I don’t know about you, but I hate and feel guilty throwing out veggies gone bad =(  I mean really, there are people starving in the world, and here I am throwing out food. So one day, I decided to try to see how I can keep my veggies lasting longer. Now, the reason why they were going bad so quickly is because here in Italy, I like to buy my veggies from the street market (mercato)……..see my other post! And well, the veggies sold there are organic or with very few hormones\pesticides…..so they go bad faster.  Being the stubborn person I am, I was determined to get these veggies to last longer. And alas! It finally worked. I discovered that veggies in the fridge are a lot like plants….you have to take care of them =)  Here’s how……

For most firm or leafy veggies like eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, lettuce, green onions, mushrooms, carrots, etc…..

Find a plastic container or bowl, line the bottom with HALF of a large cotton kitchen towel, then place a piece of paper towel over it. Add your veggies (making sure NONE are wet nor washed ahead of time!) Like this……

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Then, add another paper towel over the veggies, and cover with the other side of the towel (tucking in the edges if you can)

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This way, any moisture or humidity will get absorbed into the towels. The veggies stay dry and I’ve had my veggies last up to 2 weeks without any problems! NOTE: I’ve tried wrapping kitchen towels around the veggies then placing them inside plastic bags……they don’t last as long, because the bag prevents minimum airflow, which is what they need. They just don’t need moisture which makes them soggy and eventually moldy. Also, do not close the container or bowl with a lid, again, it traps the moisture of the fridge inside the container.

For items you go through quickly (like parsley for me) I just wrap them in a few paper towels and place them in a plastic bag (but do not close the bag tightly…leave a bit of room for air) .  Ta da! Here are my veggies…..nice and cozy. Not too cold, not sweating either =)

Now, for onions and garlic that stay out, I like to line a pasta strainer (that I’m not using =) with 1 paper towel (to catch loose peels) and place them inside. The air circulates well when using a pasta strainer and the onions\garlic will stay dry! Here are my pretty red onions I bought last week =)

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Well, I hope these tricks work for you! Let me know by commenting below!

Happy vegetable saving!

Wanita =)