Preserving veggies for longer

[Pandorachik]

My veggies go brown in about a week.  Usually they will last longer tho. I need a way to wash them and keep them clean and NOT brown for longer. Whats a good way? I know veggies wraps in paper towels are good. What other things?? And how do u do wraps?? 

[FrankieFlash]

I’m having a similar issue. For me the quality of produce right now is super low. I’ve also come to think if I don’t wash the veggie until right before serving and I store them dry they tend to last longer. I don’t know if that’s always the case but lately that’s been working better for me.

[Stickerbunny]

Depends on the veggie. I ziplock baggy things like cucumber, carrots, etc. Lettuce and leafy greens I wrap in paper towel to take the excess moisture away, since the wetter they are the worse they get. The fridge should NOT be cold enough to freeze them, even a little bit, so I keep it on about 4 1/2 (frozen greens = mushy brown greens). A trick some people I know who make prepared salads for their birds use is to take an orange slice and squeeze the juice onto the salad to keep it fresher longer, since the acid in the citrus can help preserve prepared salads… but with buns you wanna be careful using fruit juice since it’s sugary and you don’t want to upset their tummies. There are tupperware containers specifically for storing veggies which can help keep them as well. Also, the fresher you buy it the longer it lasts – try to shop the day they get their shipments in (you can ask the store when this is) in the mornings, get the freshest looking ones. If it’s been sitting in a truck for a few days to go across country, then in the store for a few days mid-delivery week, then in your fridge for a week, it will go brown.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

i wouldn’t’ wash until you are ready to use them. instead of buying what you want, buy what looks very fresh. I have to put aside one type of lettuce or another if it’s not fresh and pick something else if it’s not fresh. I also line the bottom of the veggie tray with paper towel to drain moisture. Veggies give off gas that causes decomposing, so storing them together causes this to accelerate. If you can store them separately -i.e. something in a drawer, something else in the other drawer that will slow down the decomposing.

[BinkyBunny]

 It can also depend on the fridge too and the level of coolness it is set at.  In our other place, our fridge was older and I noticed that even well prepared fresh veggies started to go down hill faster than what happens in our current fridge (I also have a mini fridge just for veggies, but even so, they will not last longer than a week (except for the parsley).  I just have to do weekly shopping for greens. 

There are those green bags that are supposed to keep your veggies for longer — ????  Has anyone tried those? 

Here is a link from an old discussion where people were exchanging tips on preserving greens/veggies for longer.  Maybe something in that thread will help (but please don’t respond to that thread s it’s over a year old)   https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tab…fault.aspx

[Elrohwen]

First, don’t cut or wash them until you’re ready to use them. As soon as you wash them their shelf-life decreases. For the same reason, try to buy drier produce at the store (I hate when they soak them with the spray things)

Second, buy varieties that last longer. I can keep romaine for well over a week, but leaf lettuce gets kind of slimy after a week so I try to feed the leaf first and save the romaine for later in the week. I find that herbs keep well too.

I still buy every week because I need to go to the grocery store for people food too, but I don’t have any problem keeping veggies for at least a week just putting them in the fridge in their plastic bags. I’m sure with wrapping them in paper towels and storing them better I could get even more life out of them.

[bunnyfriend]

BB, my grandma bought some of those green bags and they actually did work though I don’t think for as long as they said it would for certain veggies. Definitely worked on lettuce.

 

To keep carrots from drying out I put them in a tupperware filled with water.

[Pandorachik]

Posted By Elrohwen on 01/21/2012 05:53 AM
First, don’t cut or wash them until you’re ready to use them. As soon as you wash them their shelf-life decreases. For the same reason, try to buy drier produce at the store (I hate when they soak them with the spray things)

Second, buy varieties that last longer. I can keep romaine for well over a week, but leaf lettuce gets kind of slimy after a week so I try to feed the leaf first and save the romaine for later in the week. I find that herbs keep well too.

I still buy every week because I need to go to the grocery store for people food too, but I don’t have any problem keeping veggies for at least a week just putting them in the fridge in their plastic bags. I’m sure with wrapping them in paper towels and storing them better I could get even more life out of them.

 

 Wow, I am jealous! You can keep romaine for a week or longer?! So not fair… I can keep it 4 days TOPSLol.

 I really think that the veggies aren’t ever FRESH at my grocery store. -sigh-

[SuperCheesetastic]

Why don’t you guys eat them?
If your bunnies cannot possibly finish all of those veggies before they go stale, I see that as the best solution.

[Princess*Smudge]

Rubermaid “Produce Saver”, I tried to post a picture but it doesn’t seem to want to work. If you google the name it will definitely come up. Basically it’s a container with a little vented tray that your veggies sit on. It does wonders to lengthen the life of produce, you just have to be willing to take the time and transfer your veggies into them when you get home from the grocery store. I got mine for Christmas a while back for Smudge’s veggies and they really helped (you know your a bunny slave when your Christmas wish is for your rabbits vegetables instead of yourself). I think you can pick them up at most major retailers like wal-mart. I have also heard good things about the “green bags” but liked these containers because they are reusable and are dishwasher safe too.

 E.T.A: I figured it out! This is what they look like.

 

[zpipes]

I dont wash them until the time of use, that seems to help.

[Pandorachik]

I will definatly try those suggestions! Thanks!

[kralspace]

I buy veggies for the week, but I do wash and divide them the night I get home. I know they would probably last longer if I didn’t but I’d go nuts trying to wash veggies twice a day, especially when I’m late for work.

I soak/wash them in some plastic dishpans I keep just for that purpose and let them drain well in a wire basket. I have a large plastic storage box that takes up the entire bottom shelf of the fridge and I put a thick dishtowel in the bottom and cover the veggies with a damp towel and they keep great. The box only lasts a week so I don’t know at what point they would turn brown but even the last pieces used are nice and fresh.

I do check my fridge temp all the time after accidentally bumping it once and freezing the entire box, that was yucky!

[Huckleberry]

These tips are great!! Thanks for bringing this point up, Pandorachik! I buy my veggies at an Asian market. They keep weird hours that really conflict with mine, so it’s tough to get to the store several times a week.

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