Bet you never thought about social distancing your vegetables. But like us, some veggies are healthier and last longer when kept more than 6 feet apart.
I should have looked at It’s in the Bag or Not sooner. It’s a great guide to taking care of your CSA or farmers’ market haul. Mi Ae Lap, the author of this and Bounty from the Box, sent it to me a while ago. There are a few limp zucchini that wish I’d read it a week or so ago. Little did I know that you shouldn’t wash them before you put them in the fridge. The never-ending supply from our CSA will last longer now if I’m not up to using them ASAP.
The book, which you can download is a mere 66 pages and covers everything from amaranth to zucchini. It’s a short, concise guide on how to store all that produce you’ve just schlepped home. For example, onions and potatoes are the 2 vegetables that should be social distancing. Keep them 10 feet apart and they’ll both last longer. I recently learned that if you have a wine cave (or wine fridge) it’s the ideal spot for your spuds, so mine are nesting happily between bottles of Burgundy.
Surprisingly, some vegetables that you would think should go right in the fridge, are better being counter surfers. You know about tomatoes, but how about cucumbers? The counter suits them just fine.
If you’re constantly frustrated by the short life span of delicate items (I’m looking at you raspberries), Mi Ae has tips on keeping them beautiful for as long as possible. If I manage to get my raspberries home without turning them into purée, she recommends putting them on a dish lined with paper towels in the fridge—will do!
Along with storage ideas, she tells you when and how to clean your produce. This line about garlic scapes brought a smile to my face: “Like small children, green garlic tends to be grubby” (and mine is now going in the recommended paper bag).
Now that summer is here and we’ve got all this wonderful produce, download a copy of It’s in the Bag or Not and keep all your produce properly.
And if anyone knows what to do with amaranth…
