How to Keep Fruits and Vegetables Fresh

!: How to Keep Fruits and Vegetables Fresh

In order to keep fruits and vegetables fresh for days, you need to know how to store them appropriately. Here is a guide on how you can store them:

1. Berries will keep several days if stored, unwashed, in a colander in the refrigerator.

2. To freeze berries without having them turn to mush, place them on a cookie sheet, freeze, and then pack the berries in airtight containers. Return them to the freezer.

3. If you have too much fruit to process for jelly at one time, cook and strain the juice and freeze it until you have time to make the jelly.

4. If you have overripe bananas and do not know what to do with them, you can mash or push them through a sieve, then add about 20ml of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown before freezing. After thawing, they can be used in your breads or cakes.

5. When you chop onions and green peppers, make several cups more than you need. Freeze the vegetables in plastic bags for use in soups, sauces, and casseroles.

6. To keep asparagus fresh for a day or more, cut a small amount off the bottom of each stalk. Stand the stalks upright in a container in a small amount of water. Cover with a plastic bag and refrigerate.

7. For carrots, turnips and other root vegetables, you have to cut off their leafy green tops before storing. This is so that the top part would not extract nutrients from the root.

8. To store watercress, wash it, then stand it upright in an inch of cold water in a glass. Cover the glass and watercress with a plastic bag and refrigerate. If the watercress was fresh when bought, it should keep for about a week. Store parsley, basil, dill, and coriander this way too.