|
Carrots
Refrigerate loosely wrapped. To perk up wilted carrots, simply submerge them in cold water and refrigerate overnight.
Chard
Can be used in almost any recipe that calls for spinach (omelettes, quiche, stir fry, etc). It's great just lightly steamed and sauteed with garlic, olive oil, and salt & pepper stuffed into a pita. Add cheese, olives, scallions or whatever for a quick delicious lunch!
Eggplant
Try to use them as soon after you pick them up as possible. Eggplants don't store well but if you have to, store in a paper bag in the warmest part of the fridge. They'll deteriorate faster if colder than 50 degrees.
Garlic
Store in a dark, cool, dry place with plenty of ventilation.
Garlic Scapes
The scapes are the green flower stalks of the hardneck variety of garlic. Scapes can be chopped and used in stir fry or salads. Be sure to try this wonderful recipe submitted by one of our members:
Veronica's Crunchy Scapes
Chop scapes into bite-size pieces, place in a bowl, coat generously with olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper, spread on a cookie sheet and roast at high temperature (375-400) until you hear a popping noise. Remove from oven, cool & eat as a snack.
Herbs
Place bunches of fresh herbs in a tall glass with about one inch of water, cut ends down. Cover the tops loosely with plastic wrap to allow some air to circulate through (in an airtight container, trapped moisture makes the herbs go bad more quickly). Change the water every day or two.
Woodier herbs, like sage, thyme & rosemary, should be placed in a perforated bag or wrapped loosely, and stored in your refrigerator's crisper.
Kale
If you are not ready to use your kale right away, rinse it well, chop coarsely, steam for just a minute or two, drain, let cool and place in a zip-lock freezer bag (squeeze out the excess air) and freeze for winter soups and stews. You can add to the bag week after week. Just be sure to let the kale cool thoroughly before adding.
Tomatoes
Scientifically speaking, the ideal temperature for holding and ripening tomatoes is 620-680F with relatively high humidity. Kitchen countertops and other places where you keep nonrefrigerated fresh food are fine (avoid windowsills and other spots that get direct sunlight). Place tomatoes stem end up. Tomatoes that need ripening should be kept in a sealed paper bag. You can put an ethylene-producing fruit such as a banana in the bag to hasten ripening.
|
Interested in great food writing?
www.culinarytypes.com
Check out T.W. Barritt's foodblog.
T.W. is a member of Sophia Garden.
T.W. Barritt is a culinary enthusiast and writer who first developed a love of food when his parents presented him and his three brothers with a copy of "Betty Crocker's New Boys and Girls Cook Book" in the mid-1960s. Since then, Barritt has served as a communications advisor to top food companies and has studied techniques of French cooking, pastry, classic European breads and the craft of food writing at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. He has also taken Master Classes at La Varenne in Burgundy, France and Apicius, the Culinary Institute of Florence in Italy.
www.culinarytypes.com
|
