Produce Facts

10/28/2014

First a disclaimer: with the exception of peas, corn and green beans, I don't like vegetables.  Oh and don't bother to write and tell me how good they are for you, I already know that!  Growing up, Mom must not have liked vegetables either because I don't remember her cooking any "exotic" veggies like eggplant, turnips or Brussels sprouts.  

With the amount of vegetables available to us today, there really is no excuse for not eating them - other than the reason above.  I generally buy frozen vegetables in large bags which I can use for several meals.  Almost all of my casseroles have some kind of vegetable, as well as salsa, thrown into the pot.

I don't have much luck in using fresh vegetables up fast enough before they end up over ripe, soggy or just plain icky.  Luckily for you and me, the paper had a nice article about the storing of vegetables.

I didn't know, for instance, that you could take pantyhose, add onions to each leg, tying knots between each one.  Potatoes need a dark cool place and it's better to store them in a paper bag.  For Asparagus you should trim a half-inch off the end of the stalks and then stand them up in a small amount of water (covered loosely with a plastic bag) in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for four days. Carrots should also be trimmed and left unpeeled in the crisper drawer and should last for about two weeks. To keep Celery crisp, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil and re-wrap tightly after each use. Celery, like carrot sticks, should be submerged in water in a tightly-covered container.  

And last but not least we come to two vegetables that I have trouble keeping fresh: tomatoes and bananas.  Do you store tomatoes stem up or down, refrigerate or counter? Apparently according to those in the know, it doesn't matter whether the tomato is up or down, but do keep it out of the fridge.

I have a love/hate relationship with bananas.  I don't want a green banana, but I also don't want a mushy one.  I only buy 2 or 3 bananas at a time, hoping that I will eat them fast enough to prevent the bananas from becoming soft and riddled with spots.  If you wrap each stem in plastic wrap that will help the banana ripen more slowly.

So there you have it, a primer on veggies.  But be aware that if you come to my house for dinner, peas and corn are still my go to favorites!

P