Veg storage tips
Most importantly, all our veg is completely free of all pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers or any other artificial chemicals. This means that washing veg just means removing any dirt or grit that may be on there. It is harvested on the day you get the veg box so it couldn’t be fresher, which means you might just want to get stuck in as quickly as possible! But there are some items that you will want to store for longer, including some that can keep for weeks or even months in the right conditions. So to keep your veg as fresh and nutritious as possible check out the following storage tips:
Brussels Sprouts
These should not be stored in a plastic bag as they trap moisture, a paper bag in the fridge works well.
Cabbages
Cabbages will store for weeks in the fridge if you use them layer by layer rather than slicing into halves or quarters. They stay fresh inside almost as well as if they were still on the plant.
Celery, kale, chard, purple sprouting broccoli and herbs
Our celery stalks are harvested with their leaves on, unlike those sold in supermarkets. Remove the leaves as soon as possible (they’re full of flavour and go really well in soups, stews and salads), wash off any soil and stand the stems in a tall glass, with a small amount of water, in the bottom in the fridge to keep them nice and crisp. Purple sprouting broccoli, kale, chard and herbs usually keep fine for a few days in the bag they’re harvested in, but if you want to keep them firm and fresh for longer you can use a similar method to the celery. Cut a tiny bit off the bottom of the stems and stand in a glass or jug half-filled with water and put that in the fridge. Change the water after a couple of days and check daily that the bottoms of the stems are still in water.
Mushrooms
Keep for a week or more in a paper bag in the fridge. Do not store in plastic bags as they trap moisture.
Onions and garlic
Bulbs like onion and garlic will store for weeks or even months in a cool place especially in an unheated part of the house in winter.
Peas and beans
Best eaten fresh but store well in the fridge for several days. Paper bags are best but don’t leave for too long as they will dry out.
Root veg
Potatoes, carrots, beetroot, swede, parsnips can be washed using a veg brush and then store well for a week or so in the fridge. Avoid using plastic bags as they trap moisture. Remove tops from carrots to keep the carrots crunchy.
Squash
Some of these will store for months in a cool place like an unheated room, garage, cellar or shed. You need to avoid temperatures getting close to zero though as frost will damage them. The grey crown prince are the best ones to store, often keeping perfectly well for up to a year!
Salad leaves and other loose leaved veg
We try to minimise our use of plastic packaging, but this is one crop that just has to be bagged to keep it fresh even for an hour or so. Rinse the leaves in cold water, shake them over the sink or in a tea towel or spin them in a salad spinner and then store them in the fridge in a plastic bag – re-use Farm ones if clean – or large Tupperware box. This way the leaves should keep well for at least a week. If you haven’t managed to get hold of your veg box on actual harvest day and things have gone a bit limp, simply soak the leaves in cold water for an hour or so and they should crisp up nicely again. And don’t forget you can return clean plastic bags to the farm for re-use!
Tomatoes
Store out of the fridge as you would fresh fruit for the best flavour. They are best eaten fresh of course but can keep for a week or so, but keep an eye out for any split or squishy ones in the summer.