keeping vegetables fresh

[torakris]

I know it is ideal to buy your produce and try to use it the same day or as quickly as possible, but now as it is in the dead of winter I hate going grocery shopping. With 3 little ones in the house I try to put it off to once or twice a week, but that meas we eat a lot of root vegetables, which isn't a bad thing but I would like more leafy things in our diet.

So are there any hints/tips on how to store vegetabls to keep them fresher longer?

A couple years ago I learned about wrapping calery in tin foil and it really does keep it fresh for a couple weeks.

[laurel]

I use these things: http://www.greenbags.com/index.html

[fifi]

Down on the first page of the This REALLY works thread, we talked about the bags and these discs you can get here at Bed Bath & Beyond. Someone, I think Toliver, found a site for the disc things. It apparantly wasn't on this thread, though. I can't find it. If I do, I will post it. Those things REALLY work.

[Mottmott]

I, like many others, wash the greens, drain well, then roll them in towels (cloth or paper), then pop the whole thing in a supermarket plastic shopping bag, tie it at the top trapping air in it, then place in the humidifier.

[torakris]

I use these things: http://www.greenbags.com/index.html

Those are what I used to use!!!!

But for some reason they are no longer available in Japan, I still look in every store I go into but they are gone. I was using them for like 5 years and they were incredible.

Taht is actually the reason I am asking the question because I no longer have access to those green bags.......

[fifi]

I found this article. I found one source for ordering them from some vegetarian web site and they were RIDICULOUSLY priced, like $20 or more. I think I paid $5 or $6 for a pack of 2 discs at BB&B.

[Arey]

When I bought some in December at the nearest BB&*B they were $4.99 for 1. I'm located in So. Jersey, 30 minutes from everywheres.

[mudbug]

So are there any hints/tips on how to store vegetabls to keep them fresher longer?

The following is from the Salad Daze Episode of Good Eats:

Now that the spin cycle is finishing up, there's one last step to suspended lettuce animation and that's oxygen depravation. After all, greens won't rot so fast if they can't breathe and they can't breathe if, well, there's no air. So just spread the greens out on a single layer of paper towel and then roll them up loosely. Now we're going to pop this whole thing into a heavy, resealable kitchen bag. Now, the towel is going to wick away any surface moisture and then slowly give it back as the greens need it. Squeeze out as much air as you can without crushing the greens and then just use a regular straw to suck out the rest.

Scene 11

[Toliver]

Down on the first page of the This REALLY works thread, we talked about the bags and these discs you can get here at Bed Bath & Beyond. Someone, I think Toliver, found a site for the disc things. It apparantly wasn't on this thread, though. I can't find it. If I do, I will post it. Those things REALLY work.

I found the original post (searched for "+green +disc") that was entitled "Like Bottled Water for Rabbits".

Here's the product link.

Note that the price on the page is for a set of two discs. With shipping added, you probably get a better deal going to Bed, Bath & Beyond yourself, provided there's one located near you.

This site also has the discs at a lower price (scroll down to 5th item on the page) but I'm not familiar with the site so I can't vouch for it. Shipping will probably add to the cost, as well.

Here's a FAQ page I found on the discs: clickety

[jaynesb]

For leafy things and herbs, I've had some success with this method.

Using a [dinner] fork, poke a lot of holes in both sides of a ziploc or other sealable bag. I use a gallon or quart size bag that will allow plenty of space for the greens.

Trim and gently wash the greens/herbs. I swish them in a large bowl of water. Spin greens in a salad spinner to remove the excess water but don't blot or crush them. They should be fluffed up a bit from being spun dry. Put the greens in the perforated bag and refrigerate. Try not to crush or compress the greens by putting other foods on top of them.

(If you notice any leaves that are starting to turn color, remove them.)

This gave me over 2 weeks on some cilantro once. I was pretty happy about that since I always end up buying more cilantro than I need and it was one of those things that spoils very quickly.

I was inspired to try this after buying one of those non-airtight plastic clamshell packages of herbs and I noticed they they stayed fresher longer than usual.

Jayne

[Suzanne F]

I do pretty much what Mudbug quoted, except that I don't wash the leaves first. Just wrap the heads well in paper towels (or spread out the bunches stalk by stalk on the towels, such as with swiss chard) and put away in plastic bags.

For herbs and watercress, I stand them in jars of water, wrap a paper towel around the "head," and place a plastic bag loosely over the top. The only problem I've had with that is the tall bunches freezing because my fridge is sometimes too cold where I keep them.

And, of course, I reuse the paper towels on the next batch of leaves, after they dry out. Eventually they are used to wipe up the counter.

[helenjp]

I remember reading this in one of those super-obasan mags like Croissant. For green veg:

1) store in the direction they naturally grow in (why do they all need to be upright??? Why would I know a thing like that???)

2) Use a small knife to hollow out the core of cabbage or Chinese cabbage and then stuff the cavity with a wet paper towel, wrap the whole thing in newspaper.

3) Long onions, scallions etc keep best trimmed, cut in usable lengths, and in plastic bags. I can attest that this is so, but couldn't begin to say why a bag of chopped scallions keeps better than a cellophane pack of whole ones with roots...

and just let me know if you ever find the secret of eternal cucumber life!

[Schneier]

I use these things: http://www.greenbags.com/index.html

We use these, too.

They really work. We love them.

Bruce

[ghostrider]

For leafy things and herbs, I've had some success with this method.

Using a [dinner] fork, poke a lot of holes in both sides of a ziploc or other sealable bag. I use a gallon or quart size bag that will allow plenty of space for the greens.

hey stayed fresher longer than usual.

Jayne

A few years ago, Ziploc was actually selling a product called "vegetable bags," their regular bags nicely perforated with regularly spaced little holes. They worked wonderfully.

I started to run low last year & went out to buy a replacement box. Couldn't find them anywhere (north Jersey + a few NYC stores). I wonder if they were a flop. Shame because they really did the job.

Has anyone seen these bags anywhere?

BTW I found that they were also excellent for storing crusty French or Italian bread & maintaining the texture of both crust & interior. In the fridge. All you had to do was remember to pull the bread out an hour or so before eating & let it return to room temp.