Given the opening of our market stands on Friday, June 30th,
we remind all our market farm members (CSA basket subscribers and prepaid Loyalty card holders) that we will be welcoming you at Atwater and Jean-Talon from this weekend onwards. To CSA basket members, your first basket will be awaiting you on your allotted day (Friday, Saturday or Sunday); to holders of Loyalty cards, your card will be available at the principal market for which you registered.
We seize this opportunity to revisit some of the questions many of you ask about the best way to store vegetables in your refrigerators.
It all starts with one basic principle : anything stored unprotected in a fridge will not last long, given the drying or desiccating capabilities of the modern fridge. We therefore strongly suggest you store your vegetables in containers in your fridge, Russian-doll (matriochka) style…Do not be fooled by the supposed benefits of the vegetable drawers in your fridge; the myth endures, but it is nothing more than misleading fake news…
We begin with the leafy greens
(lettuce, curly edive, kale, Swiss chard, etc.):
wash and spin them before storing them in Tupperware-like containers, in glass or plastic. Well-protected, these vegetables will last at least a week, if not more. That said, they are best consumed before the following week’s supply of greens…
The same goes for your root vegetables
(carrots, beets, turnips, etc.)
which should also be stored in Tupperware-like containers. While they are crisp and crunchy upon arrival, they will go limp quickly if unprotected. The same suggestion holds for bulb vegetables (fennel, kohlrabi, etc.) and flowering or fruit vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, summer squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, etc.). Notwithstanding, a very few of these (garlic, tomatoes) do not like cold temperatures – it is therefore best to keep them at room temperature, on your kitchen counter.
Herbs remain an enigma for which there is no simple rule-of-thumb.
Basil and coriander do not keep well, despite all best efforts; use them quickly. Sage, parsley and thyme keep relatively well, provided they are stored in containers like the leafy greens et al., described above.
So there you have it – a few conservation guidelines,
the connecting thread being to avoid leaving any of your vegetables unprotected in your fridge…
To conclude, please see the content of your basket below –
and we look forward to seeing you all again.
CSA Basket # 4
Broccoli
Curly endive
Fennel
Kale
Kohlrabi
Garlic scapes
Green lettuce
Red lettuce
Spinach
