I was wondering what you guys reccomend for veggie storage. I am looking for a method that will prolong the freshness. I have been using peak fresh plastic bags and green plastic containers. I would like to get away from this. Also, due to the amount of veggies I eat a day, I have been chopping up all my raw veggies and just mixing them together in one big pot. This is problematic as some veggies go bad sooner such as mushrooms and chilis. Would you folks have any advice? thanks in advance!

Brendan,


It's inconvenient, but unfortunately true, that most veggies should not be washed until ready to use. Obviously, if you are going to be using large amounts whithin two days of purchase, you can prep several pounds of leafy greens, say, immediately and wrap them in clean dishcloths or paper towels and put into those plastic bags or into large glass lidded bowls that can be refrigerated. You have already discovered that one shouldn't mix different types of veggies together in a mass, as herbs and mushrooms are much more susceptible to humidity than celery or carrots. So start separating things for storage and don't mix them until eating time.

I store herbs upright in an old drinking tumbler filled with potable water with a few drops mineral supplement in it, covered with a plastic produce bag in the back of the fridge. Mushrooms are stored in their original packaging in the middle of the fridge, where it's slightly warmer, and are used quickly. I always leave my mushrooms out on a sunny table right from the grocery store, as that can increase certain nutrients, before refrigerating. Coarse leafy greens, like kale and collards, I wash and spin dry, then bag with a piece of natural paper towel in the rinsed-out produce bag they were brought home in. I store them in the crisper drawers. Root veg I store on the floor of the pantry, where it's dark and cool, but I transfer them to the Florida room or to the fridge if I am not using them for a couple of weeks; the warmth of the kitchen in winter will wither them. Plastic boxed lettuce stays in the package until eating time. Loose lettuce gets treated the same way as coarse greens, but I change the paper towel every day as it gets damp. Eggplant, tomatoes, and bell peppers stay on the sideboard with the lemons, short-term, and onto the lower level of the fridge for longer term storage, excepting tomatoes, which--like potatoes--are never refrigerated. Cucumbers, celery, and sundry other water-rich things go immediately into the crisper drawer unwashed. I am assuming most raw foodists have a high turnover in their eats, so perhaps the best advice would be to buy perishables often and consume them soon after purchase.

Thank you for the thorough response!

I also keep the romain lettuce upright. I remember hearing from some Japanese people who do it too. I think they said it is for avoiding the vegs to try to turn over (going upright) and spend energy.

Brendan,

You're welcome!

Panchito,

Well, also, compressing any side of the romaine head will cause that side to molder, so letting greens breath or at least express their excess moisture is a good idea.

oh ho. I keep the lettuce i the bags (with holes). The reason why is that I keep like 18 jumbo lettuce je je. It would look like a house garden and I may start seeing mosiquitos in the summer.

Panchito,

Do you keep these lettuce heads at room temperature? Or is it your fridge that would look like a forest? I think I must be misreading you!

I keep the lettuce in the fridge. They only last one week after all. But I do keep them in a vertical orientation.

Panchito,

They don't last but a few days when laid on their sides, so one week is an improvement.

I take everything out of the plastic bags and put some in the brown wax paper sandwich bags, and others I just sit in the fridge and the drawers by themselves - it depends on what they are - if they get wilted or not. But I'd rather have wilted veggies than plastic ones.

Here's a way to make salads in advance that last a week --

Mason Jar Salads

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