Food Storage Tips
Basil—Difficult to store well. Basil does not like to be cold or wet. The best method here is an airtight container/jar loosely packed with a small damp piece of paper inside, left out on a cool counter.
Beets—Cut the tops off to keep beets firm, and be sure to keep the greens! Leaving any top on root vegetables draws moisture from the root, making them loose flavor and firmness. Beets should be washed and kept in an open container with a wet towel on top.
Beet greens—Place in an airtight container with a little moisture from a damp cloth.
Berries—Don’t forget, they’re fragile. When storing, stack them in a single layer, if possible, in a paper bag. Wash right before you plan on eating them.
Carrots—Cut the tops off to keep them fresh longer. Place them in closed container with plenty of moisture, either wrapped in a damp towel or dunk them in cold water every couple of days if they’re stored that long.
Corn—Leave unhusked in an open container if you must, but corn really is best the day it’s picked.
Greens—Remove any bands, twist ties, etc. Most greens must be kept in an air‐tight container with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out. Kale, collard greens, and chard do well in a cup of water on the counter or fridge.
Melons—Keep uncut in a cool dry place, out of the sun for up to a couple weeks. Cut melons should be in the fridge; an open container is fine.
Peaches (and most stone fruit)—Refrigerate only when fully ripe. Firm fruit will ripen on the counter.
Rhubarb—Wrap in a damp towel and place in an open container in the refrigerator.
Strawberries—Don’t like to be wet. Do best in a paper bag in the fridge for up to a week. Check the bag for moisture every other day.
Sweet Peppers—Only wash them right before you plan on eating them as wetness decreases storage time. Store in a cool room to use in a couple of days, place in the crisper if longer storage is needed.
Tomatoes—Never refrigerate. Depending on ripeness, tomatoes can stay for up to two weeks on the counter. To hasten ripeness, place in a paper bag with an apple.
Zucchini—Does fine for a few days if left out on a cool counter, even after cut. Wrap in a cloth and refrigerate for longer storage.
So many vegetables are in season right now, like cucumbers, squash and tomatoes. Eating these with this refreshing hummus is a great way to work more raw vegetables into your diet.
Hummus:
You'll need
Garbanzo beans (1 cup of dried or 1 can, depending on how much time you have on your hands)
1 tablespoon of Sesame tahini
1/4 of a cup of olive oil
the juice of 1 lemon
2 large cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper
sea salt to taste
Vegetables for Dipping:
your choice cucumber, squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, lettuce or any other fresh veggie!
optional: fresh rosemary, black olives, Greek yogurt
If you're working with dried garbanzo beans, boil them in 2 cups of water until they are extremely soft ( thus easier to blend).
In a blender, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and tahini, and blend until they take on a creamy texture. It's important to blend the tahini before adding the garbanzo beans, because otherwise it might remain chunky in your hummus. Next, drain your garbanzo beans and add them to the blender. Sprinkle the parsley, cumin, cayenne pepper and sea salt on top of the beans and blend. If the texture is too thick, thin it with more olive oil or lemon juice (depending on whether you want a hummus that is savory or citrusy) and blend again. Cool the finished mixture. When it's ready to serve, garnish it with a bit of sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice on top. You could also add chopped black olives, more cayenne pepper, fresh rosemary, or even a dollop of plain Greek yogurt!
To be used as a dipping apparatus, squash (we recommend any kind except butternut squash) and cucumbers should be sliced horizontally into disks. Bell peppers should be sliced vertically into long strips, while baby carrots can be rinsed and used whole. Tomatoes taste great with hummus but are too juicy to be used as chips, so they should be sliced into disks, and the hummus should be spread on top of them. The hummus can also be served ontop of a bed of fresh lettuce (like our delicious magenta lettuce, available at markets) for a simple salad.
Vegetables like these can also be combined for a simple, wholesome and delicious dinner. Try our garden fresh marinara sauce served over whole grain noodles!
You'll need:
3 large tomatoes (like our Cherokee purples)
1 cup of coarsely chopped baby carrots
3 large shiitake mushrooms
1 large white onion
1 garlic bulb
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large sprig of rosemary
1 dash of sea salt
1 package of whole grain noodles
Bring one cup of water to a boil in a large pot. Chop the onion and add it to the water, immediately followed by the tomatoes. It is important that the tomatoes remain in the boiling water for the longest so that they may liquefy and flavor the other vegetables. Next, coarsely chop the shitakkes, carrots and squash and add them to the pot. Turn the fire down to simmer and cover the mixture for an hour, checking and stirring it occasionally.
Finely chop the entire garlic bulb. In a pan, heat it on low heat in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil until it is soft and saturated in oil, but not yet turning brown. Add the garlic to the veggie pot after the vegetables have been simmering for an hour, along with the bay leaf. Let this simmer for 30 minutes, then add the basil, finely chopped. Remove the rosemary leaves from their stem and add these, then sprinkle on the dash of sea salt. Let these simmer for another 20 minutes, then serve over whole grain pasta. Enjoy!
