Before storing in the fridge leafy greens should be washed to remove bacteria and then the excess surface water removed with a cloth dish towel or a salad spinner. If you insist on using a paper towel to dry the greens please use a non-bleached paper towel for the sake of your own health and our environment's health. Leafy greens will form "russet spots" and rot a lot more quickly if they are stored in an air-tight bag. This is due primarily to the ethylene gas released by the greens being trapped in the air-tight bag. Ethylene gas vastly accelerates the decay of the plant cells of all leafy greens. However greens will wilt quickly if they are kept in open (dry) air. A practical compromise solution is to place greens in a ventilated bag in the fridge. If you are storing lots of greens the vents on individual bags may become blocked by crowding in the fridge but a daily removal of greens from their ventelated bag to release any trapped ethylene followed ideally by a rehydrating with a rinse of clean water (excess surface water removed afterwards) can help extend their storage "life". Fruits release the largest quantity of ethylene gas and ideally should not be stored in the same fridge as your greens.
Islander, there's a very easy way to ripen those rock-hard peaches and nectarines without them turning mealy. Find a place usually dark, (I use my laundry room) spread a terrycloth towel, place the fruit on the towel, and cover with another terrycloth towel. Press and gently shape the upper towel around the fruits; it's not necessary to fit them too snugly. After four or five days, the fruit will be wonderfully ripe, sweet, and juicy; not mealy like they get when you simply leave them on the counter. I've been doing it for several years now, and it works like a charm. I'm guessing it's some sort of gas given off by the fruit which is trapped by the towels, and causes the ripening.
Since I got my water machine which makes strong alkaline water I was all my fruit and vegetables and fruit and put them in glass jars to store in the refrigerator.The water removes the pesticides and preservatives off the none organic foods too in 15 minutes soak.I can't find organic food all the time so this helps a lot.The growing season here is very short so buying locally grown fruits and vegetables is hard.Freezing them is the best option here.I'm considering moving down to Equador.
"The life of leafy greens can also be extended by as much as three extra days if you don't wash them before putting them in your fridge." – Yes, that may be the case normally, but actually, I found that by washing leafy greens with LIVE water before placing them in the fridge in a plastic bag, will extend their life significantly. The water revitalizer I use is from alivewater.net but I'm sure there are others.
The other advice I wanted to add is to keep a piece of orgonite in your fridge. That will energise all the food inside and get rid of any harmful EMF. Orgonite-making instructions & info can be found at orgonite.info
One tip to avoid waste is to use every edible part of a vegetable. Many people throw away things like broccoli and cauliflower leaves, for example. When I get the broccoli or cauliflower organic, and the leaves are fresh, I sautee them with onion and garlic and either eat them like that, or make what I call 'faux souffle' and put them in it. (A faux souffle is just a much easier, lazy cook's version of the real thing.)
Isn't it sad that we must allow foods to "ripen." I live in Maine, where plums, peaches, nectarines and such are a joke. They actually call some of them "tree-ripened" peaches when they are as hard as baseballs. Stone fruits are picked unripe to withstand shipping and they never really ripen, they just turn soft and mealy. Grapes, citrus, berries/cherries and sometimes melons do arrive ripe, but of course they are shipped from the West Coast or ever farther away, like Chile. Forget organic, too. Luckily, fresh organic local strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are all available in season.
On the other hand, I eat from my organic garden for 6 months of the year, not counting the winter storage vegetables like apples, squash, cabbage, onions and garlic. Often it's only minutes from the garden to the table.
Sorry, but I have to contradict portions of this article. Vegetables and fruits are not meant to be stored in tightly closed plastic bags in the refrigerator. It's call the "crisper" because it's humidity controlled to keep veggies fresh. I store most things in paper or plastic just to keep them together or protected, but never seal the plastic; they need to breathe. A crisper was created just for them. Apples, cucumbers, peppers, celery need no wrapping at all. Try it — you'll be surprised at how fresh they stay and how long they keep (although you ought to be shopping for fruits and veggies at least twice a week).
Hi Doc, if you think that I am about to tell my wife how to store her groceries etcetera or use her fridge, forget it! She may only be 5'4" tall, size 12, with red hair, but that's the size in which Amazon come and I don't desire to be a hero! I'd rather be poisoned slowly!
Before storing in the fridge leafy greens should be washed to remove bacteria and then the excess surface water removed with a cloth dish towel or a salad spinner. If you insist on using a paper towel to dry the greens please use a non-bleached paper towel for the sake of your own health and our environment's health. Leafy greens will form "russet spots" and rot a lot more quickly if they are stored in an air-tight bag. This is due primarily to the ethylene gas released by the greens being trapped in the air-tight bag. Ethylene gas vastly accelerates the decay of the plant cells of all leafy greens. However greens will wilt quickly if they are kept in open (dry) air. A practical compromise solution is to place greens in a ventilated bag in the fridge. If you are storing lots of greens the vents on individual bags may become blocked by crowding in the fridge but a daily removal of greens from their ventelated bag to release any trapped ethylene followed ideally by a rehydrating with a rinse of clean water (excess surface water removed afterwards) can help extend their storage "life". Fruits release the largest quantity of ethylene gas and ideally should not be stored in the same fridge as your greens.
Islander, there's a very easy way to ripen those rock-hard peaches and nectarines without them turning mealy. Find a place usually dark, (I use my laundry room) spread a terrycloth towel, place the fruit on the towel, and cover with another terrycloth towel. Press and gently shape the upper towel around the fruits; it's not necessary to fit them too snugly. After four or five days, the fruit will be wonderfully ripe, sweet, and juicy; not mealy like they get when you simply leave them on the counter. I've been doing it for several years now, and it works like a charm. I'm guessing it's some sort of gas given off by the fruit which is trapped by the towels, and causes the ripening.
Since I got my water machine which makes strong alkaline water I was all my fruit and vegetables and fruit and put them in glass jars to store in the refrigerator.The water removes the pesticides and preservatives off the none organic foods too in 15 minutes soak.I can't find organic food all the time so this helps a lot.The growing season here is very short so buying locally grown fruits and vegetables is hard.Freezing them is the best option here.I'm considering moving down to Equador.
"The life of leafy greens can also be extended by as much as three extra days if you don't wash them before putting them in your fridge." – Yes, that may be the case normally, but actually, I found that by washing leafy greens with LIVE water before placing them in the fridge in a plastic bag, will extend their life significantly. The water revitalizer I use is from alivewater.net but I'm sure there are others.
The other advice I wanted to add is to keep a piece of orgonite in your fridge. That will energise all the food inside and get rid of any harmful EMF. Orgonite-making instructions & info can be found at orgonite.info
One tip to avoid waste is to use every edible part of a vegetable. Many people throw away things like broccoli and cauliflower leaves, for example. When I get the broccoli or cauliflower organic, and the leaves are fresh, I sautee them with onion and garlic and either eat them like that, or make what I call 'faux souffle' and put them in it. (A faux souffle is just a much easier, lazy cook's version of the real thing.)
Isn't it sad that we must allow foods to "ripen." I live in Maine, where plums, peaches, nectarines and such are a joke. They actually call some of them "tree-ripened" peaches when they are as hard as baseballs. Stone fruits are picked unripe to withstand shipping and they never really ripen, they just turn soft and mealy. Grapes, citrus, berries/cherries and sometimes melons do arrive ripe, but of course they are shipped from the West Coast or ever farther away, like Chile. Forget organic, too. Luckily, fresh organic local strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are all available in season.
On the other hand, I eat from my organic garden for 6 months of the year, not counting the winter storage vegetables like apples, squash, cabbage, onions and garlic. Often it's only minutes from the garden to the table.
Sorry, but I have to contradict portions of this article. Vegetables and fruits are not meant to be stored in tightly closed plastic bags in the refrigerator. It's call the "crisper" because it's humidity controlled to keep veggies fresh. I store most things in paper or plastic just to keep them together or protected, but never seal the plastic; they need to breathe. A crisper was created just for them. Apples, cucumbers, peppers, celery need no wrapping at all. Try it — you'll be surprised at how fresh they stay and how long they keep (although you ought to be shopping for fruits and veggies at least twice a week).
Hi Doc, if you think that I am about to tell my wife how to store her groceries etcetera or use her fridge, forget it! She may only be 5'4" tall, size 12, with red hair, but that's the size in which Amazon come and I don't desire to be a hero! I'd rather be poisoned slowly!