Share your Favorite Veggie Prep & Storage Methods

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, John. This user is located in Zone 5. This was originally posted on August 6, 2013.

Wash & core tomato......Slicing tomato like shown helps retain more liquid in the tomato.
Variety: Marianna Peace

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, John. This user is located in Zone 5. This was originally posted on August 7, 2013.

Add interest to a salad by scoring the skin of the cucumber with a fork before slicing.
Variety: Slangen Longo Da China

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, John. This user is located in Zone 5. This was originally posted on August 13, 2013.

FINALLY!  Ripe tomatoes!!! Didn't have to worry about storing this.  Everything in this salad was harvested from my Earth Boxes. Delicious!

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, John. This user is located in Zone 5. This was originally posted on August 15, 2013.

Here's a tip from an article I wrote several years ago:
"Some crops produce ethylene gas (a gas that promotes ripening) while others are damaged by it.  Grapes, green onions, melons, mushrooms, peaches, pears, tomatoes, peppers and watermelon, among others, produce ethylene gas.  On the other hand, crops such as asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, parsley, peas and squash are damaged by ethylene gas.  Lettuce begins to decay almost immediately when exposed to even low amounts of ethylene gas.  So remember to always store separately in your refrigerator."

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, PaulB. Southeast New Mexico Zone 7. This was originally posted on August 16, 2013.

Ah, store the onions and tomatoes away from the lettuce in a different veggie drawer.  I didn't know that.  How about avocados and lettuce?

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Full Member, MrClint. This user is located in Lake Balboa Zone 10. This was originally posted on August 17, 2017.

Take a vegetable peeler and peel off long slices of zucchini. Congratulations, you just made zucchini fettuccine noodles. Next, a quick spin in the microwave to heat to "al dente" -- then top with your home-made spaghetti sauce. Now that's healthy low-carb cooking! 

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Newbie, Bastria1. This was originally posted on February 23, 2014.

Tomatoes - harvest, wash,  place on a cookie sheet and pop in the freezer.  When completely frozen pop them into a freezer bag.  When you want to use them simply remove the number you need.....boil a pan of water, pop them into the water for about 5 seconds and the skin will slide right off.  Then chop (without the mess because they're still partially frozen).....and presto you're ready to make your spaghetti or whatever Smiley
That's my tip! Easy, peasy! Smiley

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, dkaufman. This user is located in NW Wisconsin - Zone 4a. This was originally posted on February 25, 2014.


Author Jo Robinson recently published a book called "Eating on the Wild Side:The Missing Link to Optimum Health" http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316227943/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=27054520563&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=s&hvrand=14943924402021204898&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_wnjt2wzx5_b.
She talks about the best varieties of veggies to grow and how to store them for optimum nutrition. You'll be surprised to read about the best way to store lettuce....

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Guest, cushman350. This was originally posted on February 26, 2014.

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, dkaufman. This user is located in NW Wisconsin - Zone 4a. This was originally posted on February 25, 2014.


Author Jo Robinson recently published a book called "Eating on the Wild Side:The Missing Link to Optimum Health" http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316227943/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=27054520563&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=s&hvrand=14943924402021204898&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_wnjt2wzx5_b.
She talks about the best varieties of veggies to grow and how to store them for optimum nutrition. You'll be surprised to read about the best way to store lettuce....

Please don't tease, tell us about lettuce storage.

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, dkaufman. This user is located in NW Wisconsin - Zone 4a. This was originally posted on February 26, 2014.

I'm babysitting my granddaughter so don't have the book in front of me but here goes from memory (sketchy!):
Wash and break up your lettuce when you bring it home from the store or from the EB - if you're going to eat it that day or next. The tearing exposes more tissue surface on a still-living surface which actually makes the plant more nutritious (this is where I don't remember the nutritional details). Then, take a zip lock bag and puncture it with a needle in about 10 places. This is called micro-perfing and allows some gas exchanges and keeps the lettuce fresh. There are a number of vegetables that benefit from this process. So, when I get back home Friday I can correct my mistakes here and add more

[EarthBoxAdmin]

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted by Hero Member, dkaufman. This user is located in NW Wisconsin - Zone 4a. This was originally posted on March 2, 2014.

Ok - here's a quote from the book regarding how to store lettuce:
"As soon as you bring the greens home, pull off the leaves, rinse them, and soak them for about ten minutes in very cold water. The cold water lowers their temperature, which slows the aging process. It also increases the internal moisture of the greens, which keeps them crisp longer. Next, dry them with a towel or in a salad spinner. Any moisture left on the surface hastens their decay. For optimum storage, you want the moisture inside the greens, not on the outside.
Here's a surprise. If you tear up the lettuce before you store it, you can double it's antioxidant value. The living plant resounds to the insult as if it were being gnawed by n insect or eaten by an animal: it produces a burst of phytonutrients to fend off the intruders. Then when you eat the greens, you benefit from the added antioxidant protection. There's one caveat. Eat the greens within a day or two, because the tearing also hastens their decay.
...store the lettuce inside a sealed bag pricked with holes. The humidity remains high and the greens get enough oxygen to stay alive, but not so much that they respire too rapidly."