Vegetables are abundant in nutrients, and they should stay fresh and green if we need good results. But how can we keep vegetables for a long time with freshness till they are used for cooking? The common method adopted by all is to store them in a refrigerator soon after purchase. If they are not stored properly, they may rot in the refrigerator itself, and give bad odour. You can’t use them later and you throw in the waste bin. Why do vegetables get damaged easily even after they are placed in the refrigerator soon after purchase? The answer lies here – how you keep them in cold storage. Each vegetable should be preserved differently.
Through this column, let me provide some easy and simple techniques to preserve vegetables for long days.
Tips To Preserve Vegetables Fresh for Long Days
Tip to preserve ginger for long days – As soon as you buy ginger from the shop, wash it well to remove dirt and soil, remove the skin and spread it on a piece of paper. You can remove its moisture using a piece of cloth. After the moisture content is completely gone, transfer the ginger to an air-tight container and place in the refrigerator. You can also wash ginger well, place it in a zip-lock and store it in the refrigerator for long days.
For curry, mint, and coriander leaves – Put curry and coriander leaves in an air-filled plastic cover, tie the opening end and keep this cover in the refrigerator. The leaves stay fresh for long days. You can also use a plastic container to do the same process. The container should be closed well. You can keep mint, curry and coriander leaves fresh for long days by placing them in a glass jar. But change the water every day. Another method is to chop coriander leaves and put them in ice trays and freeze. Store these ice cubes in plastic covers inside the freezer and take them as desired.
You can wrap coriander and mint leaves in tissue paper or plastic covers and store in the refrigerator for long-term use. You can also store coriander leaves by wrapping them in aluminium foil. Coriander leaves can be kept fresh for 1 week by wrapping them in newspaper. Coriander leaves are available as bundles from the market, and you can cut off the roots just above the bundle. Wash them well in water and drain the water completely. Using a paper towel, remove the moisture content completely. Remove the damaged leaves and store in airtight containers inside your refrigerator.
You can wash and remove moisture from curry leaves, and remove the stalk one by one as leaflets. Now store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Wash your curry leaves in water and place them to drain excess water. Remove the damaged and blacken leaves. When the moisture is fully drained off, pluck curry leaves from the stalk, taking care, and keep them in air-tight containers in refrigerator. You can store curry leaves for long days this way. You can also wrap curry leaves in banana flower brats to store for a few days.
Spinach and other leafy vegetables stay fresh if their stems are dipped in cold water. Wash lettuce leaves in cold water and shake it to remove water. Then you can preserve them for long days.
To store onions – You can keep onions in normal room temperature with good air circulation. You can place onions and garlic together. But never keep them with potatoes. If you keep onions in refrigerator, in cold condition, they turn smooth cotton like with moisture absorbed. Also, never keep onions in places with excess exposure to sunlight.
To store garlic – If garlic is stored as cloves, they stay fresh longer. They should get good air circulation to stay fresh for a long. Its stalk should be broken and the skin removed just before use only.
To preserve coconut for longer days – Coconut is not categorized as vegetable. Yet I would like to add this tip here. Cut the coconut into pieces and place it in a container inside the refrigerator filled with water. Coconut stays fresh for a longer period.
To keep carrots fresh – If you keep carrots in plastic covers with pores inside the refrigerator, it retains freshness up to one week. If you want to preserve them long-term, before you keep them in cold storage, cut off the green portion of the stalk. The green colour of the stalk absorbs the moisture of the carrot easily and wrinkles form on its surface.
To keep capsicum and eggplant – Green capsicum stays longer compared with red, yellow and orange coloured types. If you keep them in the refrigerator, it stays fresh up to 14 days. Egg plants can be stored in dark places with good air circulation.
To store cabbage and cauliflower – Remove the moisture content of the cabbage and place it in the refrigerator. It stays fresh for long days. Store cauliflower in plastic bags inside the refrigerator.
To store tubers for long days – Yam, colacasia and similar types of tubers may dry if you store them for a long time. A few hours before you cook these items, immerse them fully in water. Tubers regain freshness.
To store spinach for long days – If spinach has roots as well, dip it in water. They stay fresh for a long. It’s advisable to use leafy vegetables like spinach, fenugreek and palak within 1 or 2 days, before they loss freshness. But if you want to keep them long, wrap them in a paper towel or thick newspaper and store them in the refrigerator. Excess moisture content will be absorbed by the paper/towel and they retain freshness of leaves for a few more days. Before you place them in the refrigerator, examine the leaves carefully and remove the damaged ones.
To store green chillies for long days – Bacteria attack the stalk of green chillies easily. So, remove the stalk, and completely remove moisture also. Then keep it in the refrigerator in air-tight polythene covers. It stays fresh for a minimum of 2 weeks. You can also wrap them in a kitchen towel or newspaper and keep them in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator. It may stay fresh up to 4 weeks. Remove damaged chillies before you place them in the refrigerator. Otherwise, the infection may spread to the remaining chillies too.
To store lemon for long days – Remove its moisture content, wrap in a newspaper and put in a plastic cover. Then place it in the refrigerator. Lemon stays fresh for at least 2 weeks. You can also pour a little water in a plastic container, put lemons in it and place it in the refrigerator. Lemons stay fresh for at least 2 weeks. If you want to keep the remaining half of a cut lemon, apply a little salt on the put portion. You can keep it for 3-4 more days.
To avoid potatoes from sprouting – Place an apple inside the potato container. If you place them near apples or onions, they sprout easily, and it’s due to the formation of ethylene gas from both. So it’s advisable not to keep them aside from these two. Keep potatoes isolated in some dark corner of the kitchen to preserve them for long days. To store potatoes for long days, never keep them in a heap. Instead, spread them. You can store them in paper bags and even store them in the refrigerator, too, to avoid drying out.
To store celery and broccoli for long days – Wrap celery and broccoli in aluminium foil and store in the refrigerator for long-term use. You can also store coriander leaves this way. When you bring celery home, slice a piece of potato, put in water and dip the celery in it for a while. It turns fresh. Before storing celery in the refrigerator, dip it in lime water.
To store okra for long days – Cut both the tips of the okra using a knife, and then keep them in the refrigerator. They stay fresh for a long time.
To store drumstick for long days – Cut drumsticks into small pieces and put them inside zip-lock bags. Then keep this bag in the freezer.
To store a cucumber for long days – You can keep a cucumber outside for long days. When you keep them in the refrigerator, they can rot easily. But if you cut them, you can store in a plastic bag in refrigerator. Use them as early as possible.
To store tomatoes for long days – Wash the tomatoes using cold water and dip in water, adding a little salt and turmeric powder. After 15 minutes, wash it again using clean water, remove the moisture content completely using a cloth and store in air-tight containers in the refrigerator. Green tomatoes can be stored outside the refrigerator, and red tomatoes in cold storage. The stalk portion should not be broken, or exert extra pressure while keeping them in the refrigerator in a container. If the stalk is broken and juice comes out, a fungus attack is possible, and the tomatoes will rot easily.
To store pastes of ginger, garlic and green chillies for long days – Add a big spoon of oil and a pinch of salt while you make the paste of these items. Store them in the refrigerator in air-tight containers. You can preserve them for a long period.
Can we preserve fruits and vegetables together?
It’s not advisable to keep them together. Why? Most fruits produce a gas, ethylene, which provides a simple and easy way for vegetables to ripen easily. If so, you can’t keep them fresh and green for long days.
To stay fresh, most vegetables should get enough air circulation. Wash your vegetables well before you use for cooking. If you are not going to use a few items for a short time and want to store them for long days in the refrigerator, a better idea is not to wash them before you keep them in storage. You can wash them before cooking. If you want to wash them before keeping them in the refrigerator, completely remove moisture before doing so. Moisture content can easily cause your vegetables to rot.
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