What's the best way to store produce?

[DumbSheila]

I'm sure this has been asked before but I am having a hard time with this!

I buy celery and carrots sometimes to make soups and sometimes other recipes, but I find I don't make them fast enough and they always go bad. How do I store them? I don't have any vacuum-seal appliances and don't have the money to buy them either, and that's the only way I can think of to store them.

I've lost celery (have some dying in my fridge now actually), carrots, green onions, lemons, oranges, bananas, and other things. I don't want to waste anymore food or money (I try not to waste any food at all) but I'm finding it is too difficult to buy them and use them, especially when there's only two of us!

 

[Dawgluver]

I'm sure this has been asked before but I am having a hard time with this!

I buy celery and carrots sometimes to make soups and sometimes other recipes, but I find I don't make them fast enough and they always go bad. How do I store them? I don't have any vacuum-seal appliances and don't have the money to buy them either, and that's the only way I can think of to store them.

I've lost celery (have some dying in my fridge now actually), carrots, green onions, lemons, oranges, bananas, and other things. I don't want to waste anymore food or money (I try not to waste any food at all) but I'm finding it is too difficult to buy them and use them, especially when there's only two of us!

Freezer is your friend! I make a "soup mix" where I finely chop all my languishing carrots, celery with leaves, onion, and put them in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Then if I'm making soup, I don't even have to cook them, just pour some out and throw in the pot. Squeeze your citrus, pour in an ice cube tray, and when it's frozen, bag it too. Maybe save the zest, which also freezes. Bananas freeze well, mush them up or peel and chunk and freeze, good for smoothies. Half bananas frozen and dipped in chocolate are fun.

You just need some good quality freezer type bags.

 

[DumbSheila]

Thanks for the tip! Do they taste frozen once they thaw out? (Crazy question, maybe...but I feel like you can taste when things have been frozen)

 

[Dawgluver]

Thanks for the tip! Do they taste frozen once they thaw out? (Crazy question, maybe...but I feel like you can taste when things have been frozen)

Nope. I just throw them in the soup, frozen. If you use fresh, you should probably saute them.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Working on DL's ideas:

Mirepoix
Sofrito
Duxelles

All are mixed vegetable "mother" ingredient combinations that can be used to base other recipes upon, and my brief research indicates all can be frozen.

 

[HistoricFoodie]

You might be able to control some of that by where you shop. Markets sell produce two ways: pre-packaged and loose, although you see the latter less and less, unfortunately.

If you can find a market that sells loose produce, then buy it in smaller quantities. For instance, pre-packaged celery usually comes packed two-up. But you can buy just one (perhaps choosing the smallest one in the bin) from the "bulk" bin.

While it's true that you don't have to cook soup veggies before freezing, I usually do. Sauteeing onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, etc. first seems to add more depth of flavor, after freezing, than the raw ones. The exception is if I'm saving them up to make stock.

You can also dry those veggies, then add them in to soups and stews. If you don't have a dehydrator you can use your oven, on it's lowest setting. Leave the door cracked, though, to allow moisture to escape.

 

[GLC]

First, let's go back and ask how long we're talking about keeping produce? And where in the refrigerator have you been storing them And what temperature is the fridge set to?

Celery and carrots should both go two weeks wrapped in plastic. (Carrot tops removed.) Oranges and lemons can go anywhere up to two months (one is more likely) in the vegetable crisper drawer which should be around 38F or so. Onions are trickier. First, there are different kinds of onions, and some store better than others. It's kind of an experiment to see if you have the kind of cool, dry place that works well for them stored with plenty of air circulation or if the refrigerator works best for you. In neither case should they be in plastic. Don't expect more than a few days out of green beans without freezing. Personally, if I was going to have freeze green beans, I'd just buy frozen to begin with.

And if you want to try something with green onions, get a jar, like a quart jar, of water. Trim the green back enough to fit in the jar, and cover the top with plastic. See if you get two or three weeks or more out of them.

Tomatoes are problematic if you like really flavorful ones. They like 60F, which is likely lower than your kitchen and much higher than anywhere in the refrigerator. So they go out at room temperature out of the light and can go into the warmest part of the refrigerator to hold them another day or two after they become fully ripe. (But not in with the other vegetables. Tomatoes outgas to the detriment of many others.)


And vegetables need humidity. If your crisper has a sliding adjustment that opens and closes an opening. closed is more humid.

All this is of course aside from freezing. I rarely freeze anything.

 

[SherryDAmore]

You can also dry those veggies, then add them in to soups and stews. If you don't have a dehydrator you can use your oven, on it's lowest setting. Leave the door cracked, though, to allow moisture to escape.

Agree. Dried celery leaves are the best. So fragrant and delish. I have a dehydrator, and do this frequently.

To keep celery, a tried and true method is to wrap it in aluminum foil. Keeps a loooooonnnnngggg time.

I have very good luck with the DM Green bags, but make sure the produce is dry.

Tomatoes should never be stored in the fridge. I keep them out on the counter, and they usually get used pretty quickly anyway.

 

[DumbSheila]

Thanks for the tips!! Maybe this will make me buy more produce and actually cook with fresher ingredients.

 

[Madeline D. Simmons]

Thanks for the tip! Do they taste frozen once they thaw out? (Crazy question, maybe...but I feel like you can taste when things have been frozen)

I can always tell if the fruits have been frozen if I eat them raw. Bananas look totally different for one. Cooked, no way I can tell.

 

[Madeline D. Simmons]

First, let's go back and ask how long we're talking about keeping produce? And where in the refrigerator have you been storing them And what temperature is the fridge set to?

Celery and carrots should both go two weeks wrapped in plastic. (Carrot tops removed.) Oranges and lemons can go anywhere up to two months (one is more likely) in the vegetable crisper drawer which should be around 38F or so. Onions are trickier. First, there are different kinds of onions, and some store better than others. It's kind of an experiment to see if you have the kind of cool, dry place that works well for them stored with plenty of air circulation or if the refrigerator works best for you. In neither case should they be in plastic. Don't expect more than a few days out of green beans without freezing. Personally, if I was going to have freeze green beans, I'd just buy frozen to begin with.

And if you want to try something with green onions, get a jar, like a quart jar, of water. Trim the green back enough to fit in the jar, and cover the top with plastic. See if you get two or three weeks or more out of them.

Tomatoes are problematic if you like really flavorful ones. They like 60F, which is likely lower than your kitchen and much higher than anywhere in the refrigerator. So they go out at room temperature out of the light and can go into the warmest part of the refrigerator to hold them another day or two after they become fully ripe. (But not in with the other vegetables. Tomatoes outgas to the detriment of many others.)


And vegetables need humidity. If your crisper has a sliding adjustment that opens and closes an opening. closed is more humid.

All this is of course aside from freezing. I rarely freeze anything.

Very useful tips. Thanks!

 

[Aunt Bea]

I realize that this is an old thread and that DumbSheila is probably much smarter today than she was in 2012 but here are my thoughts on this topic.

Don't worry about storing fresh produce, eat it!

Prep fresh fruits and vegetables so you can reach in the refrigerator and grab what you need for a quick side or snack.

Serve celery, onions and carrots, cooked in a little chicken stock/bouillon, as a side dish.

Use odds and ends from the vegetable crisper for a weekly stir fry.

Once a week make a batch of Fridg Soup!

https://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/17405_Jacques_Pepin_Fridge_Soup/

Finally, If you find you really don't use fresh produce that often then stop buying it until you have a specific need. Check the salad bar in a large supermarket and fill a container with a few peppers,celery, onions, mushrooms etc... that you need for a specific recipe. Experiment with celery seed, dehydrated onion, bottled lemon juice, etc...

Good luck!

 

[BlueMoods]

Really depends on the produce.

Root vegetables (carrots, beets, parsnip, turnip, etc....) Large plastic box with a tight lid filled with about 4 inches of play sand that has been baked at 450 degrees for an hour to kill unwanted bacteria. (bake it once a month) burry root vegetables in the sand and refrigerate. They keep 2-3 months that way.

Wild prone greens like green onions, spinach, leaf lettuce etc... 2-3 damp paper towels in a zip lock bag with them and, use a drinking straw to remove as much air as you can - effectively vacuum sealing them.

Others, just use the zip lock bag and straw method to vacuum seal them.

If they are for stew or soup, you can cut them to size and either blanch and freeze or can them in jars with the stock of your choice. They will need pressure caning if you choose to do that.

 

[CharlieD]

If your refrigerator is cold enough, most anything will less good 3-4 weeks. If you cannot use stuff during that time, it means you should not be buying that stuff at all or buy much less.

 

[skilletlicker]

I started doing this about a year ago and stuff has been lasting longer since. When I tear a few leaves off a head, or stalks off a bunch, I turn the bag inside out so the stuff is always touching dry plastic.