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I have a very challenging task every time I buy vegetables in preserving them even though I have a refrigerator at home. Tomatoes, carrots, beets, and bottle gourd always collect moisture in the plastic in which I store them. How do I avoid this?

Cascabel
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Harish Kumar
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  • How long are you storing them? What do you mean by "moisture"? Is the moisture detrimental to your produce somehow? – Catija Jul 12 '16 at 16:55
  • see http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/9612/, also http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/22992/, http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/23117/ and of course it is important to know if you are just hitting the maximum storage time, best found on sites like stilltasty.com but we also have a short list: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/21068. – rumtscho Jul 12 '16 at 20:02
  • I'll buy vegetables once in a week and use them for at least 5-6 days, so I keep them in a refrigerator. Moisture, I meant to say the process of condensation, which happens and degrade the vegetables. – Harish Kumar Jul 13 '16 at 19:26

2 Answers2

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I tend to be kind of lazy and store my vegetables in plastic produce bags from the supermarket. I have found two things that help the produce keep longer:

  • Put a dry paper towel in the bag to absorb moisture.
  • Leave some air in the bag when you tie it, so the plastic is not resting right up against the vegetables.

Also, I'll sometimes put the produce right in the crisper drawer without a bag or container.

Kathleen
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    I do the paper towel thing, but I specifically wrap herbs and lettuce in the towel, so the plastic bag isn't touching the leaves. – Joe Jul 13 '16 at 02:45
  • Yes, for lettuces especially! They wilt so easily; wrapping them in a paper towel really helps. – Kathleen Jul 13 '16 at 02:47
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Do not store vegetables in plastic bags; it will create condensation and accelerate the degradation. At worse leave the bags open or pick some holes in the bags, the vegetables need breathing room.

Tomatoes do not need to be refrigerated (at least for 3, 4 days)

You could just pop them in the fridge as-is with no real problems or you could wrap them in a damp paper towel (need to change it at regular intervals.

Max
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