OS Vegetables, whats best fresh or frozen?

Debt_Free_Chick

franney wrote:

DOH! I forgot about my home grown veggies

Debt_Free_Chick, how do you store your potatoes?
We dug ours up, left them to dry out for a day or so in the sun then put them in a brown paper potato bag/sack thing which is kept in the kitchen but we didn't have anywhere near as much as you!

Kitchen is likely to be too warm and moist (just general steam in the air).

Mine are in an old paper potato sack, out in the wood store, which is just a bit like a shed that forms part of the garage. Ideally, you need somewhere cool, dry & dark and the pots must be in a paper or hessian sack - never plastic!

Most root veg e.g. carrots, can be stored in wooden boxes filled with dry sand - again, somewhere cool, dry & dark. Have to admit that we never have enough roots to store. Some roots you can also leave in the ground and just pull them when you need them.

We're making a big effort to be much more organised this year and desperately want fresh veg all year around. We find potatoes are worth the effort for the flavour and the fact that they store so well. The sowing plan is a bit daunting though - it's look as though I'll be sowing, pricking out, thinning and transplanting just about every week of the year

It should be worth it, if I can just keep going!

arkonite_babe

I use both fresh and frozen veggies. I had to stop my organic box at Christmas as I couldn't justify the cost.

Now I tend to go between Lidl and my local greengrocers. I'd love to be growing my own, buit as my garden is nowhere near ready to do that (plus Bruno wouldn't leave any plants alone!) I'll just have to wait

Mrsbojangles_2

Thank you everyone for your input, it was very interesting! I am guessing that the other votes were perhaps a mix of tinned, organic and homegrown?

Philippa36

We buy most of our vegetables from the local farmers market and top up with the supermarket stuff. The supermarket (Sainsbury's and occasionally Asda's) veg lasts less than half the time of the produce from the farmers market. We keep most of it in the shed in the dark, its too hot in the kitchen. I grow all my own herbs and would grow my own veg, but no space in the garden

franney

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

Mine are in an old paper potato sack, out in the wood store, which is just a bit like a shed that forms part of the garage. Ideally, you need somewhere cool, dry & dark and the pots must be in a paper or hessian sack - never plastic!
The sowing plan is a bit daunting though - it's look as though I'll be sowing, pricking out, thinning and transplanting just about every week of the year

It should be worth it, if I can just keep going!

I know exactly what you mean, i am going to sit down and do my sowing/planting plan this weekend and hopefully it'll go right, unlike last year which was a disaster as we decided to change the garden design at the wrong time! This year though at least i have a greenhouse, all i need is for my bloke to put the floor in! :wall:
I'll have to try and clear some space in the garage to store the veg i think, the potatoes were in a paper sack, but obviously the kitchen didn't suit them, like you say, too steamy
Good luck with your garden hun, i hope you find it as exciting as i do

Chipps

We get a mixture: very occasionally frozen - although always get frozen peas. The only alternative for peas is fresh... I mean really fresh. And as we no longer have an allotment thats not feasible.
Mostly fresh veg, from the local market, greengrocer, farmer's market or supermarket. For preference I would like to buy from the farmers market more often but it is only twice a month, and the veg stall is not always there anyway - for obvious reasons, that fresh veg is seasonal!

BargainAholic_2

Do you know if you put an apple in with your potatoes its stops them budding as quick!

franney

BargainAholic wrote:

Do you know if you put an apple in with your potatoes its stops them budding as quick!

I believe i kind of vaguely knew it but had forgotten it, if you know what i mean!
Thanks for the tip, i shall try it with the next bag i buy

Busybody

I tend to buy both but have taken a liking to the steam fresh mixed veg various makes, they are handy to have in, the FRESH :mad: veg in my local shop look about 2 months old I have complained but to no effect, so I have to go to shops further away. Therefore its handy to have a few frozen in. :rolleyes:

SamMoffatt28

HI everyone I was just wondering if frozen veg is as good as fresh? I would like to use more veg in cooking as I am trying to lose weight and be more healthy, but I find that fresh seems to go off too quickly before I can use it all. I don't live near a market so if I have to go to the supermarket more often to buy small amounts of fresh veg, I end up spending on other bit and bobs that I wouldn't have thought of if I hadn't seen them!