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You thought it is more than enough to keep vegetables fresh by just refrigerating them? You might be a housewife, a cooking daddy, or a small garden owner who is continuously looking for the best way to keep the fresh produce longer.
This concern has been growing since the implementation of MCO 2.0 in Malaysia. Most people refuse to go to the grocery store too often due to the pandemic. So, they will buy more at once to store the items in the house. The problem is, the vegetables you bought are too fast to rot and become mouldy, such a waste!
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Let us dig deeper for some hidden hacks to keep vegetables fresh for longer period. Before that, we need to understand vegetable storage times:
Different Storage times for different types of vegetables
Based on Unlockfood.ca, below is the guideline of average storage time for selected vegetables at their best quality:
Infographic by Chocobo Trading
Factors that affect Vegetable freshness:
There are three main things to consider if you want to keep the vegetables fresh.
Humidity
Different types of vegetables have different optimum humidity level to stay fresh.
When the environment is too dry, water contained in the veggies will evaporate into the air and make them dry out and wilt.
If it is too humid, water in the air will attach to the veggies’ surfaces, cause them to become mushy or rot.
Temperature
NOT ALL vegetables are suitable to be stored at low temperature!
Veggies such as tomatoes and potatoes can stay fresh longer if you put them in a dark and cool place away from the fridge.
Air Flow
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Produce that best left at room temperature needs air circulation.
Sometimes, premature spoilage might happen if you store your fresh produce in plastic bags. In this case, you should take the veggies out of the plastic bags to let them breathe.
Storing Hacks to Keep Veggies Fresh for Weeks:
1. Start from buying the freshest produce
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The first step to get the veggies’ most extended storage life in your kitchen is to select the best quality produce.
Do remember always to ensure the characteristics such as bright and lively colour in the leafy greens. Also, check if the vegetable is still at their peak of crisp. For non-leafy produce such as tomatoes, make sure there are no signs of wrinkling, mouldy spots and leaked fluid.
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2. Ways of Refrigerating Fresh Produce
Almost all modern refrigerator models come with a crisper drawer known as fruits and vegetable shelf or case. You should always keep the fresh produce in those drawers and set to a high humidity level.
One of the biggest mistakes that many people are doing is stashing fruits and vegetables in the same place. Some fruits will produce a gas called ethylene, making vegetables ripen and rot faster if put together.
Thus, separately storing fruits and vegetables can make both produce stay sprightly for a longer time.
3. For Leafy Greens
Let us talk about our all-time-favourite produce- lettuce! They are various types of lettuce substitutes which including romaine, iceberg, red and green coral lettuce, to name a few. Many people have no resistance for its crunch and refreshing flavour. However, lettuce will lose their crunchiness very soon if they are not stored properly. By using this hack, you could keep the veggies fresh up to two weeks!
Based on Chef Joe, this smart tip is applicable for most leafy greens such as cabbage, spinach, and lettuce.
Step 1:
Ensure the green produce is not wet and remain unwashed before refrigeration.
Step 2:
Take out a dry container, put a clean and dry towel at the bottom of the container.
Step 3:
Put half of the container with leafy greens
Step 4:
Put one dry and clean towel on the top and continue Step 3-4 until the container is full.
Step 5:
Put the container lid on tight and refrigerate.
4. However, some veggies love moisture!
For vegetables like cucumber and carrots, moisture remains on the surface could extend their storage life in the kitchen.
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This simple hack is a no brainer, what you need are just a wet paper towel and ziplock bag, that’s all! Before putting these vegetables into the fridge, wrap them with a wet paper towel and put into the ziplock bag. Give it a try, and you will be surprised by the result!
5. Tomatoes should ‘break up’ with the fridge
Keeping tomatoes from rotting in the hot weather can be difficult. One of the most common food storage mistakes is to keep tomatoes in the refrigerator. This will cause the changed in flavour and transform their texture in just a couple of days.
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Cool room temperature (but not as cold as in the fridge) is preferable when storing this red produce. Keep the tomatoes away from direct sunlight, heat sources, and refrigerators to keep them fresh more than a week!
6. Extra Tips: You Can Refresh Lettuce
No worry if your greens are starting to become a little wilted. What you can do is place the lettuce into a large bowl with ice water to give them an ice bath. Gently shake the greens around to revive them. A minute or two should have awakened them and get a fresh looking!
We are Fresh Vegetable Supplier that Only Provides Freshest Produce
Chocobo Trading is always your preferred Cameron Highland vegetable supplier. As a fresh vegetable wholesaler who has over 30 years of farming experience, we ensure our customers to get their greens at the peak of freshness.
We monitor our vegetable day in and day out in our farms to make sure they grow well.
Thus, our produce is well-known for its distinctive freshness. Additionally, we had optimized our farm to produce these vegetables in bulk at competitive prices to satisfy our customers’ needs. We ensure ourselves to be efficient, high service quality and make everything as perfect as possible.
Not Just Ordinary Wholesaler
Our mission is not only to be an ordinary vegetable supplier but also your great partner to support your business anytime. We wish to build long-lasting relationships with our customers for being a reliable and efficient wholesaler in Malaysia.
As a comprehensive vegetable wholesaler in Malaysia, we also emphasize the importance of knowledge and experience sharing.
This is the reason why we are writing these blog posts on our website. We aimed to provide relevant information, education, and hidden recipes to bring you the most incredible online experience.