked a couple of questions on another thread, and it occurred to me that maybe a whole new thread would be a good idea.

One aggravating problem I have, is green onions, or scallions. They always go slimy on me before I'm ready to use them. One member was kind enough to suggest that they be wrapped in paper towels and stored in a ziploc bag. I will try that. It's also come out that celery does much better when wrapped in foil.

I've started cutting the tops of leeks off so as to provide more room in the vegetable drawer, but I've wondered if there might be a reason not to do that.

My sister says she stores onions in a paper bag in the refrigerator. That seems to be working well, but it also takes up room that I'd like to have for other things. I wouldn't mind having other ideas.

What vegetables can be washed before putting away? Which ones should not? What should be wrapped in plastic? Paper towels?

I'd love your recommendations!

[feedmec00kies]

What I do with scallion is wrap just the bottom of it, near the root, with the wet paper towel, and put it back in a bag (I leave it open). I'm not sure how effective this method is, but it seems to work!

For onions, I heard somewhere that the best way to store them is to put them in the legs of an old pair of pantyhose, tying off between each bulb, so that you can hang them and keep them from getting wet and mildewy/moldy. (You can then just cut the pantyhose above the next onion, which is why it's supposed to be old pantyhose... though I'd probably just untie the knot instead.) I haven't tried it, but it seems like a good idea. Oh yeah, and in the dark is a good idea.

Mushrooms are best if you put them in a paper bag to store them, which will keep them from absorbing the moisture in your fridge so that they stay longer. I usually change the bag or something if the bag starts to get too damp. Also don't forget not to store them next to anything with a strong odor, like onions!

Berries (particularly raspberries) are supposed to be best if you wash them, dry them, and put them spread out in one thin layer on a paper towel-lined plate. It'll keep them from harboring any of that pesky mold-producing moisture as well, because the little pad thing they put in the package is pretty ineffective by the time you buy them.

Actually, I think most fruits and veggies that can handle washing can be washed before going in the fridge, really, as long as they are dry before they actually go in.

Someone mentioned those veggie bags for leafy greens. No matter what, I never tie off the bag (whatever type it is) for anything leafy. I'll leave it in the store bag, often times, but roll down the rim of the bag to make it shallower and maybe put a knot in the bag at one point of the opening just to make it a little narrower. Veggies like to breathe!

Now, if someone can suggest the best way to store ginger without burying it in dirt or putting it in a jar of alcohol (or something else that might effect the flavor), that would be awesome.

[nibor]

I freeze ginger whole. It is easy to peel when frozen. I just peel as much as I want to use, whack that part off, and refreeze the rest.

[Dejah]

Thanks for starting this thread!

Spanish onions, shallots, garlic, I keep in paper bags in a basket on top of the air vent by the backdoor in the summer - air conditioner. In the winter, with the heat on, I just move them off the vent, over closer to the door (open closet there). They stay cool and in the dark there. Potatoes are in another basket.

Scallions I wrap in paper towel and wrapped in Saran. They seem to keep well for about a week.

Ginger, I just keep it in a plastic baggie and in the crisper. It gets used up PDQ and I just buy more when it gets down to the last nob.

I was given an armful of rosemary branches. I can dry them but really prefer them "fresh". Can they be frozen and still retain flavour?

The branches of kaffir lime leaves I also scored are sitting in a glass of water. I'm trying to use up as much fresh as I can 'cos I've got lots frozen already. I suppose I can make bunches of SE Asian marinades, etc and freeze in containers?

[mrsadm]

This is a hot topic for me! We like a lot of green salads and the lettuces, celery, peppers, and other veggies go bad so quickly!

Has anyone tried any of the "special containers" for veggies? Like

Produce Keeper

or

Mushroom and Berry Keeper

or

Vacuum containers

[Toliver]

This is a hot topic for me!  We like a lot of green salads and the lettuces, celery, peppers, and other veggies go bad so quickly!

Has anyone tried any of the "special containers" for veggies?  Like

Produce Keeper

or

Mushroom and Berry Keeper

or

Vacuum containers

←

Some swear by those reuseable produce bags.

I swear by these disks:

ExtraLife disks The produce in my crispers seem to last a heckuva lot longer with the disks. I used to get mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

edited to add a hot link to the produce bags.

Edited August 30, 2007 by Toliver (log)

[hummingbirdkiss]

dehydrate them ...I just chop them up and leave them on a paper towel on the counter or if I have enough to warrant it I put them in the giant Mother Earth News dehydration monster I built in the 70s

or I just put the chopped up herbs ..green onions or whatever on one of the racks of the monster and set them out in the sun ..

dehydrating makes most things more concentrated and different but wonderful to be able to just grab some when I need it ..especially in the winter when the fresh herbs are scarce in my garden

I do mushrooms this way as well then grind them up into powder ...I know I am not alone in drying things here?

[heidih]

I generally shop for veggies once a week on the weekend unless my tiny garden is producing. I never wash anything. I try not to "over-buy". I used to get really carried away with fabulous produce. The main culprit seems to be moisture leading to slime. I loosely put everything in its own plastic bag- just the ones they give you at the market and store in my two crispers which have a 2 inch gap which maybe allows air to circulate(?) I look at everything once a day, and if it seems like there is moisture sweat I wipe with a paper towel and maybe crunch part of a paper towel in the bag to absorb future beads. If my cooking plans change and things are not going to be used at their peak I blanch or pre-cook in some manner to extend use into a dish late in the week or early early next week. It may be all in my head, but the concept of prolonging the life of produce is counter intuitive for me as I feel its life energy gets sapped away over time. Granted this comes from someone in Southern California with access to incredible produce almost year round versus someone faced with already aging stuff trucked in from far away. As for those slimy green onions which I do encounter when the Korean market has 5 fat bunches for $1 and I don't use them in time. Then I peel or trim the parts that are not so pretty after a week and wrap in paper towel, trying to use them up quickly as in green onion pancakes.

[moosnsqrl]

Hey jgm,

I've always been reticent to buy "uni-tasking" storage solutions, esp for herbs, but I saw an "herb keeper" for <$5 at TJMax and thought "what the heck?" It does not work for a lot of herbs, but Italian parsley or any other long-legged herb works great in it! Just give a slanted cut on the stem, to open up the capillaries and fill the bottom resevoir with H2O and . . .

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/aug/29/r...s_fresh_salsas/

I think it retails for ~$9 but I got mine for $2 and, if it saves one bunch of Italian parlsey, it paid for itself.

[C. sapidus]

Like Heidih, we try to buy just enough produce to last a week at most. Shaking excess water from scallions and cilantro seems to greatly prolong their life. Onions, shallots, and garlic last indefinitely in a wicker basket above the fridge, and even ginger remains good a week up there. Best of all, they don’t take up valuable fridge real estate.

Dejah, we store kaffir lime leaves in the freezer, stacked and tightly wrapped in a plastic bag. Of course, the best place to store kaffir lime leaves is on your own tree.

[Marigene]

I keep mushrooms in a new, unused terracotta flower pot with a paper plate over the top. They last at least a week without getting brown or slimy.

[Pierogi]

I was actually pretty (pleasantly !) surprised this week, when I pulled some mushrooms out that I had simply wrapped in a paper towel and tossed in the crisper drawer. They'd been in there maybe 4-5 days......unwashed. No slime, no browning, nada. Usually I never store them in the crisper, and do the brown bag thing, but didn't have one this time. Since there were so few, I figured, whatever. They were beautiful. *Mental note* for future 'shroom storage.

[Rehovot]

On her blog, Dorie Greenspan offers some great advice from Michael Newburg on keeping greens fresh. All you need is a plastic bag and a puff of hot air.