Day 23 of 30: Storing Your Produce

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #71CCD5;”] S[/dropcap]toring fresh produce can be daunting.

And it can be quite expensive if you get it wrong.

But don’t worry!

It doesn’t have to be hard.

There are a two simple rules you can follow to keep your veg (and fruit) fresh and tasty for as long as possible.

This will save you money and that guilty feeling that goes with throwing away things that have gone bad.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN TODAY:

• 2 Simple Rules for Storing Produce
• A note about ethylene

RULE 1. If in doubt keep it in the fridge.

Most chemical reactions slow down at cooler temperatures. Same with micro-organism growth.

In general cooler storage = longer shelf life.

There are, of course, exceptions.

I store the following at room temperature, in the pantry, preferably in a dark place:

-potatoes / sweet potatoes – in a paper bag / hessian / burlap sack – allows them to breathe & protects from light.

-whole avocado – (sensitive to chilling injury) once cut, though I keep in the fridge.

-garlic – in a paper bag

-onions – in a paper bag / hessian sack / burlap sack – allows them to breathe & protects from light.

-tomatoes – (sensitive to chilling injury) refrigeration changes their texture and dulls their flavour.

-bananas (sensitive to chilling injury).

-anything that is under ripe.

RULE 2. Use the veg crisper AND store in plastic / produce bags.

The refrigeration process removes moisture from the air inside your fridge, making it particularly drying.

Because veg and fruit have a high water content, they are very sensitive to drying.

If you leave a lettuce in the fridge uncovered, it will wilt pretty quickly.

The solution is to make the most of the crisper section of the fridge – and have it set to the ‘veg’ storage setting.

I also keep my veg wrapped in plastic bags as extra protection.

It really makes a difference. I have cabbages lasting 4 weeks or more in a plastic bag.

If you want to avoid plastic bags, look for waxed produce bags that will prevent things drying out.

I have seen cloth produce bags or people recommending using damp calico bags or pillow cases. These are better than leaving produce completely exposed but will still allow dehydration.

So for now I continue with my plastic bags.

A note about ethylene.

Bananas produce lots of ethylene gas as they ripen. And ethylene can speed up the ripening process in other produce.

So if you have something like an avocado that you want to ripen quickly, just pop it in a paper bag with a ripe banana and it will happen in no time.

But if you want things to last longer, keep them away from your bananas!

SUMMARY:

Here’s what we’ve covered:

• Rule Number 1. – if in doubt to store produce in the fridge. Except for tomato, potato, onion, avocado, garlic, banana.
• Rule Number 2. – Use the veg crisper AND store in plastic / produce bags to prevent produce drying out.
• Bananas produce ethylene which helps other things ripen or can cause over ripening

ACTIVITY

Open your fridge and have a good look at how you’re storing things.

Are there potatoes, onions, tomatoes or garlic in there?

Then get them out!

Is everything covered and protected from drying out? If not, pop your veg in plastic or produce bags.

LEARN MORE

To really master the art of storing ingredients for maximum shelf life, see the bonus Ingredient Storage Training. It also includes sections on freezing and defrosting 🙂

Keep it simple (and fun) in the kitchen!

With love,
Jules x