Storage Techniques For Vegetables and Fruits

Storage techniques for vegetables and fruits

                                                                      

Whether you are getting the vegetables and fruits from the shop, farmers’ market or even your own garden, it’s always challenging to find out the easiest method to store them so that they don’t turn brown or become limp or wilted. Here are some helpful tips in order to store you green and fresh vegetables to increase their freshness and shelf-life.

The green and fresh vegetables remain fresh longest in the moist environment. They must be kept in the crispers with the control on the " vegetables and fruits" setting. When the crispers are full, store green and fresh vegetables in plastic bags or plastic containers to avoid moisture loss.

Most green and fresh vegetables needs to be saved in the refrigerator to maintain freshness. Exceptions include potatoes, sweet potatoes, mature onions, hard-rind squashes, eggplant and rutabagas, which keep well in cool instead of cold storage. Tomatoes must be refrigerated once they're fully ripe and only for a short period of time.

Store Green and Fresh Vegetables in separate crisper drawers :
The crisper drawers trap moisture inside to keep foods fresh. Moisture controls on some crisper drawers enable you to regulate the moisture level inside the crisper. In general, green and fresh vegetables require high moisture storage and fruits low moisture, Consider the User's Guide for directions on setting the crisper control. The crispers in the refrigerator will work better if they're at least two-thirds full.

Wrap certain Green and Fresh Vegetables :

Storage within the crispers slows the dehydration of vegetables and fruits. Additionally, leafy vegetables, for example lettuce and spinach, must be put in plastic bags or airtight containers (Tupperware, Rubbermaid, etc.) to reduce moisture loss. Odorous foods for example peppers and cabbage should always be wrapped to contain odors. Mushrooms need to be kept in paper bags instead of plastic.

Remove excess moisture :

Green and fresh vegetables require a specific amount of moisture to remain fresh as long as possible. However, an excessive amount moisture can shorten the storage of green and fresh vegetables, especially lettuce. Liver spots may develop with excess moisture. It is necessary that lettuce be well drained before storing. It can be beneficial to place a layer of paper towels in the bottom of the bag to soak up any excess moisture; switch the toweling occasionally. Some storage units have a special drainage device to increase the lettuce off the bottom and make it from sitting in accumulated moisture. Berries won't be washed before storing.

Maintain proper refrigerator temperatures The fresh new food compartment of the refrigerator must be kept between 34° and 40°F with the optimum temperature of 37°F. Refrigerator temperatures can be checked when using appliance thermometer. Lower than recommended refrigerator temperatures could potentially cause green and fresh vegetables to freeze. Freezing damages cell structure and green and fresh vegetables can turn brown and become limp.

Consider green fresh vegetable quality :

Green Fresh Vegetable quality affects the size of storage. Quality can differ from item to item, variety to variety, and year to year. Such as, a rainy growing season may cause lettuce to be brown when purchased, or become brown more speedily. Sort green and fresh vegetables before storage and use bruised or soft green and fresh vegetables first. Discard those showing evidence of decay. Wilted  vegetables and fruits could be used to make broths, and wilted fresh fruits could make sauces.

Follow length-of-storage guidelines :

Following the guidelines will help to maintain vegetables and fruits and maximize their storage in time the refrigerator. Consult the food storage chart and utilize items within recommended refrigerator storage time. Green and fresh vegetables stored longer than recommended will also turn brown and lose their crispness.

Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Storage Chart
Fresh Vegetable	Fridge Time	Freezer Time	Storage Tips
Asparagus	2-3 days	8-12 months	Don't wash before refrigerating. Store in crisper.
Brussels sprouts and broccoli	3-5 days	8-12 months	Wrap odorous foods and refrigerate in crisper.
Celery	1-2 weeks	Not recommended	Refrigerate in crisper.
Cauliflower and snap beans	1 week	8-12 months	Wrap odorous foods and refrigerate in crisper.
Carrots, parsnips, beets, radishes and turnips	2 weeks	8-12 months	Remove tops. Wrap odorous foods and refrigerate in crisper.
Eggplant	2 weeks	Not recommended	Store in paper bag in crisper.
Green peas/lima beans	3-5 days	8-12 months	Leave in pods and refrigerate.
Lettuce/other salad greens	1 week	Not recommended	Wash. Drain well. Wrap and refrigerate in crisper.
Mushrooms	3-5 days	Not recommended	Store in paper bag in crisper.
Onions, green	3-5 days	8-12 months	Wrap odorous foods and refrigerate in crisper.
Onions, yellow	2 weeks	Not recommended	In an open paper bag or basket, in a cool dark area, not refrigerated, not directly with potatoes.
Peppers and cucumbers	1 week	8-12 months	Wrap odorous foods and refrigerate in crisper.
Potatoes (new only)	1-2 weeks	Not recommended	Unwashed, in the crisper.
Potatoes (bakers)	1 month	Not recommended	In an open paper bag or basket, in a cool dark area, not refrigerated.
Squash (winter)	1-2 months	Cooked and mashed can be stored 8-12 months	Fresh, store in an open basket in a cool dark, dry area.
Squash (summer)	4-5 days	Slice into rounds, blanch for two minutes, plunge into cold water, drain, seal in airtight containers.  8-12 months.	Store in plastic bag in crisper drawer four to five days, do not wash until ready to use.

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