We are paying more and more attention to healthy life style, especially to what we eat. We dedicate more time to choosing the food and to select the healthiest options on the market. But we prefer fresh vegetables and we would like to keep them as much as possible in order not to waste the food. No one wants to throw away food, so we might as well take care of it so we can consume it all. Read on to find out ways to keep vegetable fresh for a longer period of time.
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
Clean them first
If we purchase fresh vegetables, it is important to clean them first before putting them in the refrigerator. It’s good to know that extra moisture might cause them to get altered faster, so make sure you just clean them with some tissues and wash them well right before use.
Store them properly
There are some vegetables that can last for months when refrigerated such as pumpkins, sweet potatoes, onions or carrots. But if you intend to cook them in the next few days, it’s ok to keep them in a drawer or a cabinet away from direct sunlight. However, the most wanted ones don’t last that long. Other greens will stay fresh just a few days. If they are bagged even less. The latest, make sure you don’t consume later than 2 days after the opening.
The easiest way to be sure the vegetables will last longer is to freeze them when they are fresh. But this is not for everyone. Most of the people prefer them just like that: fresh.
The majority of vegetables can be stored in a plastic bag or a container in the fridge. Mushrooms however are best stored in paper bags as they absorb the moisture. It is better to keep vegetable apart from the fruits to prevent them from ripening too fast, so store them dry.
Use airtight containers to store fresh chopped vegetables in the size and shape desired. If you let them on plates for example, they will change their color very fast and loose their properties.
Keep it green
In order for the lettuce, or other green vegetables, to stay fresh longer, you can store it in an airtight container. Anther common advice, plastic free, is to wrap the lettuce or leafy products in paper towels to absorb the moisture. Remember to wash it well before usage. You can also soak the leaves in cold water, wash them well and put them in the designated drawer in the fridge. But this will reduce their lifespan.
Cover photo by Dan Cristian Pădureț on Unsplash