Help me Store Produce

ProPatriaMori

Okay, here's where I seem like a huge(r?) retard.

My diet has, for quite some time, largely been meat, cheese, and bread, because I can store those for weeks in refrigeration without much quality loss. It seems like every time I get veggies--right now I've got lettuce and celery and an onion onhand--everything goes to shit. Both the celery and lettuce have lost whatever crunch they had in just a couple days. I think the onion is still cool but onions are just great that way.

So I ask you:
- how do I maximize life of my veggies?
- which veggies tend to last longer? I'm sensing that carrots and onions are pretty hardy and I'd guess peppers and cucumbers do okay but beyond that I'm pretty clueless.

RUNN1NGMAN

Debbie Meyer's Green Bags. They advertise them on infomercials but you can get them at Target or wherever. I was skeptical, but my wife bought them and they actually work. They don't perform miracles, but they last a lot longer than when we were just tossing vegetables in the fridge.

Green leafies seem to have the shortest lifespan, in my experience. They last about a week in those bags though before they get all wilted.

matt has a problem

Wrap onions tightly in saran wrap, and they'll last for a decently long time. For lettuce, core it, wash it and drain it, then stick it in a ziploc bag. It should last for at least a week that way, and even if it does start to rust you can just discard the rusty parts. Cucumbers have a decent shelf life until you cut them open, after that you'll get maybe a week out of them in a ziploc bag before they get slimy. Celery won't last long just hanging out in the fridge, it gets limp. Same with broccoli.

Basically, ziploc (or the generic equivalent) bags will save your vegetables. Pick up a box of the gallon "storage" size.

Mighty

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

Debbie Meyer's Green Bags. They advertise them on infomercials but you can get them at Target or wherever. I was skeptical, but my wife bought them and they actually work. They don't perform miracles, but they last a lot longer than when we were just tossing vegetables in the fridge.

Green leafies seem to have the shortest lifespan, in my experience. They last about a week in those bags though before they get all wilted.

This. also, cut carrots and put them in a jar of iced water for a quick snack option.

are you using a dorm fridge with no drawers, or is it a full sizer? if you have room, you can purchase thse green discs that go in the drawers to keep veggies fresh.

Try to weigh your freshness/time you take to consume ratio. if you take a week to eat bananas and they spoil in 4 days, buy less or get apples. Citrus fruits generally last well, and if they do get mushy, its good fun to wing them at roomates

BrotherVoodoo

Things I've learned

If it doesn't look super fresh when you buy it, it won't be super fresh in 3 days.

If you have green peppers, chop them up and put them in a plastic bag. I've had them last close to 10 days like this.

When I buy romaine hearts in plastic bags and keep the bags sealed when not using the lettuce, I can usually get close to two weeks with the lettuce.

Make sure your regridgerator is a low enough temperature.

Don't buy a months worth of groceries. Go once a week at least. It might be a small pain, but you can make short 20-30 minute trips. I see people in the store with carts full of groceries and its obvious they are buying a months or 2-3 weeks worht of groceries. Its a bad way to do it I think.

Also, you can always get frozen vetables and take them out when you need them.

Carrots, especailly the chopped up ones in the plastic bags sometimes have so much water, that if you don't cut a hole in the bag, they can rapidly turn to mush.

FyreWulff

Also, don't put Onions and Potatoes together.

JebusUD

You can pretty much leave onions and garlic out, as long as they aren't in the sun. They keep for pretty long. Don't put tomatos in the fridge, it kills the flavor. They don't last very long sitting out, so try to get them and eat them within a couple days. Potatos pretty much last a really long time, so don't worry about that either. Just put them in a place with no light. When making things with lettuce, it helps to put it in some water and let it sit for a bit. Then dry it, preferably with a salad spinner. This will make even old wilty lettuce look and taste much better.

ProPatriaMori

I've got a full-size fridge--though oddly the crisper drawers weren't quite big enough for me to fit the celery in there. I've been trying to regulate my purchasing but the nominal units of celery and lettuce don't seem to work out that well.

FyreWulff wrote: »

Also, don't put Onions and Potatoes together.

Why is this? Do I have a Gremlins scenario to beware of?

supabeast

Green beans of any type will last a few weeks, so will snow peas, which is why almost every grocery store sells them. Apples can keep for months if you don’t wash them.

But if you really want to eat produce just start shopping twice a week. All you need to do is run by the store when it isn’t busy and grab a few veggies—it doesn’t take long unless you live in BFE.

FyreWulff

ProPatriaMori wrote: »

I've got a full-size fridge--though oddly the crisper drawers weren't quite big enough for me to fit the celery in there. I've been trying to regulate my purchasing but the nominal units of celery and lettuce don't seem to work out that well.

FyreWulff wrote: »

Also, don't put Onions and Potatoes together.

Why is this? Do I have a Gremlins scenario to beware of?

For some reason the gases they emit will spoil each other very very fast.

Ripening bananas will also accelerate the ripening of any fruit they are right next to, too.

ProPatriaMori

Oh okay. Good to know on the outgassing.

I do live right next to a gigantohuge grocery store--it's maybe a 15 minute walk, 5 minute bike ride--so I can pick stuff up more often, I just prefer not to and hate to waste stuff if I pick up more than I can consume.

Doxa

If you have a problem with buying too much at a grocery you have to remedy that by A) not being hungry when you go and writing a list before hand, maybe a loose meal plan for the next few days, and stick with that. Don't go down every aisle, just hit what you need.

If I knew I needed something I would run by the grocery store on the way home from work/school and pick something up. It seems like much less of a drag. 15 - 30 extra minutes, depending on the day.

edit: forgot these bits but also, giving lettuce (I'm assuming you have whole heads) a good soak restores some life to it, I don't know about celery, I rarely get that stuff. If you are chopping it ahead of time tearing the lettuce lightly gives it a little longer life span, if you are getting chopped lettuce then you just need to eat it quickly