STORAGE TIPSWe’ve all been there before, crouched in front of the fridge during a weekly mini-clean of things forgotten when we happen upon a soft, wrinkly and dull root vegetable. Or maybe a head of lettuce gone completely limp? Or worse! It’s been so long your beautiful carrots have just shriveled up to a crispy nothing?! It’s happened to me too, the shame!, so here are some of my personal tips to keep your veggies in tip top shape. First, if you’re not a daily vegetable shopper, like my grandparents, do not try to keep your produce in paper or loose in the fridge. That won’t do. And as much as I’d like to pretend those new mesh produce bags can do the job, they just can’t for long term storage. (<— FYI, those bags are good for keeping your produce 24-48hrs but after that they will start to lose moisture and deteriorate.) So here’s your guide to crisp vegetables that will last in your fridge much longer than you’d expect. ROOT CROPS (beets, carrots, radishes, turnips): these cuties need HIGH humidity and very cold temps. Wrap them up in a plastic bag, a zip-bloc, or put them in a tupperware container with a little sprinkle of water. Check on them routinely and keep adding a little water to keep them crisp and fresh. How long will root crops keep? FOREVER. Really, we store these through March no problem, just trim the tops if they start to sprout. POTATOES, washed: These can hang out in your crisper drawer without a bag for about one week. If you’d like them to stay fresh longer (they can be stored washed for about 4-6 weeks), then please put them in a plastic produce bag or tupperware container. They also need high humidity but not as much as root crops. POTATOES, dirty: Dark and Cool are your keywords here. A paper bag, a box, anything that will allow for a small amount of air exchange while keeping the sunlight out. Dirty potatoes store well in your typical basement, at about 50 degrees with average humidity. If you do not have a basement I highly recommend a cabinet on an exterior wall of your kitchen. They will also keep perfectly well in your refrigerator although the cooler temperature will increase their sugar levels and this, in turn, will result in slightly sweeter potatoes. Just keep them outside your fridge for a couple days and the sugars will settle back down on their own. SWEET POTATOES, washed: These do not keep for very long, 10-20 days has been my general experience. I’ve found they hold equally well on the top of the fridge in a bowl or in the fridge in a bag. Just not in the very cold back corner. SWEET POTATOES, dirty: These will keep forever, but please check them for any soft spots or wrinkly ends…cook those first before they go bad! They will do well in a bowl or paper bag on top of your fridge or in your basement. Very similar to potatoes, dark 50-60 degrees and average humidity. How long will potatoes keep? Washed; 3-6 weeks. Dirty; 2-4 months And sweet potatoes? Washed; 1-3 weeks. Dirty; up to 6 months. WINTER SQUASH: Store winter squash in your basement or the top of your fridge. Just like sweet potatoes, they like it to be a fairly constant 50-60 degrees with light humidity. Generally storage times will vary squash to squash, so please speak with your farmer about the variety you are purchasing and the general keeping quality. For example, we know butternut and winter sweet kabocha to keep for months on end, but delicata and orange kabocha (with their thinner skin) are quicker to deteriorate in quality. A good rule of thumb is to check your squash weekly or bi-weekly and consume those that are starting to show soft spots and lesions. Fairly frequently you’ll end up with a winner that stores well into March! {Max and I kept a butternut for a full 16 months once}
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