to refrigerate or not to refrigerate
we recently started getting fresh produce delivered to us once a week. I really want to keep everything fresh, but I’m not sure if I should refrigerate or if that makes it worse.
All of my fruit I leave out, in a wicker bowl/basket on the table. I’ve been looking for a big wood bowl forever. nobody carries them, maybe that went out of style? I think I read somewhere that metal, porcelain and glass make the fruit go bad faster which was why I was looking for the wood bowl.
However, the veggies I put in the fridge. Not really sure why I put the veggies and not the fruit in the fridge. This past week my carrots went bad within a couple of days. I left the stem on them, but put them in the fridge. I would love to be able to actually EAT the veggies I order. It breaks my heart when I have to waste food.
Any suggestions? I just received this weeks order and I have more carrots! I would love to eat them, but I’ll be away tonight and most of tomorrow. they may just be bad by the time I get home. :(
If you’re in Spokane and interested in getting fresh (and local when possible) produce delivered you need to check out Fresh Abundance. They also have three stores in town. They are doing a wonderful thing for our city. Go support them!
You know, I have a lot of the same issues. I started doing the farmer’s market thing, but perfectly lovely organic fruit goes bad in two days and I have a swarm of fruit flies hovering over them.
I also put the veggies in the fridge, and will follow the suggestions here. But yeah, having organic produce last all week just doesn’t happen.
By the way… those green plastic bags that claim to keep your produce fresh longer? Consumer Reports said its all lies. Don’t believe it.
Sigh…
I saw a huge wooden bowl at Wal-Mart yesterday, and thought of you. You may be able to order one online. Take care!
Oh… something else that just popped into my head…
With greens, they will get wilty fast if they are damp at all.
The way I ward that off is to put a couple paper towels in with them.
I will wash and dry them well (a salad spinner is good for this), then put a paper towel or two in the bottom of a bag or bowl and put the greens on top.
The paper towels will absorb any excess moisture.
It adds days to the life of your leafy greens.
Works for fresh herbs, too, to some degree.
Some veggies like the fridge but if there is any extra moisture, that might make them go limp or bad.
What I do ia make sure to clean any veggies, leave any stems or leaves on them, and make sure there are completely dry before I put them in the veggie drawer in the fridge.