Produce care

[Richard Chrz]

So, when you get home from shopping at a store or a farmers' market how do you handle produce and do you have any weekly regiment for maintaining it.

Of course, eat right away is best, but I do not do the shopping, nor do I expect my wife to go every day to get me fresh produce.

Lettuce, herbs, fruit, .... how do you clean, dry, repackage, what type of containers, deli bags? Do you go through them every few days to try to keep down on any plant material that looks like it is breaking down?

I get some food rot every now and then and would really like to reduce it.

[Carolyn]

Following. I am terrible at keeping up with produce. If I don't cut it up and freeze it, I tend to lose it.

[dpearce]

I've been asking AI the best ways to store certain vegetables and what to look for when they're past their prime. Turns out, I forgot what my parents knew years ago about onions, garlic cloves, fruits, and other vegetables.

I'd always assumed the refrigerator was best for most things. Turns out, I was storing some of those things wrong.

I do wash lettuce and leafy greens when I get them home, then dry them as best I can before refrigerating. I stopped storing them in air-tight containers and bags, instead, using the drawers in the fridge that have the airflow selectors. Usually, I have to remind myself which things go into which drawer, and if there's something that's say touching something else, I'll lightly wrap those things in a paper towel so they don't affect each other. Once cut, I do move things into bags or air-tight containers, if only to keep them from affecting anything else in the fridge. But, the lifespan and flavor, is most likely going to be less.

Our produce is lasting longer these days. I'm sure if I customize things further, I might get even a few more days out of stuff.

I have yet to delve into canning or preserving, but that might be something I'll consider for pre-prepped vegetable-based items.

[klflowers]

Yeah onions, potatoes, garlic, ginger - I just put into a bin. I only refrigerate onions after I cut them.

[klflowers]

I have tried everything - special containers, mesh bags, Tupperware. I have wrapped roots in wet paper towels and stood fancy lettuces up by the roots in containers in water in the fridge. I came to the conclusion that if I buy say heads of red and green lettuce, and just store it in a bowl, i may have 4-5 days. Same with the fancy stuff. At the outside. Arugula and heads of lettuce last longer. I usually just put those in a ziplock bag and clean it as I use it.

I used to buy lettuce from a vendor at a farmers market, and she recommended the roots in damp paper towels, but she said the stuff would last maybe a week. She may have been setting me up to be a repeat customer though lol.

I have given up on storing herbs. I'll buy thyme or oregano in those little boxes, but i don't use it fast enough. I am thinking about trying to grow my own.

The fruits I eat are pretty hardy, and i only buy a week's worth at a time. I am not a banana fan, but my son is and he always ends up throwing a couple away. And I despise avocado, so i don't have to deal with those at all.

I'll be interested to hear suggestion too. I go on these fresh produce binges, but when they end i end up throwing stuff out too.

[klflowers]

dpearce my ex, the vegan (doomed from the start) tried to get me to eat avocados. She gave me all the health reasons, tried to sneak it into dishes, smoothies, everything. I did find one commercial guacamole I liked, but if I didn't eat it all in one sitting it turned black. No thanks

[dpearce]

klflowers Smoothies huh? Yeah, that's not going to happen. I salt and pepper the hell out of sliced (thinly sliced) avocado, usually combining it with apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar, tossing it into a salad with lots of stronger flavors. Or toss them in a ton of cottage cheese with salt and pepper. I have to admit, they are good for you, and if you want some serious upper arm workouts, you can eat them before they ripen, but honestly, I'm not heartbroken when I skip a day or two.

[Carolyn]

Herbs are very easy. They are the only things I grew easily and didn't kill. If you decide to grow some basil in a pot, there is a video on YouTube that shows how to trim the plants to keep them full and not leggy.

[jfmorris]

My wife washes stuff, dries it and bags it up in zip locks, with a few paper towels to absorb any moisture. However, everything I read says to NOT do this with berries and such, and only wash right before eating. She wants it ready to just reach in the fridge and grab a handful of strawberries, blueberries, carrots, celery, whatever.

Rarely do I see mold or anything like that in the week or so these things usually last in our fridge, so I will leave her and her processes alone.

[theroc]

We wrap most things in wet/squeezed cotton dish towels. This works wonders for leafy greens including lettuce and anything else requiring refrigeration such as carrots, celery, etc. Easily get a week or more safely in the crisper. We don't usually wrap peppers, just put them in a mesh bag and into the crisper.

The only things we like to wash and spin dry ahead of time before wrapping in the damp towels are herbs such as parsely, cilantro, etc. This is mostly for convenience, though. Makes it easy to grab a bunch and use it right away when cooking.

Edit - Forgot to add that the only refresh that we'll do is rewet the towels if they dry out in the crisper before we can use the produce.

[N227GB]

I have several of these, there is smalll packer of carbon that absorbs ethylene which speeds up the ripening process.

Posted from my phone.

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-GreenSaver-Produce-Keeper/dp/B00TO8X0BA?crid=3LZVJEC2E2PXN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.q_1IkWAYUsj3k7NRSrmfWeMUh4E5PGWeFftii18JNy304pIGhwUoVBSilmCBB2frWFxOooA62Ikg6YYGsEp0jLCYRFjsRjX72qJ4WH1fa2rGEt0PuLZUXQtnAIcUzHuigWwK9PvwHrvbYkPl6n_APkIhCkd1CTmKHPPvJFnJsnCBs9lnWDfEmNGVWc7wAc9Ecx4km1sHEdcsIvXqdJX53Q.4wSWjKMs8cUo5NZrRNhc4p1I7A2rz5djTr_fFThM-Xw&dib_tag=se&keywords=vegetable+storage+containers+for+refrigerator&qid=1784061565&sprefix=vegetable+stor%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-13

[Michael_in_TX]

Anyone have any experience with those veggie washes? They were popular about 15 years ago or so.....it was a spray bottle with a solution you'd spray on your produce then wash it off.

It was never clear to me if it did anything other than wash off the light protective wax coating on many produce items.

[klflowers]

I use a vinegar water mix to wash produce like tomatoes and cukes

[dpearce]

Clean Boss! I just like saying that in Joy Mangano's voice. They've been advertising a veggie spray. Never tried it, know nothing about it.

[jfmorris]

We use it, but if we run out, my wife mixes up a vinegar spray in the same bottle. Just something beyond water to help clean the outside of fruit.

Another thing folks don't often think about is the need to wash the outside of melons before cutting into them - otherwise, you just carry any crap (literally) on the outside of the melon into the inside with your knife...