We've all been there... You open the fridge, only to find your once-crisp veggies looking sad and wilted. It's a frustrating reality that leads to a lot of food waste. In fact, a shocking 30-40% of the food supply in the US ends up going to waste.
But here's the good news: proper storage can dramatically extend the life of your produce.
How you store your vegetables makes a HUGE difference in how long they stay fresh!
That's why we created an in-depth, 33-page vegetable storage guide. In the guide, we walk you through the best ways to store every single vegetable we grow so you can:
-Reduce food waste and save money on groceries
-Enjoy fresh, delicious produce for longer
-Feel good about making sustainable choices
Plus, there are so many little vegetable anecdotes from the farm, and kitchen tips. We created this a few years ago but thought we needed to reintroduce it since we have grown so much in that time! Download the guide below. -->
Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of the guide on storage logic
'The moment a vegetable is plucked from the ground - detached from its water source and unearthed from the insulative soil - it begins to lose moisture, causing roots (like carrots) to go limp and greens (like chard) to wilt. The cell walls begin to collapse and the natural water in the vegetable begins to evaporate. Most of the storage tips in this guide have the same goal: to retain the vegetable’s moisture. When approaching your CSA share and trying to figure out how to store your veggies, it’s helpful to keep this in mind.'
Here is the Text from two pages on veggies you are getting in your shares now.
'SUMMER CUCURBITS
squash, zucchini, patty pan, cucumbers
HOW TO STORE:
Store in the crisper drawer, in a slightly sealed bag. These relatively fragile, thin-skinned specimens, especially squash, should be eaten within about a week for the best quality. Avoid the coldest corners of a fridge shelf, and wait to wash until you're ready to use. Handle your summer squash gently. Any small knick or bruise will invite in bacteria and speed up the ripening process.
PODS
okra, green beans, long beans, snap peas
HOW TO STORE:
Store these pods in a bag, with a clean paper towel slipped inside. Keeping these
vegetables dry, the okra especially, will help prolong their freshness. Okra should
be used relatively quickly - ideally within 3-4 days - else it will begin to brown; it’s
a very sensitive little seed pod! Beans and snap peas should be used within about
a week. No plan for your pods? Blanch and freeze ‘em!
Farmers Thoughts-
Appreciate the pod. Each of these crops is extremely labor-intensive to harvest.
Each pod must be picked by hand, one by one. In the case of okra, you’re also
battling very itchy conditions, in the heat of a Texas summer. Add to that the fact
that during their peak season, these plants must be harvested at least every other
day - else their fruit will become too big, and inedible. Any farmer growing these
vegetables is truly doing it as a labor of love.'
Hope you enjoy the guide and super fresh veggies :-)
All the best,
Becky and the VRDNT Farm team
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