Contributed by Urban Harvest

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Ingredients

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Instructions

Storage Hints

Because organic vegetables and fruits are produced without preservatives, it pays to store your produce wisely, so that it will last longer. Most leaf and stem vegetables store best in the crisper of your fridge, kept in plastic to avoid dehydration. Root veggies like dark, cool, and dry conditions. Most fruits are best stored loose, to allow for air circulation (which helps to regulate ripening, and prevent mold growth). Read on for more specific tips!

Organic Fruits

 Apples are best stored loose in the fridge – they need to breathe to stay crisp. Use within a month.
 Pears, if hard, will keep 2-3 weeks in the fridge, stored loose like apples. To ripen, store at room temperature, in a brown paper bag. They should be eaten within 3-4 days once ripe.
 Kiwi and grapes have a fairly long refrigerator life (depending on how long they’ve been in transit, of course!). To ripen kiwi, keep at room temperature.
 Bananas (and avocados) are best stored and eaten at room temperature, but can be refrigerated after ripening. To speed ripening of green bananas, place them in a paper bag in a drawer/cupboard with a wrinkled apple.
 Citrus fruits can be kept at a room temperature of 15-20 deg Celsius if used within a week. If stored in the fridge, they should last up to two weeks.
 Apricots, peaches, nectarines, and melons should be ripened before refrigeration. Cut portions should be covered before refrigeration. Use all within 3-5 days, except melons, which should be used as soon as possible after ripening.
 Berries and cherries are best kept covered in the fridge. Don’t wash until just before you use them – too much moisture speeds spoilage. Use within 2-3 days (longer for cherries, saskatoon berries, and cranberries).

Organic Vegetables

 Asparagus is delicate and should be used within 2-3 days.
 Broccoli, brussel sprouts, scallions, and summer squash will last 3-5 days in plastic bags in the crisper.
 Cabbage has a long fridge life (2-3 weeks).
 Carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, and parsnips should be stored in plastic once the leafy tops are removed. They’ll last two weeks in the fridge.
 Cauliflower, celery, and snap peas should be used within a week.
 Corn is best kept in its husk in the fridge. Eat as soon as possible, because its sugar quickly turns to starch, and both the flavor and texture suffer!
 Eggplants, mature onions, winter squash, rutabagas, and sweet potatoes/yams are best kept moderately cool (no lower than 12 deg Celsius).
 Lettuce and salad greens should be washed, and then stored in the crisper. (same for peppers and cucumbers)
 Kale, spinach, chard, collards, and other leafy greens require similar treatment, except it is important to ensure that they are drained thoroughly before packing in bags. To revive limp greens (including lettuces), trim the bottom end, and then immerse in warm water for several minutes – this opens the cells up to receive more water. Remove and drain, stem up, for 10 minutes. Refrigerate in a loosely tied plastic bag. (Spinach is an exception: soak in ice-cold water only, and do not trim roots).
 Mushrooms store best in a paper bag (not in plastic).
 Potatoes need a colder area of 7-12 degrees. A cool, dry, dark place is best. Use within a few weeks (although, they will keep longer if stored properly).
 Tomatoes should be ripened uncovered at room temperature (away from direct sunlight), and then stored in the fridge for up to a week.
 Most other vegetables store well in the crisper, in a plastic bag or air-tight container to avoid dehydration.

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