Whole Food Storage and Cleaning Tips!

I decided to share a few helpful tips for all you whole foodies ... enjoy :)

Fresh vegetables are at their best quality, quantity and price during their individual seasons. Following a few steps can ensure that you choose an utilize the best produce without waste.

• ·      Buy only what you can use without waste, this includes storing or preserving during the foods fresh “window”.
• ·      Select foods that are organically grown. These foods are produced without toxic insecticides or herbicides. No one benefits from ingesting these toxins.

Greens

Greens such as kale, spinach, turnip greens, swiss chard and salad greens should be refrigerated immediately. They retain the highest nutrient levels when stored at high humidity at near freezing temperature (Hunter, 2006). This is easily done in most household refrigerators, mine is set at 37 degrees and It has a high humidity drawer for veggies.

**Note** Greens in general are very susceptible to food borne pathogens that can make you sick. Washing greens (and all veggies for that matter) in a 3 to 1 solution of distilled white vinegar and water can remove waxes, soil and 98% of bacteria to include E-Coli. I fill a bowl with solution, let the greens soak a few minutes, scrub each leaf, rinse and dry in salad spinner. And YES this goes for the bagged “triple washed” salad mixes as well. It only take s a few minutes for something that could literally be life saving. Eat your Greens! .. Just wash them first ;)

Cruciferous

 Vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower store well kept in cold storage and wrapped in a damp towel (Hunter, 2006) (I remember watching my grandmother do this, now I know why!)  retain most of their ascorbic acid levels.

Root

 White and sweet potatoes should be kept in cool, dry and dark places and they will retain their nutrient content for up to 6 months. In fact sweet potatoes beta-carotene content actually increases in storage. Potatoes stored in light will develop green skins which are toxic, never eat potatoes with green skins. Potato sprouts are also toxic, never consume them. Potatoes do not freeze well, they develop off- color and flavor features (Hunter, 2006).

Cucurbits

Summer squash and zucchini have a very high moisture content and do not keep well, they should be used immediately (Hunter, 2006). Look for squashes with unblemished non-waxy skins. Sautéing or steaming is recommended.. or even baking into yummy zucchini bread ;)

Fall and Winter squashes such as pumpkins, hubbard, banana or butternut are firm on the outside but soft on the inside. They can be stored for months in well ventilated, cool area between 55 and 60 degrees. They are best prepared removing seeds and flesh for roasting or steaming. I like to do butternut squash, cut in half, seeds removed, face down in a shallow baking dish with a inch of water, roast in 350 degree oven for about an hour. Sweet, easy, delicious and pureed as awesome baby food!

Bulb vegetables: Garlic and Onions.

Here is a good one.. does anyone really know how to store these items? Until doing this research I obviously did NOT. Whole garlic cloves can be stored in open containers in cool dry, dark places for months. However once the bulb is opened and individual cloves are used, the remaining cloves should be used within 10 days. Garlic can be used in multiple ways, eaten raw it offers the most allicin content which is the heart healthy, anti-immflamitory enzyme garlic is known for. But mincing, dicing, chopping, sautéing and baking all work well for garlic. Garlic bulbs should be dry and free of mold and sprouts.

Onions have a very high flavonoid content that rivals the green-leafy family, consumption reduces risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes… and the more pungent the more flavonoids! Let the tears flow! Onions should be firm and dry, free of sprouts, mold or soft spots. Outer onion skins should be dry and smooth with no signs of dampness.

** best storage tip ever!** Do NOT store onions next to potatoes .. which to my knowledge most everyone does. Moisture content from the potatoes will prematurely rot the onions and dry out the potatoes causing them to spoil .. opposites to not attract in the case of onion and potato ;)

“Fruit” vegetables: Avocado and Tomato.

Avocados contain a high amount of monounsaturated oil and are a good source of beta-carotene, B vitamins, potassium and iron. At the grocery store, a ready-to-eat avocado with yield softness to pressure applied to skin. Unripe avocados should be stored at room temperature until ripe. Once ripe they can be stored un-cut in the refrigerator for several days. Freshly cut avocado should be consumed quickly, coating cut avocado  with lemon juice, vinegar, milk, oil or butter will help to preserve color.

Tomatoes are great sources of vitamins A and C as well as the antioxidant Lycopene, which fights cancer causing free radicals in the body. Choose tomatoes that are firm, no cracks, mold or blemish spots. The deeper the red color of the tomato the greater it’s lycopene content.  Tomatoes are best stored at room temperature to preserve flavor and spoilage, they will actually decay faster in the refrigerator!

Thank you for reading my post! Pursue!

Michelle

Source:

Hunter. B (2006). A Whole Foods Primer. Chapter 1. Basic Health Publications. Laguna Beach, CA