How to Make the Most of Your Veggies

Munchable Fresh-Cut Veggies

If you’ll have crudités at your outdoor party, keep those cut veggies fresh and crunchy by storing them properly: Place damp paper towels over the vegetables and wrap everything in plastic wrap. Stick the wrapped veggies in the fridge until it’s time to serve. Carrots, broccoli, and peppers will stay bright and crisp for 12 hours.

Crisp Up Your Carrots

Limp carrots putting a crimp in your crudités tray? Get the crunch back by soaking them in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes. They’ll be as good as new!

Make Use of Newspaper

It is always a good idea to line the crisper bins of your refrigerator with newspaper or a few paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Mold spores love moisture, but the paper will keep it away.

Lettuce Abuse?

To make sure iceberg lettuce lasts as long as possible, you should remove the innermost core before you store it. An easy (and admittedly fun) way to do this is to hit the lettuce against a hard surface and then twist the core out.

This Lettuce Is Toast

Your lettuce will last longer if you store it in a bag with a piece of nearly burnt toast. Yes, really! The toast will absorb moisture from the lettuce, making it last a long time. Check the toast daily, and replace it once it gets soggy.

Revive Limp Celery

Have you ever found it hard to use up an entire package of celery before it starts going all rubbery on you? To get the celery crispy again, place it in a bowl of ice water with a few slices of potato, then wait an hour. When you come back to it, it will be ready to use.

Shriveled Mushrooms? No Problem

They can still be sliced or chopped and used in cooking. You won’t be able to tell the difference!

Recipe for Frozen Mushrooms

To freeze mushrooms, wipe them off with a damp paper towel and slice them. Then sauté them in a small amount of butter of olive oil until they are almost done. Remove from the heat, allow them to cool, then place them in an airtight plastic bag in the freezer. They should keep for up to 10-12 months!

Water Your Asparagus!

To make asparagus last longer in the refrigerator, place the stem ends in a container of water, or wrap them in a wet paper towel and put in a plastic bag. Like flowers, the asparagus will continue “drinking” the water and stay fresh until they’re ready to use.

Prevent Soggy Slaw

Coleslaw is one of our summertime faves, but the shredded cabbage salad always tends to turn soggy and limp before we’ve made it to a second helping. Luckily, we’ve found a prep tip that helps keep cabbage crunchy for longer: Place a head of cabbage in a large bowl or pot, fill it with ice-cold water, then add one tablespoon of salt for every two quarts water. Let soak for 10 minutes. The salt absorbs water, helping the cabbage stay hydrated and crisp even once it’s shredded and mixed into a salad.

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