How To Store Veggies!!

If you're like me, you go to the store and buy lots of fresh veggies and fruits at one time... and then can't gobble them up fast enough before they go bad! If only we all lived within a few blocks of a supermarket, so we could stop by every couple of days after work to pick up fresh stuff for dinner! Unfortunately, this is a dream for most of us, and the reality is that we must make fewer trips to the store and buy in mass quantities.

I've been getting a lot better at eating all my produce before it takes a trip to the compost, but here are some tips for storing your veggies properly to keep them as fresh as possible.

1. Carrots: Best within a couple of weeks. Wrap in paper towels or perforated plastic bag.
2. Cabbage: Best within a week. Store in the crisper in a perforated plastic bag. **Do not wash prior to storage as this speeds up deterioration.
3. Greens: Kale, chard, spinach, collards... best to eat within 3-4 days. Store unwashed and wrapped in damp paper towels and a perforated plastic bag.
4. Lettuce: Best within a week. Store unwashed in a perforated or loose plastic bag.

Another tip to use your produce while its fresh: cook in bulk!!! Make large quantities of a dish and freeze the leftovers. Then, when you haven't been to the store in a while and are scrounging for something to eat, just take your leftovers out of the freezer, thaw and reheat, and BOOM: a hearty dinner with minimal effort.

Good luck, produce lovers.

Another thing I recently found was a website that delivers fresh organic produce to your door weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly in Michigan for cheap. If you're interested, check it out:

http://michigan.doortodoororganics.com/