Produce delivery/storage tips

[y4m]

Those of you who get a produce share, or who just buy a lot of produce, can you share any storage tips?  Do you process it all in some way when you get it home?

I've only got one small crisper drawer, and I'm getting heads of lettuce, cabbage, etc. from my weekly produce delivery.  I'm wasting more of it than I want to because I think I'm not storing it or prepping it right.

[SuziSaysDa]

I get a co-op share and really struggled at first - it is too much for the draw and was all wilting and looking bad quickly.

My storage process is the wipe everything down - water on the produce causes it to go bad faster - especially the greens. Then wrap each item in paper towel and put in a plastic shopping bag and tie it off (I have a few large clear ones with drawstring that work really well). Then I store it on the shelf. If I see condensation forming on the inside of the bag I take it all out, check for anything going bad and re-wipe, wrap, bag. I keep a note on the outside of each bag so I know the contents without having to go through each one when I'm cooking.

This has helped me extend the life of my greens to almost two weeks. I generally don't prep it until I plan to use it.

I also use my salad spinner, I rip up a head of lettuce, rinse, spin and it is ready to go for salads - it lasts much longer this way b/c all the water gets removed and it easy to use for a salad at dinner.

[ESF]

May 8, 2013 12:19:53 GMT -5 SuziSaysDa said:

I get a co-op share and really struggled at first - it is too much for the draw and was all wilting and looking bad quickly.

My storage process is the wipe everything down - water on the produce causes it to go bad faster - especially the greens. Then wrap each item in paper towel and put in a plastic shopping bag and tie it off (I have a few large clear ones with drawstring that work really well). Then I store it on the shelf. If I see condensation forming on the inside of the bag I take it all out, check for anything going bad and re-wipe, wrap, bag. I keep a note on the outside of each bag so I know the contents without having to go through each one when I'm cooking.

This has helped me extend the life of my greens to almost two weeks. I generally don't prep it until I plan to use it.

I also use my salad spinner, I rip up a head of lettuce, rinse, spin and it is ready to go for salads - it lasts much longer this way b/c all the water gets removed and it easy to use for a salad at dinner.

Yup. 

If I don't have time to do all this, then at a minimum, I put the greens in a plastic bag or tupperware container, and just throw a paper towel in there with them to absorb moisture.

One crisper drawer is tough.  Can you divide it in half or put in some kind of bin?  I try to put the produce that needs to be used sooner in one drawer, and the produce with longer shelf lives in the other.   That helps me keep a handle on things and avoids the problem of something getting hidden behind cabbage and cauliflower, which can easily sit around for a week or two.

[y4m]

I technically have two drawers, but one is holding fruit right now (mostly citrus, since I moved most fruit into a bowl on the counter).

I kind of want to start doing this:

www.thepauperedchef.com/2010/06/how-to-store-lettuce-in-the-fridge.html

[gt7301b]

I use these storage bags:
www.amazon.com/flip-tumble-Reusable-Produce-Bags/dp/B002UXQ7QQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1368058267&sr=8-3&keywords=vegetable+storage+bags

[UnderProtest]

Tupperware has some fridgesmart containers that are supposed to make fruits and vegetables last longer. While I don't think they last as long as Tupperware claims, they do help quite a bit. But I definitely put a paper towel in with things like lettuce and berries too.

[nessness]

You've gotten some good tips from PPs, but one more -- remove any twist ties or rubber bands from produce before putting it in the fridge, they will make it go bad faster.