Letters To The Editor

Even More Tips For Long-Lasting Vegetables

To read the story referenced, “9 Long-Lasting Vegetables That Will Stay Fresh For MONTHS After Harvest,” click here.

I have had great luck with Swiss chard and kale. To keep greens fresh longer, I wrap the bottoms with a damp paper towel after rinsing the green in cool water. Then, I wrap the top in a dry hand towel or paper towel and then plastic wrap/bag/or place in a plastic container and keep cool in the refrigerator. Roots can be planted after tops are gone. I keep greens fresh for a month this way. Onions (and peppers) keep well placed on a paper towel in a sandwich bag, and if it roots, plant it after you finish the top. These vegies are frost-tolerant (except the pepper).

Joy

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If your tomatoes are green, when the first frost hits, you can pick them and store them in flats (single layer flat boxes that canned goods come in) under a bed or in a dark place. They ripen from the inside out and will ripen slower in the dark. Room temperature (60-65 Fahrenheit) is fine. We’ve had some keep for several months. Check weekly for ones that are ripening or spoiling and remove those promptly.

My two cents and a lifetime of gardening’s worth! Happy growing!

Patty

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I’ve had just the opposite experience with carrots. I rinse them and let them dry until they’re just damp, then put them in a plastic bag and close it up. I have kept carrots for months this way. As a matter of fact, there is one big, fat carrot that was harvested last fall in the refrigerator right now.

Also, cabbage lasts longer than it would seem, even after it’s been cut. It will turn black and ugly looking, but if you shave off a quarter inch with a sharp knife, the chances are that the rest of the cabbage is fine.

I do wish I’d realized that about beets, though. I love pickled beets, but hesitate to grow and can them because of the time it takes. If I can harvest beets and keep them until things calm down, it would definitely help!

Pat