Stretch Your Veg: Best Practices for Storing Your Produce
Get your produce well-sorted and -stored for a pleasant stay with these practical tips and tricks
With the big bird and Thanksgiving leftovers mostly out of the way, you can now probably see the back and sides of your fridge.
And maybe there’s more power to you to reconsider the opportunities that come with the new real estate.
Picking up on that momentum, here are helpful tips and tricks to take care of your produce with proper storage at the forefront. In return, you’ll enjoy what they have to offer for longer.
Produce a Place for Produce
Chances are a considerable amount of your produce comes in some sort of packaging, if it’s of the grocery store variety.
In one form of plastic or another, kindly remove it from its packaging. Once free, you can give the produce a nice bath with either a homemade or a store-bought fruit and vegetable wash.
You’ll not only rid them of germs and bacteria but also mould spores that can, in turn, shorten the lifespan of your produce.
By the same token, mould loves moisture, so double check that the produce is thoroughly dried prior to storage.
On the topic of moist things, vegetables rather prefer a humid setting. And, generally, the crisper drawer of your fridge is their place to be.
It should yet still be a crisp and a fresh place. And so, lining the area with a tea towel or a paper one — swapping it out with every new addition of fresh produce — is ideal.
For a super clean environment, you can designate the left and the right crisper drawer for the older and the newer produce, respectively. That way, you’ll keep track of what needs to be eaten first.
FIFO — first in, first out.
For added inspiration, if you’re active around TikTok, you’ve likely encountered Emily Mariko — and cleaning produce is her jam.
You’ll see her up close and personal with the camera, from washing produce to wringing beans and leafy greens in a salad spinner. And it’s a great practice — spinning — to expel as much water as possible from your precious produce.
If you already have a salad spinner, you can just about put anything through it on the spin cycle — not just lettuce.
Take Care of Other Salad Ingredients Besides the Lettuce
Crisp salad fixings, such as cucumbers, peppers, and celery, all share one thing in common — they’ve got a lot of water. While both a blessing and a curse, they’ll each last up to two weeks when they’re properly stored in the fridge.
Hence the crisper drawer — it’s the perfect spot for them. Inside, cucumbers can remain firm and crisp for up to two weeks, but for peppers, it’s about a week at maximum.
With half the shelf life as cucumbers, be on the lookout for peppers with bruised and soft spots — because they’ll only work against a fresher and tastier eating experience.
For the hot and spicy type of peppers with the thinner skins — Banana or Scotch Bonnet peppers — it’s yet worth noting that they’ll soften and spoil faster than their sweet-to-mild counterparts.
And so, unless you’re willing to cook with them immediately or the following day, reconsider their purchase altogether.
And for your protection, please store them in a small, brown paper bag — marked in red with an “I’m HOT” notice. Because you really don’t want these loose cannons freely hanging around your other produce.
Be Mindful of Herbs and Other Leafy Greens
For the right storage and care solutions for other leafy greens, like kale and chard, you’ll first want to take the time to separate their leaves.
As soon as you return home with them, carefully wash and dry the separated leaves — cue the salad spinner — and place them into a clean and a neatly lined crisper drawer.
But pay particular attention to Boston and Butter — these soft, delicate lettuce types should yet be consumed within a few days. So keep that in mind apart from cleaning and storing them with the same method.
It’s worth also mentioning that Iceberg lettuce, although delicate and soft when split into layers, should rather be treated like a hard, dense cabbage. That is, they should be stored whole in the crisper drawer, and only cleaned when they’re ready to use.
As for more hardy leafy greens, such as spinach and collards, try to likewise consume them as soon as possible, before they start to turn yellowish.
Just like delicate lettuces, herbs, too, conveniently benefit from the same style of care.
While herbs, overall, have a notably short and delicate shelf life, it’s best to simply use them up as quickly as possible.
But if needed, you can invest more time and effort into properly storing them, as outlined by New York Times food columnist, J. Kenji López-Alt.
If you yet prefer having control over your own schedule and needs, you can grow your own assortment — but only if you have the right setup with plenty of natural sunlight. You can then pick and use them at your own convenience.
As with green onions, although neither a leafy green nor an herb, they yet face a similar fate — the green parts of it wither rather quickly, so they need to be used sooner rather than later.
Aside from storing them in the crisper drawer, they can be wrapped with a moist paper towel to extend their time in the fridge. And they can even be easily re-grown for a regular and convenient supply to have on hand.
A Matter of Long-term Care
Squash, potatoes, carrots, onions, and cabbage — they’re the best that the winter season has to offer.
And as some of the best options for when it comes to longer shelf lives, they’ll be content with storage in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight.
Yet when at the store, even before they make it to your home, select squashes without cracks or blemishes in the skin — since these could promote decay. Take a few extra seconds to inspect them.
For the longest shelf life possible, carrots and cabbage, instead, prefer the fridge. And they will keep best in the crisper drawer, while squash, potatoes, and onions are, ideally, to be kept away from the fridge.
Cool, dark, and well-ventilated spaces are rather perfect for them— basements, pantries, and garages. But they’re quite happy with staying on the counter or in the cupboard, just out of direct daylight.
For added reassurance, ensure that you place the potatoes in a cloth or a paper bag so that they don’t sprout too soon.
However, just as onions should be left outside of the fridge, they do need to keep a distance from potatoes. Because they, too, will otherwise encourage sprouting.
Whether as part of your New Year’s resolutions or otherwise, you’ll help to curb your food scraps and grocery costs by incorporating these tips.
And the best part about them: You’ll not only make fewer trips to the store but also to the fridge — to clean up messes from wet and spoiling produce.
Related: It’s OK To Cheat: Cut Down on Prep Time With These Particular Pre-Cut Vegetables and Fruits
