Food Storage Tips
The Twelve Dirty Foods
The below list is not well-organized yet. You can search for
items like 'apple' (for instance) by selecting (from Internet Explorer's File Menu) 'Edit' /
'Find on this page' and type in 'apple. Contextually, you could search on
'Kale', 'spinach', 'sprouts', etc.
USE WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS
Kale, avoid limp or yellow leaves
Dandelion greens, Kohlirabi leaves
Spinach, wash & store in plastic bag with a couple of paper towels.
Tomatoes - Do not refrigerate.
Asparagus - Buy ones with tight buds. Trim ends and stand stalks
upright in
1 in. of water. Cover tops with a plastic bag,
USE WITHIN 4 DAYS.
Sprouts - Lay a paper towel on the bottom of a plastic container.
Broccoli - Choose tightly formed deep-green heads Put in the frig in
a
perforated plastic bag.
Zucchini - Choose the smallest ones. Avoid ones with ends that are
withered.
Store a in bag.
Green Onions/Scallions - Select those with the most white going up the
stem.
Wrap in plastic bag.
Fennel/Anise - Wrap tightly in plastic.
USE WITHIN A WEEK.
Lettuce - Soak leaves in water so that any sand can sink to the bottom.
Spin dry in a salad spinner. Wrap in a tea towel/paper towel
and seal in
plastic bag being careful to get the air out.
Cucumbers - Avoid ones with soft spots near the ends. Best to
get unwaxed.
Choose small. Slice ends off because they tend to be bitter.
Kohlirabi stem, choose small balls free of crack, wrap in plastic.
Parsley/Cilantro - Put stems in a glass of water, cover them
with a
plastic bag & change the water every other day.
Avocado - To ripen, put in a paper bag with an apple. Refrigerate
when
ripe.
Watermelon - Choose ones with dull not shiny skin that do not have a
flat
side. Slap & listen for a hollow thump.
USE WITHIN 2 WEEKS
Celery - Put in frig in a plastic bag..
Green/Red Peppers - Only use red/yellow. Don’t use green..
Refrigerate,
wrapped in plastic.
Parsnips - Buy smaller parsnips.
OTHER STORAGE TIMES
Apples - Store in plastic bag/drawer in frig. Can keep up to 6
weeks.
Carrots - Choose long, narrow ones Avoid ones that are bendable, have
cracks
or show withering. Remove tops, and put in plastic bag. Do not
store with
apples.
Lemons - Choose thin skinned. Keep in frig. Before juicing
take out & roll
the lemon on a counter top. . 1 Lemon =3 T. juice Can freeze leftover
juice.
Gingerroot - Avoid cracks or withering. Wrapped tightly & keep in
frig .
STORE IN A COOL DARK PLACE
(and not in the frig)
Yams/Sweet Potatoes - Use Yams instead because they are less likely to be
genetically modified (GMO). Avoid those with a greenish tinge.
Can keep
for up to 2 weeks.
Jicama
Can keep up to 3 weeks. Once cut, wrap tightly & use within 1
week.
Squash - Choose smooth-skinned, heavy ones with no soft spots or splits.
Can be stored for up to 6 months.
Garlic - Choose firm ones that do not have any green growth
Dirty dozen: The 12 most polluted
foods
Seeing local strawberries in the markets reminded me to send off the list of
''most polluted'' foods below. This list is a couple of years old but
dubious that it has changed much.
If you can't buy all organic, buy wisely -- some foods are far more
heavily sprayed than others. Check out the list below for the 12 most
polluted foods, and buy the organic versions -- or not at all.
1. Strawberries, 189*
2. Bell peppers (tie), 155
3. Spinach (tie), 155
4. Cherries (USA), 154
5. Peaches, 150
6. Cantaloupe (Mexico), 142
7. Celery, 129
8. Apples, 124
9. Apricots, 132
10. Green beans, 122
11. Grapes (Chile), 118
12. Cucumbers, 117
(A measure of 200 is the most toxic. Source: Environmental Working
Group,
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