storing fruit and veg

woodenhill

I agree with what has been said. Do away with any non breathable bags clingfilm etc in most cases. The worst things to keep are those dreadful bags of salad from the supermarket which turn into a disgusting mess almost overnight. :mad:

bumbledave

LearningToSave. wrote: »

i used to think most stuff was better off in the fridge.....but just recently thought some things perhaps may not be even if you'd think so.
corgettes from the allotment were only lasting 2-3 days in the fridge before going soft and bendy but stored on my top in the kitchen are still perfect after 6 days.

so potatoes in potato bag,onions either in onion bag or baskets on kitchen trolley,lemons/limes in basket on kitchen trolley,carrots,baby pots,beans,brocolli etc in fridge...and now corgettes on trolley top in kitchen!

just thought it'd be interesting to see how we all stored stuff and why in some cases.......perhaps i'll learn something better/new!

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If potatoes kept in the house start to sprout (chit), plant 3 in an old bucket or similar with drainage holes, filled with compost or soil. keep them watered and out of the frost in a light place. If planted in the next month you should have fresh, tasty new spuds on Christmas day. 3 spuds in a 2 gallon bucket should give a kilo or two. Even ordinary spuds will taste amazing.
Spuds keep well in the ground so should keep in dry soil.
In the spring you can grow carrots from seed (Aldi and Lidl 49p ish! ) in a bucket as well. Pull them as you need them.

bumbledave

If potatoes kept in the house start to sprout (chit), plant 3 in an old bucket or similar with drainage holes, filled with compost or soil. keep them watered and out of the frost in a light place. If planted in the next month you should have fresh, tasty new spuds on Christmas day. 3 spuds in a 2 gallon bucket should give a kilo or two. Even ordinary spuds will taste amazing.
Spuds keep well in the ground so should keep in dry soil.
In the spring you can grow carrots from seed (Aldi and Lidl 49p ish! ) in a bucket as well. Pull them as you need them.

ronnyvee

The best way to keep carrots is in a plastic (Tupperware style), lidded box which is first lined with a piece of kitchen roll paper, kept in the fridge. Carrots last more than 2 weeks like this. Allow a little space between the top row of carrots and the lid.

Feline123

Potatoes, onions and garlic in dark cupboard in utility room, everything else in the fridge. I swear by the Lakeland Stayfresh bags - they really do work, but don't use for mushrooms as they are made of plastic. I buy loose mushrooms but the supermaket frequently runs out of the paper mushroom bags so transfer them when I get them home into paper bags from my stash in the cupboard. The ones you get from the GP surgery with prescription items in are ideal.

BigMummaF

I like the idea of recycling the prescription bags..thanks for that!

I was reading sin one of yesterdays daily papers that butternut squash keeps for up to 3 MONTHS if wrapped in paper & kept in a cool dark place. Apparently the fridge causes them to deteriorate quicker.........

jonthedog

Bananas release a chemical that causes other fruit to ripen, so keep them separately (unless you need some hard fruit to ripen up quickly...this works brilliantly for avocados). For this reason it is a common superstition (based on fact, in this case) amongst sailors to not allow bananas on boats as they make everything else go off and leave you stranded without food.

EssexHebridean

Lakeland sell a sort of green mat that's meant to go at the bottom of your fridge drawers to keep things fresh - it's a sort of spongy plastic mesh type construction (sorry - truly terrible description!) and it works on the principle that it keeps the veggies from sitting on the plastic drawer. I store carrots in there and they last months! Also in the fridge drawers are lemons, courgettes (Don't generally have a problem with them lasting OK), tomatoes & peppers. In the main part of the fridge might be mushrooms (either in paper bags or in plastic punnets with cling film removed) cabbage, bags of salad or spinach (and I agree with the previous comments regarding Stayfresh bags)....trying to think what else!! We're fortunate in that our kitchen has a massive larder - its all tiled out too so apples, oranges, potatoes, garlic and onions all live in whicker baskets in there - ideal storage really.

sb44

I can't remember who it was but many thanks to the person who suggested how to keep carrots for longer.

They said put a piece of kitchen roll in the bottom of an airtight container (I used a lock and lock from tesco), cut both ends off the carrots and place in the container.

I did this 3 weeks ago and they are as solid as the day that I put them in there.

Usually even if left in the fridge they go limp after a few days.

So many thanks to that op, def a money saving tip.

frugalswan

I'll have to give that one a go - I rarely use carrots (I've got some still in the fridge from 2 weeks ago and I dread to think what they're like!) so anything that'll make it easier for me to actually use them will be wonderful indeed! Thank you