Tongue-in-cheek Warning:
Right up front I’m going to address the snickering and giggling. This is a family-friendly blog where that sort of silliness is not going to be tolerated. I especially don’t want you to be forced to explain why you’re giggling uncontrollably at a kitchen blog. So as you’re reading, don’t head towards the thought-gutter when I’m writing about “reviving”, “rejuvenating”, and especially “going limp”. Let’s all act like we’re mature, ok? Don’t worry, it’s new territory for me too!
I’m glad we’ve got that out of the way. Now on with the regularly scheduled topic…
Have you ever been digging through the fridge and discovered food you didn’t realize you had? Sadly, it happens to me all the time. I buy some celery with the intention of using it right away. I’m usually going to make it into a snack, smeared in peanut butter or spreadable cheese. I mean seriously, does anybody munch on plain celery? But I don’t put the celery on my meal plan. And days (or sometimes weeks) later, I discover the celery limply lying in the refrigerator, doing everything possible to avoid being mistaken for anything passably edible. I get angry at myself as I haul the pathetic stuff to the compost bin…only to find several other bunches of celery slowly decomposing there as well.
Arggggggg!
So I decided to go on a quest to figure out what I can do to bring my sadly neglected vegetables back to life. Honestly, I was a bit surprised to find out that there are a lot of strategies that may be helpful! Here are the three things I learned…
Avoid Going Limp
Stop it, we talked about the giggling!
Seriously, the best way to avoid being forced to rejuvenate your produce is to prevent it from wilting in the first place. I’ve been told “buy your veggies the day you’re going to use them”. As if! Who has time to run to the store every day for the groceries we need? That would be kind of cool, but it doesn’t fit the Hectic Lifestyle that I lead, or yours either.
The first think I discovered on my quest was how to keep lettuce from wilting. The recommendation from instructables.com is to roll your lettuce in paper towels. I’d always heard you should dampen the paper towels, but this article says just wrapping the lettuce is sufficient. Using this method you can even use the paper towels for something else later! Ronda Chesser Porter recommends that you store lettuce in the coolest part of your fridge, near the back. This will keep it in the best possible shape for the longest time.
Apparently this recommendation holds for most refrigerated vegetables. That explains why the produce crisper is a drawer at the bottom of the fridge. Not that we ever use that drawer for veggies at Hectic Manor. Shoot, it wasn’t until a year ago that I got the Hectic Clan to stop using it for soda cans! But you know, do as I say, not as I do…
What To Do When You’ve Failed To Protect Your Veggies
Despite your best intentions, you’ve let your veggies lose their integrity. Remember one thing: Ice-water is their best friend. If you’ve got lettuce that’s wilted, separate the leaves, discarding any brown or slimy ones. Those can’t be saved, so just get rid of them. The ones you can salvage get to take an ice bath. Fill a bowl with water and ice and put your lettuce into the water for around 15 minutes. While the leaves are soaking, get out a bunch of paper towels. After the lettuce is done, remove one leaf and shake off any excess water. Place the leaf onto a paper towel. Repeat for all the lettuce, layer paper towels in between. Once you’ve got them arranged, roll up the paper towel-lettuce combo and put it in a large zippered storage bag. Press out as much air as you can, seal it, and put it into the refrigerator. It’ll keep for two weeks, but honestly I wouldn’t push it. Over on the Cluebert blog they suggest adding some lemon juice to the water. I’ve done it, but I’m not sure I like the taste of the lettuce. The lemon juice does improve the rejuvenation though, so keep it in mind!
This ice water tip can be used for lots of veggies, including: Asparagus, bell peppers, carrots, celery, scallions, and zucchini. It’s better to cut them up before trying to revive them. If you need to rejuvenate potatoes, wash and peel them before cutting them up. It’s worked absolute wonders every time I’ve used this method!
Buy What You Need, Use It Soon
It’s actually pretty simple to avoid having limp vegetables. Despite the fact that my kids will answer “just don’t buy them”…that’s not it! The best thing to do is know exactly what you need, when you’re going to need it, and not to buy too much or too soon. If you buy in the quantities you need a short time before you need them, you’ll be fine. Keep track of what you’ve got in the fridge. If you prep your produce right when you bring it home, you can also avoid wilting and spoilage. Follow up by storing everything in the proper places and you’ll be way ahead. Finally, if you want to know how much produce you’ll need, have your recipes selected before you shop. Call this a meal plan if you want to be formal about it. But generally, if you purchase based on a set of recipes you’re going to be better off than scratching your head and trying to figure out what you’re going to do with the mismatch of veggies you’ve got in the fridge while the kids are whining about wanting to know what’s for dinner.
It’s just another instance where a little planning goes a long way to making it a great day in the kitchen!