Keeping veg fresh for daughter

gizmo111

My eldest (17) daughter will only at veg raw - which is fine on day 1, but I usually cook and freeze the rest for quick dinners in the week, any ideas how I can keep hers fresh once it has been cut - freezing it raw doesn't work as we know, and I end up giving her tins of sweetcorn or just frozen peas with a meal. Tomorrow she will have cauliflower, carrots and swede raw, and there will be plenty left for quite a few dinners for me and youngest daughter to eat from the freezer but it always seems as if eldest is missing out on veg. Any ideas?

valk_scot

Carrots, baby sweetcorn, mange tout peas, small peppers, salad veg, baby turnips...all of these will keep quite happily in the salad drawer in the fridge for several days and come in handy portion sizes to boot. Bigger veg like heads of broccoli or cauliflower florets or even part of a cabbage will also keep in the fridge. So....I don't really see what the problem is? Just don't cut up or freeze her share.

gizmo111

So....I don't really see what the problem is? Just don't cut up or freeze her share.

Thats the point - eg tomorrow the caulifower and swede will be cut - then it goes manky very quick, carrotts are OK obviously unpeeled.

voiceofreason

Aside from suggesting that if she wants different food from the rest of the family, she can jolly well go sort it out herself - have you tried keeping the cut veg in a bowl of water or similar in the fridge?

Change water and rinse the veg off every day, and so long as you keep it submerged it'll be good for a few days

But yes; if you know she's going to want veg every day, and you know the veg keeps fresher without being chopped up - why on earth do you cut hers up?

tigerlily

The green JML veg/fruit storage bags are brilliant, poundland had them in stock so I bought a few packs and can highly recommend them. I would say only cut off what is needed for a meal as kept as whole as possible veg lasts longer.

gizmo111

voiceofreason wrote: »

Aside from suggesting that if she wants different food from the rest of the family, she can jolly well go sort it out herself - have you tried keeping the cut veg in a bowl of water or similar in the fridge?

No I haven't tried water in the fridge, I'll try that and see how it keeps and it's not every day, we are having a roast tomorrow, veg bought today, will most likely have another roast type meal weds or thurs.

Change water and rinse the veg off every day, and so long as you keep it submerged it'll be good for a few days

But yes; if you know she's going to want veg every day, and you know the veg keeps fresher without being chopped up - why on earth do you cut hers up?

I cut it up so we can eat it - eg tomorrow a swede and cauliflower will be for all of us - it's not jsut for her IYSWIM. The cooked bits will then be frozen and reheated as needed, but it means that when I do a meal for myself and youngest, eldest has no fresh veg, unless I buy more especially for her.

carolinosourus

Why don't you just leave some unchopped and tell her to do it herself?

jammy_dodger

tigerlily wrote: »

The green JML veg/fruit storage bags are brilliant, poundland had them in stock so I bought a few packs and can highly recommend them. I would say only cut off what is needed for a meal as kept as whole as possible veg lasts longer.

another thmbs up for greem bags i got mine from lakeland they keep fruit and veg squeeky frsh for weeks even when its been chopped up so you could cut brocoili into florets or slice cabbage etc and it'll keepfine in the bags

voiceofreason

gizmo111 wrote: »

I cut it up so we can eat it - eg tomorrow a swede and cauliflower will be for all of us - it's not jsut for her IYSWIM. The cooked bits will then be frozen and reheated as needed, but it means that when I do a meal for myself and youngest, eldest has no fresh veg, unless I buy more especially for her.

Ah, right enough

Yeah, the bowl of water should be fine so long as you change it - see how it goes!

poppy-glos

today i used the last of the mange tout and mini corn and carrots and sprouts i bought whoopsied on xmas eve, i took them out of their plastic wrapping the day i bought them and they have been kept frost free in a cardboard box lined with newspaper above and below in the shed since then.

i regularly cut up alot of carrot sticks and leave them in the fridge in a lock and lock box, for both me and dd to graze from - they are ok for about 5 days this way (out of water).

rachelj121

I tried a method I had seen on one of Jamie Oliver's shows over Christmas 2009. I wanted to be prepared with my shopping before the 23rd/ 24th December rush but had vegetables I wanted to ensure stayed fresh and did not go to waste. Our fridge doesn't seem to keep vegetables fresh as long as it should so we had a cardboard box which we filled with soil and burried the vegetables in the soil. Some of them we wrapped in newspaper first but either way it did the trick and stopped them rotting at the usual pace. I am not sure exactly how long they would last for but it's worth a shot. Instead of soil you can also use sand.
If you have a garage or shed you can also store in there to try and prolong the life.