How to Preserve Organic Foods Better

How to Preserve Organic Foods Better - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. A few tips on how to keep your organic produce longer. I would start by saying that humidity is really important, especially for vegetables. So, you are going to want your fridge, if you are keeping it in the fridge, which I would think you would be, you want to have a little bit of humidity in the air but you do not want the actual produce itself to be wet. So, there is kind of a trick to it, but basically what you are going to do is you are going to get it fresh, let’s say from your local farmer’s market, and it might be a little bit wet because they have picked it up that day. So if it is lettuce, let’s say, what you want to do is, you want to wipe it down—I would say you want to wash it first, and then you want to wipe it down with something dry, like a paper towel, or something of that nature-and then you are going to store it in a sealed container. So, we use glass, so I would use a glass container with one of those Tupperware lids. You can use Tupperware, like I do not like using plastic, so, but use the glass container. Maybe layer the bottom with a piece of paper towel and then put the produce on top of that and then put a lid on it. That way the produce itself is dry but the paper towel is picking up any moisture that is still left on the produce after you have washed it, there is a little bit left, and then it actually will evaporate up through the produce in the container and create that humidity that you are looking for to sustain the life. Obviously, you do not want it too dry either, but, for example, when I get my salad mix in my little plastic bag at my farmer’s market, it is usually a little wet, and so what I do is, I rinse it off, and then I wipe it off, and get it all dry, and then leave the bag open for, maybe 24-hours, in the fridge itself. And this kind of dries it out, but it keeps it crisp and everything, and then I seal it real tight. That way it is not going to get that weird mealy, mushy, moldy kind of consistency that happens sometimes with lettuce when it is too wet and it stays wet for a long period of time. Obviously, you do not want it to dry out either which is why you have the fridge set at the right temperature to create just a touch of humidity in the air.