did anyone see the Morning show this morning?

[loopylindi]

Some really good ideas for preserving the life of some fruit and veg in the fridge. For example wrapping cleaned carrots/parsnips in a damp teatowel before storing in the fridge can keep them fresh for weeks. Rinsing berries in a mild acid(lemon juice) solution before refrigerating them (I have to throw so many away as they go mushy as soon as I look at them). On the other hand I have a Kilner jar full of blackberries that are still edible after 44yrs. Yes, honestly. Another reason to remember the summer of 1976

I wrap celery in tin foil and it lasts for ages, nice and green and crispy.
I put a paper towel over the washed cut lettuce in a big lidded container in the fridge it stops it going brown as fast.
Storing the fresh beetroot once opened I've found lasts better in a glass container I have ones that look like Tupperware from Amazon.

@loopylindi

On the other hand I have a Kilner jar full of blackberries that are still edible after 44yrs. Yes, honestly. Another reason to remember the summer of 1976

Omg How ? Are they in alcohol or syrup ?

44 years?!! How are they not rancid?

@KittyCatsby @LizzieSiddal They are preserved in sugar syrup then cooked to kill any microbes. The sugar is also a preserving agent. The lids are screwed down and as the contents cool down it forms a vacuum which will not be released until the lid is released. Hence, because the enyzmes which cause fruit to deteriorate are also killed, the fruit is preserved. If the fruit had been frozen it would just be a ball of ice now.

Why would you want to keep blueberries for that long? Genuinely curious as to the motivation or purpose.

I didn't watch but do a lot of these things anyway. To be honest the only time we've truly wasted fruit or veg is when we've overbought it so I only buy what I will imminently use and eat and top up regularly instead (or freeze it).

Berries i keep in air tight glass jars with something to absorb moisture in the base and dry as much as I can before putting them in. They always last well past the best before date.

Things like pre bagged salad or anything that comes in a plastic bag I find are better off decanted elsewhere but it depends what it is as to whether it needs moisture removed or kept wet (eg fresh herbs)

Anyone got any good tips for broccoli. Dh ordered 2kg with the shopping, 4 out of 6 of us like it but still...

Freeze the broccoli!

Blanche the broccoli before freezing, or it will be mushy when you thaw it out!

@dontgobaconmyheart In actual fact the blackberries were preserved initially to take account of the foraging that we did that autumn. Several jars were preserved, and subsequently used. I was teaching Home Ec at the time and one of the topics was preservation. I used the blackberries to illustrate that there better ways of preserving than freezing depending on food and use obviously. Frozen food loses water by sublimation and develops freezer burn over time, thus rendering the food inedible.

@TheCanyon If you cut the end off some of the stalks you can stand it in a jar of water like flowers. That'll keep it going - but only for a couple of days

Keep cucumber fresher for longer by storing it at room temperature and not in the fridge.

Put a sheet of kitchen roll in opened bags of salad leaves. It absorbs the moisture and stops the leaves going mushy.

Cheers folks, typically my freezers full too! Have made a pot of soup, roasted broccoli and cauliflower pie, and the dog loves it too, but still soooo much left.

I like the idea of a bouquet of broccoli @loopylindi 😀

@TheCanyon well, the individual bits are called florets!