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Herbs - Tips

Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 09:20PM
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Basil

Stir into chopped fresh tomatoes with a dash of olive oil for a delicious bruschetta topping.
Sprinkle over pizzas, roasted vegetables or tomato soup.
Add to tomato sauces for pasta.
Mix with olive oil, tomato purée and garlic to make a salad dressing.
Bake whole baby courgettes in olive oil, chopped tomato and Basil.

Chives

Add Chives to cooked dishes at the last minute to preserve their delicate flavour.
Stir into mashed potato with a little butter and grated cheese.
Stir into cheese sauce at the end of cooking for a delicate flavour.
Sprinkle onto scrambled eggs, omelettes, quiches and potato salad.
Sprinkle over salads and soups as a great garnish.
Stir into soured cream for a tasy dip.

Coriander

Stir into chopped tomatoes with a little lemon juice and garlic for a refreshing salsa.
Great in Mexican dishes such as chilli con carne.
For an Indian raita, stir chopped or grated cucumber, Coriander Leaf, salt and pepper into natural yoghurt.
For a Thai style dressing mix warm creamed coconut with lemon juice and stir in Coriander Leaf, Crushed Chillies and chopped spring onions.
Stir Coriander Leaf, Parsley, fresh green chillies, Garlic and onion into cooked rice to make Mexican arroz verde.
Add Coriander Leaf to breads, stuffings and sauces and sprinkle over spicy or creamy dishes at the end of cooking.

Dill

Stir into a white sauce before serving.
Sprinkle over fish with some lemon juice before grilling.
Stir through cooked new potatoes or carrots with a knob of butter.
Mix with olive oil, vinegar, mustard and honey as a dressing for salmon.
Use Dill as a refreshing alternative to parsley in omelettes, quiches and salads.

Marjoram & Oregano

Add to cream, white wine, stock and chopped onion for a creamy herb sauce for chicken or pork.
Sprinkle olive oil, lemon juice, salt and Marjoram over chicken or lamb before roasting or grilling.
Sprinkle onto roasted vegetables.

Mint

Mix with vinegar and a little sugar to make mint sauce for roast lamb.
Sprinkle onto peas and new potatoes, together with a knob of butter.
Stir into cooked couscous with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Sprinkle Mint onto green salads.
Add to yoghurt with diced cucumber for a refreshing raita dip.

Parsley

Combine with breadcrumbs, grated cheese and garlic, then spoon into flat mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil and bake until golden.
Mix with butter and lemon juice, then stir into cooked vegetables and new potatoes.
Stir into white sauce just before serving.
Stir fry carrots in a little butter and add garlic and Parsley.
Delicious with fish.
Sauté mushrooms in butter, garlic and a good tablespoon of Parsley.

Rosemary

Sprinkle onto lamb or pork before roasting.
Sprinkle onto potatoes and parsnips before roasting.
Make a rich red wine, orange and Rosemary gravy for lamb or duck.
Sprinkle Rosemary over barbecue coals for an aromatic smoky flavour.
Rosemary makes a fresh and flavoursome marinade for meats and oily fish together with olive oil, Garlic and lemon juice.

Sage

Add to finely diced apple and minced pork for tasty meatballs.
Add to apple sauce for more flavour.
Mix with breadcrumbs, chopped onion and butter for a really tasty stuffing.
Sprinkle over pork or chicken before roasting.
Combine with grated cheese and breadcrumbs as a topping for grilled fish.
Add to sausage and leek casserole for extra flavour

Tarragon

Make quick sauces for chicken, fish or pasta by stirring into cream and white wine or into savoury white sauce.
Stir into creamy chicken or turkey soup.
Sprinkle over glazed carrots for a distinctive flavour.
Sprinkle into omelettes or salads.

Thyme

Combine with grated lemon zest, crushed garlic and butter, then spread over chicken breasts and wrap in Parma ham before cooking.
Add to casseroles and stews, such as Irish stew or Lancashire hotpot, for a warm, aromatic flavour.
Sprinkle over roasted vegetables or potatoes.
Marinate chicken or fish in olive oil, lemon juice and Thyme before grilling.

Pan-fried Chicken Breast with Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto & Roasted Vegetables

Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 09:20PM
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Ingredients

For the chicken
1 Label Anglaise chicken, legs removed
1 garlic bulb
1 handful fresh thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 litres/3pt 10fl oz chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
25g/1oz slightly salted butter
For the risotto
250g/9oz risotto rice
300g/11oz Jerusalem artichokes, sliced thinly
50g/2oz butter
50ml/2fl oz double cream
4 tbsp parmesan, freshly grated
1 handful fresh chives, finely chopped
For the vegetables
200g/7oz baby carrots
200g/7oz baby turnips
1 handful fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 small punnet pea shoots

Method

  1. Method for chicken, place the garlic bulb and a several of the sprigs of thyme into the cavity of the chicken.
  2. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper then place it into a large lidded pan or stockpot. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cover the pan with a lid.
  3. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and gently poach the chicken for 25 minutes.
  4. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the stock. Then remove the chicken from the pan and pat dry with kitchen paper. Reserve the chicken stock for later.
  5. Remove the breast from the chicken and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  6. Heat a frying pan until hot. Add the olive oil and place the chicken breast in the pan, skin-side down.
  7. Fry the breast until the skin becomes golden brown then turn over onto the other side. Add the butter and fry until the chicken is completely cooked through.
  8. For the risotto, place 500ml/18fl oz of the chicken stock that the chicken was poached in, into a clean saucepan and bring to the boil.
  9. Add the risotto rice to the pan and allow the mixture to simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the rice becomes slightly tender. Drain the excess stock from the rice, and allow the rice to cool in the saucepan.
  10. Place the artichokes and half the butter into a clean saucepan and heat at a low temperature until the artichokes become tender.
  11. Add the cream and 175ml/6fl oz of the poached chicken stock and bring to the boil.
  12. Pour the stock and the artichokes into the bowl of a food processor and blend the mixture until a purée is formed.
  13. Place the saucepan of rice back onto the heat and gradually add a ladle at a time of the remaining poached chicken stock to the pan (allow the rice to absorb the stock before adding each ladle of stock). Continue to add the stock to the rice until the rice is tender.
  14. Add a large spoonful of the artichoke purée, the remaining butter and the parmesan to the saucepan and stir until the ingredients have combined.
  15. Add the chives to the risotto and mix well.
  16. For the roasted vegetables, place the carrots, turnips, rosemary and two of the garlic cloves into a clean saucepan and fill the saucepan with water until the vegetables are covered. Season the vegetables with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring the pan to the boil. Drain the excess water from the vegetables.
  17. Heat a clean frying pan until it is smoking hot then add the olive oil, a little more rosemary and another garlic clove.
  18. Add the honey to the pan and deglaze with the sherry vinegar. Mix the ingredients well.
  19. To serve, spoon some of the risotto onto the side of a clean plate and place the chicken on top. Arrange the vegetables on the other side of the plate and place the pea shoots on top. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the plate.

Fillet of Turbot in Red Wine with Jerusalem Artichoke Puree & Pickled Baby Beetroot

Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 09:20PM
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Ingredients

For the poaching liquor
2 litres/3½ pints red wine
2 sprigs of thyme
½ bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled
½ tsp salt
For the turbot
6 thick turbot fillets, each 125-150g/4½-5½oz, skinned
salt and freshly ground black pepper
18 small sprigs of lovage, or very fine flat-leaf parsley to garnish
For the pickled baby beetroot
9 raw baby beetroot
1 tsp demerara sugar
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
pinch salt
For the artichoke purée
25g/1oz unsalted butter
500g/1lb 2oz Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and very finely sliced
pinch salt
2 sprigs thyme
½ bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled
50ml/2fl oz double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. For the poaching liquor, pour the wine into a large saucepan and add the thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove and salt. Boil over a medium-high heat until reduced to 750ml/1¼ pints.
  2. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, preferably lined with muslin, into a large wide pan and set aside.
  3. To make the pickled baby beets, peel the beetroots with a small, sharp knife or a very fine potato peeler, then place in a pan with 150ml/¼ pint of water, the sugar, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. Bring just to the boil. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Remove the beetroots. Pass the cooking liquid through a fine sieve, then return to the pan and reduce to a glaze over a medium heat. Cut the beetroots in half and add to the glaze. Set aside.
  4. Next, make the artichoke purpurée. Melt the butter in a heavy pan. Add the artichokes, season with a pinch of salt and add the thyme, bay leaf and garlic clove. Stir well. Cover with a sheet of greaseproof paper and sweat the artichokes for 10-15 minutes or until they are very soft. Stir regularly during cooking, and add a little water if they start to colour. Add the cream and boil for three minutes, then remove the thyme, bay leaf and garlic. Purpurée the artichokes in a blender until silky smooth. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper
  5. to taste and keep warm.
  6. Bring the poaching liquor to the boil, then remove from the heat. Carefully lower in the fish fillets, making sure they are submerged in a single layer and not sitting on top of each other. Leave the turbot off the heat like this for 7-8 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through, only returning the pan to a low heat if the liquor cools down too much before the fish is cooked.
  7. While the fish is cooking, gently reheat the pickled baby beetroot and the artichoke purpurée. When the fish is cooked, remove it very gently from the poaching liquor using a fish slice and drain on kitchen paper. Season each fillet with a pinch of sea salt.
  8. To serve, place a piece of fish on each plate and garnish with a neat spoonful of artichoke purpurée and beetroot halves. Drizzle a little of the beetroot glaze around the fish, and garnish with the lovage or parsley.

Swiss Chard with Garlic and Pepper

Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 09:20PM
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Ingredients

1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard
1 small clove garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp water
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon butter
salt

Cooking Instructions

Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Roughly chop into inch-wide strips. Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard.
Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Flip the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top. Cover again. Check for doneness after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it). Add salt to taste, and a small amount of butter. Remove the swiss chard to a serving dish. 

Cauliflower Cheese & Spinach Pasta Bakes

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 06:46AM
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Ingredients

  • 850ml milk
  • 50g plain flour
  • 50g butter , plus 1 tbsp
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 100g extra mature cheddar , grated
  • 25-50g blue cheese
  • ½ tsp finely grated nutmeg
  • 250g penne
  • 1kg Cauliflower (2 medium ones), cut into florets
  • 750g Spinach (whole leaf), if using from frozen, squeeze dry
  • 25g toasted pine nuts

  For the Tomato Sauce:

  • 4 garlic cloves, 3 sliced, 1 left whole
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 700g jar tomato passata (or you can make your own)

Method

  1. For the tomato sauce, cook the sliced garlic in the oil for 1 min, then add the passata. Season, half-cover the pan and simmer for 20 mins until rich.
  2. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Put the milk, flour and 50g butter into a pan. Heat, whisking non-stop, until smooth, then bubble for 3 mins, stirring to make sure any flouriness is lost. Cool for 5 mins, then stir in the mustard, most of the cheddar, half the blue cheese and half the nutmeg.
  3. Boil the penne and cauliflower for 8 mins in salted water until the pasta is almost cooked and the cauli is tender. Keep 2 tbsp water from the pan, then drain. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan, add the whole garlic clove, spinach, remaining nutmeg, salt and lots of black pepper. Stir for 2 mins, then remove the garlic clove.
  4. Set aside 300ml cheese sauce and mix the rest into the cauli and pasta. Divide half the tomato sauce between 6 dishes and top with some spinach. Fill with cauli mix, top with more spinach, then the rest of the tomato sauce. Top with the cheese sauce, cheeses and pine nuts. Cover with cling film, cool and chill for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To cook, defrost if frozen. Heat oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. Cook on a baking sheet for 18-20 mins until golden and bubbling. Good with green salad or garlic bread.

Chinese Scrambled Eggs With Garlic Chives

Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 09:20PM
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Ingredients

1 1/2 - 2 ounces garlic chives (to make 1/3 cup chopped)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce or up to 1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

Cooking Instructions

Wash and drain the garlic chives. Remove the hard ends and any wilted green leaves at the top and chop into 1-inch lengths until you have 1/3 cup (5 tablespoons). Lightly beat the eggs.

Add the soy sauce or salt, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and pepper.
Heat a heavy skillet on medium high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lifting the frying pan so that the oil covers the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the chives. Stir-fry briefly, then add the beaten egg mixture. Reduce the heat to medium and gently scramble the eggs. Remove them from the heat when they are just done but still moist. Serve hot.

Leeks & Parppardelle Pasta

Monday, October 19, 2009 at 07:35AM
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Ingredients

  • 5 big leeks, outer leaves trimmed back, washed
  • Olive oil
  • 3 good knobs butter, divided
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
  • A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • A small wineglass white wine
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pint good-quality vegetable or chicken stock
  • 12 slices ham, preferably Parma
  • 2 (8-ounce) packages fresh lasagne sheets
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • 2 handfuls freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

For the Pangrattato:

  • 1 small handful dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1/2 ciabatta bread, preferably stale, cut into chunks
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Method

Halve the leeks lengthways and cut at an angle into 1/2-inch slices. Heat a wide saucepan, add a splash of oil and a knob of butter, and when you hear a gentle sizzling add the sliced garlic, thyme leaves and leeks. Move the leeks around so every piece gets coated. Pour in the wine, season with pepper and stir in the stock. Cover the leeks with the slices of Parma ham, place a lid on the pan and cook gently for 25 to 30 minutes. Once the leeks are tender, take the pan off the heat.

To make the pangrattato:

Whiz the mushrooms and bread with a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic cloves and the rosemary and cook for a minute, then fry the bread crumbs in the oil until golden and crisp. Keep shaking the pan - don't let the bread crumbs catch on the bottom. Drain on paper towels, discard the rosemary and garlic and allow the bread crumbs to cool.

Bring a big pan of salted water to the boil. Lay the lasagne sheets on a clean working surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Place the sheets on top of each other and slice into 1/2-inch strips. Toss through your fingers to shake out the pappardelle, then cook in the boiling water 2 minutes or until al dente.

Remove the Parma ham from the saucepan, slice up and stir back into the leeks. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the Parmesan and the rest of the butter. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the leeks. Add a little of the cooking water if need be, to give you a silky, smooth sauce. Serve quickly, sprinkled with some pangrattato, extra Parmesan and any leftover thyme tips. Serve the rest of the pangrattato in a bowl on the side.

Creamed Tagliatelle with Kale & Broad Beans

Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 10:31AM
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Ingredients

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 200ml/7fl oz double cream

  • handful fresh kale, chopped

  • 2 tbsp white wine

  • handful fresh parsley, chopped

  • handful fresh chives, chopped

  • handful fresh chervil, chopped

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 100g/3½oz green tagliatelle

  • 3 tbsp broad beans, out of their pods, inner membrane removed, blanched

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

  2. Place the garlic into a small square of aluminium foil and loosely seal. Place into the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes, or until the garlic is soft. Remove the skins, then place the garlic flesh into a saucepan. Pour in the double cream and bring to the boil.

  3. Blanch the kale in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain well and add to the pan with the cream. Add the wine, chopped herbs and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer gently for 3-4 minutes. Add a splash of boiling water if the sauce is too thick.

  4. Cook the tagliatelle in boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain and add to the pan with the sauce. Stir well to coat.

  5. To serve, stir in the broad beans and pile the tagliatelle into a serving bowl.

Rocket & Potato Soup

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 07:31AM
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Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, peeled and sliced
1 potato, peeled and diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
few thyme leaves
approx ¾pint/428ml chicken stock (vegetarians can substitute vegetable stock)
handful of rocket
For the pesto
4 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful of rocket leaves

Method
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and potato for a few minutes, to soften.
2. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add the garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Stir and heat for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and add the rocket. Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes.
4. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Return to the pan and warm through.
5. For the pesto, blend the olive oil, garlic, seasoning and rocket in a mini food processor until smooth.
6. Ladle the soup into a bowl and drizzle the pesto over to serve.

Farfalle (pasta) with Black Cabbage

Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 09:20PM
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Ingredients

1.1kg black cabbage leaves
4 garlic cloves, peeled
250ml extra virgin olive oil
300g farfalle parmesan
freshly grated sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Cooking Instructions

Serves 3-4 Remove the stalks of the black cabbage leaves. Blanch the leaves in a generous amount of boiling salted water along with 2 cloves of garlic for a few minutes only. Drain well. put the blanched garlic and the black cabbage into the food processor and pulse-chop to a fairly coarse puree. In the last couple of seconds, pour into the processor about 75 ml of the oil. This makes a fairly liquid, dark green puree. Crush the remaining garlic cloves with a teaspoon of salt and stir into the puree, along with a further 75 ml of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook the farfalle in a generous amount of boiling salted water, then drain thoroughly. Put the pasta into the sauce and stir until each piece is thickly coated. Pour in the remaining olive oil and serve with parmesan.

Pasta with Broccoli Romanesco

Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 09:20AM
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Ingredients

1 small-medium head of broccoli romanesco (about 2 cups of trimmed florets)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
200g dried spaghetti
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese

Method

Boil the broccoli in a pot of salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and use the lime-green water (it looks like Italian soda) to cook the pasta.

Heat the oil gently in a pan (not a non-stick one) over low heat.  Add the red pepper flakes and smashed cloves of garlic, and heat for a few minutes until you can REALLY smell the garlic.  Then add the broccoli, stir to coat with oil, season liberally with salt and pepper, and cover.  Let the broccoli cook gently in the pepper-garlic infused oil until very tender, another 5 minutes or so.  Mash up the broccoli and the softened pieces of garlic with a fork (this is why you didn't use a non-stick pan).

When pasta is done, drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.  Put the pasta into the pan with the broccoli mixture, and toss to coat.  Add some extra pasta water if the sauce is too dry.

Serve with copious amounts of parmesan cheese grated over the top and then tossed into the pasta, where it well melt and become all savory and gooey and delicious.

Tips for Storing Organic Produce

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 01:14PM
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Artichokes : Put in plastic bags with a little sprinkle of water (not too much water or the artichokes will get moldy,) and store them in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator so they won't dehydrate. If an artichoke looks a bit dehydrated just cut the brown part off the bottom of the stem and put the artichoke in a bowl of water. Artichokes will keep about a week in the high-humidity bin of your refrigerator.

Asparagus : Cut off an inch from the bottom, wrap the fresh-cut areas in wet paper toweling, place in a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer. This will increase the storage life beyond the normal recommended storage time of three or four days, although the flavor will gradually deteriorate.

Bell Peppers : They like cool not cold temperatures, ideally about 45°F to 50°F with good humidity. Peppers are ethylene sensitive, so they should not be stored near ethylene-producing food such as pears or apples. Put peppers in plastic bags and they will keep up to five days in the refrigerator. Green peppers will keep slightly longer than the other, more ripe, varieties.

Broccoli : Store broccoli in the high-humidity vegetable crisper of your refrigerator for up to three days.

Cabbage : Head cabbage stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator's humid vegetable bin will last at least a week. Savoy and Napa cabbages should be consumed within three or four days. Kohlrabi globes will last a few weeks in the refrigerator, but the leaves are more perishable and should be used within a few days.

Carrots : Remove their green tops, rinse, drain, and put the carrots in plastic bags and store them in the coldest part of the refrigerator with the highest humidity. They'll last several months this way. To keep the carrots crisp and colorful add a little bit of water in the bottom of the plastic storage bag; this will keep the carrots hydrated. Carrots should be stored away from fruits such as apples and pears, which release the ethylene gas that cause carrots to become bitter.

Cauliflower : Place in a plastic bag and store in your refrigerator crisper. When stored properly, cauliflower will last up to five days; however, it is best when eaten within three days.

Celery : To store celery, trim the base and remove any leaves or ribs that are damaged or bruised. Rinse, place in a plastic bag, and keep in the refrigerator's humid vegetable bin, and it will last about two weeks. Be sure to keep celery away from the coldest sections of your refrigerator (the back and side walls), since celery freezes easily. Frozen celery stalks will be limp and watery when thawed. As with carrots, sprinkle or add water to the plastic bag to maintain the freshness of the celery. Cut celery (unwashed), stored in well-sealed plastic bags, will last about three days. Celery can be stored refrigerated in a plastic bag for 7-10 days.

Corn : Refrigerate your corn in the high humidity storage bin as soon as you get home. It is best to refrigerate corn with the husks attached to keep it moist, but if the corn has already been husked, partially or fully, refrigerate it in a perforated plastic bag.

Cucumbers : Store in a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator at a temperature between 45°F and 50°F for up to a week.

Eggplant : Does not like severe cold, so the front part of the refrigerator where the temperature is around 46°F to 54°F is ideal for storage. Eggplant is ethylene sensitive, so store it away from ethylene-producing produce such as apples. If kept in a plastic bag (to retain moisture,) eggplants will last up to five days.

Green Onions : Store green onions/scallions & leeks away from odor-sensitive foods such as corn and mushrooms, which will absorb the odor of the onions. Remove any rubber bands and any damaged leaves and store in plastic bags in the crisper section of the refrigerator. They'll both last up to five days.

Green Beans : Place green beans in a perforated plastic bag and store them in the refrigerator crisper. Although they will keep longer, up to 5 days, enjoy them within 2-3 days.

Garlic : Stored under optimum conditions in a dark, cool, dry place with plenty of ventilation, garlic will last from several weeks to one year. Ideally, try to use fresh garlic within a few weeks and do not refrigerate unless the garlic has been peeled or chopped.

Mushrooms : Paper bags are commonly recommended for storing mushrooms. The paper bag will absorb moisture from the mushrooms, so consider putting the paper bag in a larger perforated plastic bag. This two-bag system will allow the mushrooms to breathe but not go dry. Store mushrooms on the refrigerator shelf, and not necessarily in the vegetable crisper drawer. Mushrooms absorb odors like a sponge, so keep them away from foods with strong aromas. Properly stored mushrooms should last several days. Don't clean or chop mushrooms until you're ready to use them.

Onions : Store in a cool, dry, well ventilated place, in single layers. Choose and store pearl and boiler onions in a similar fashion. If the onions at home show signs of sprouting, cut away the sprouts and use them immediately.

Potatoes : Potatoes like cool (45°F to 50°F) humid (but not wet) surroundings, but refrigeration can turn the starch in the potatoes to sugar and may tend to darken them when cooked. Store in burlap, brown paper, or perforated plastic bags away from light, in the coolest, non-refrigerated, and well-ventilated part of the house. Under ideal conditions they can last up to three months this way, but more realistically, figure three to five weeks. New potatoes should be used within one week of purchase. Don't store onions and potatoes together, as the gases they each give off, will cause the other to decay.

Radishes : When you buy radishes with the greens still intact, immediately separate the two when you get home. Radishes will last up to two weeks inside a plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator, but greens have a much shorter shelf life... only a few days. Keep both well chilled.

Salad Greens : Lettuce will perish quickly if not stored properly. Lettuces like moisture and cool temperatures, so store lettuce in perforated plastic bags wrapped in damp paper towels, and keep in the refrigerator vegetable crisper.

Spinach : When you get bunched spinach home, untie it, remove any blemished leaves, trim off the stems, and wash it thoroughly in cold water. Repeat if necessary until you're sure all the grit is gone. Spin dry in a salad spinner or drain well, then put into clean plastic bags very loosely wrapped with paper towels. It will last only two to three days, so plan on eating your rinsed spinach right away. Cold, moist surroundings, as low as 32°F and about 95% humidity are the best for storing spinach.

Summer Squash : Summer squash should be kept cool but not cold, about 41° F to 50° F with good humidity. Uncut melons in plastic bags will last several days in the refrigerator.

Sweet Potatoes : Store Sweet Potatoes between 55°F and 65°F in a dark, dry, cool place, for up to one month, or use within one week if stored at room temperature. If refrigerated, their natural sugar will turn to starch and ruin the flavor.

Tomatoes : Tomatoes should never be refrigerated until they (1) have been cooked, (2) have been cut or put into a raw dish like a salsa, or (3) are fully ripe and would spoil if left further at room temperature. Place tomatoes stem end up, and don't put them on a sunny windowsill to hasten ripening. Instead, put tomatoes in a sealed paper bag with or without ethylene-producing fruit such as bananas. Ripe tomatoes will hold at room temperature for two or three days. Ripe tomatoes you've refrigerated to keep from spoiling will taste better if you bring them to room temperature before eating.

Winter Squash : Winter squash should not be refrigerated unless cut. Stored at 50°F to 55°F away from light in a well ventilated spot with low humidity, it will keep for up to three months. Cut squash will keep about one week when wrapped tightly and refrigerated.

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