HOW TO STORE VEGETABLES?
The main focus of this article is how to store vegetables correctly. Storing vegetables properly will not only keep your vegetable fresh but also extend your food supply for many months. Read on to know more on the topic.
Here are a few tips on how to store fresh vegetables:
1. The root vegetables, like Sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, artichokes and turnips can be stored in a cool, dry, dark place like in a box in a well-ventilated, cool basement. You can keep them dry and safely store them for up to 4 months. Remember to not wash the root vegetables before storing them. Peas and Beans can be dried and stored too.
2. When storing vegetables, keep a watch to see if any of the vegetables get rotten. It is important to remove them immediately before they spoil the rest of the storage.
3. The best temperature for storing fresh vegetables is 32-38 degrees F. If you see the vegetable growing that means the temperature is high for vegetable storage.
4. If the vegetables start shriveling or drying, that is indication that the air around them is too dry.
Refrigeration
Refrigerating is another common way of storing vegetables. Nowadays we automatically put everything in the refrigerator when we get home from the grocery store. But have you ever given more thought to where at in the refrigerator should you store vegetables. The crisper or the shelf? The food placed in the crisper tends to lose its moisture more slowly than the food placed on the shelf. Hence, vegetables that need more humidity should be placed in the crisper. It is always better to store vegetables properly by putting them in paper or plastic bags separately. But avoid keeping them for more than a week.
Read on to know how some of the common vegetables are stored. Brussel can be hung in a cool dry location and can be kept for at least a month. Chinese cabbage too can be stored in a cool dry place for several months. You can discard the discolored outer leaves and use the inner ones.
You can store Garlic in clumps after drying them in sun for a few days. Onions are best stored in open mesh containers, in a cool, airy, dry location. Shallot can be chopped and frozen.
Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to vegetable storage. The main reason for eating fresh vegetables, aside from taste, is that they are rich in vitamins and minerals. But if we do not store vegetables properly, these very nutrients can go waste. Keep the above tips in mind when you store fresh vegetables.