If tourists avoid the cool, gray air that hangs over northern France for a few weeks, their wallets are delighted. Fruit and vegetable prices have fallen between 20% and 29% compared to last year, according to the National Establishment of Agricultural and Sea Products (FranceAgriMer).
As temperatures drop, cravings for fruits and vegetables subside and demand falls. To liquidate the accumulated inventory, traders lowered prices. So it’s time to stock up! But in order not to waste, here are some storage tips.
The fridge yes but not for everything
If les fruits rouges et certains légumes -comme les choux, les poireaux, les navets, les asperges, les haricots, ou encore les carottes- supportent très bien le frigo qui allonge leur espérance de vie, d’autres ne s’y accommodate pas good. Exotic fruits, citrus fruits and stone fruits must be prohibited in the refrigerator. Avocados and bananas will ripen and therefore darken more quickly; peaches, nectarines, and apricots will lose flavor and nutrients.
Potatoes become grainy, cucurbits lose their flavor, cucumbers wilt, as do eggplants and zucchini. The tomato, on the other hand, softens and becomes mealy.
As for the red fruits, it is advisable to soak them in a mixture of vinegar and water (a glass of vinegar and three of water), then dry them well, before putting them in the fridge.
For foods that are kept cold, it’s best to put them in the crisper drawer “since each compartment in the fridge is adapted to a particular type of food,” explains Christine Savilli, dietitian-nutritionist at Maria Clara.
It is also essential to protect certain fruits and vegetables from moisture. Ideally, place them on a kitchen towel or absorbent paper.
Other tips before putting them in the fridge: remove excess leaves, cut off the tips of carrots, put the asparagus stalks in a cup of water. If the lettuce has wilted in the fridge, before eating it, soak the deteriorated leaves for fifteen minutes in a bowl filled with warm water, then rinse them under cold water.
For food allergic to cold, prefer a dry place
The suitable temperature for the storage of fruits and vegetables, which are kept at room temperature, is between 10 and 20C°. It needs a dry and ventilated place. It is recommended to place them in a wire mesh or wicker basket to allow air to pass through, note Positive. Without this, they risk fermenting and therefore degrading more quickly. “Don’t lock your fruits and vegetables in closed containers at the risk of seeing them wither quickly” and “make room”.
The cellar is the ideal place to store potatoes, pumpkins, garlic, onions or pumpkins.
Some foods require special treatment. Bananas need to be separated from each other, then their tails should be wrapped in cling film before being placed in a dark place. Above all, do not leave them in a plastic bag. To preserve avocados that brown very quickly – they oxidize on contact with air – you can pour lemon juice over them. Same for apples.
For onions there is a grandmother’s trick: place them in pantyhose making knots between each one of them so that they do not touch. Then store them away from light, in a fairly cool place (avoid the fridge which can make them soft!)
Separate certain fruits and vegetables that are harmful to each other
Many fruits or vegetables emit ethylene gas after harvest, which is colorless and odorless, please note le figaro. Ethylene accelerates the ripening and therefore the decomposition of other fruits and vegetables. It is important to separate the vegetables or fruits that produce this gas, the climacteric ones, from those that are sensitive to it, the non-climacteric ones.
They are found in those that release a large amount of ethylene during their ripening: apple, pear, apricot, peach, plum, avocado, melon, banana, cabbage, lettuce, carrot or cucumber.
On the contrary, those that produce the least are blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, watermelons, pineapples, kiwis, cucumbers, aubergines, pumpkins, olives, peppers, while artichokes, asparagus, cauliflower, cherries, all citrus fruits, grapes or strawberries hardly give off either,” the newspaper writes.
Neither should you put the potatoes with the onion or garlic because they will damage each other and accelerate their respective putrefaction.
Dry them well after washing.
To get rid of any sand, dirt, or pesticides present on fruits and vegetables, they must be washed. But then they must be properly dried, otherwise they risk “accelerating the proliferation of bacteria, fungi and molds,” explains Pauline Pied, dietitian-nutritionist at Maria Clara.
As for keeping them in water, even if this allows them to stay hydrated over time, “there is a risk of maceration if we keep the same water. And it can become a breeding ground for bacteria, ”adds her colleague Christine Savalli.
To prevent these little critters from making your fruits and vegetables their playground, there are several solutions. You can simply put a hood or a clean, dry cloth. It is also possible to cut corks in half and place them in the basket. Its smell will scare away mosquitoes. If that doesn’t work, you can lure them to the bottom of a bowl by pouring in a splash of vinegar and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. You have to cover everything with transparent film and make several small holes in it with a fork. The smell of vinegar attracts mosquitoes which then get stuck.
freeze them
Freezing is, without a doubt, the simplest and most effective way to preserve fruits and vegetables for several months -twelve maximum- preserving their nutrients and flavor. It is necessary to bring hermetic bags with closure, wash the food, dry it well so that the water does not freeze, cut it and then place it in the bags.
It is advisable to write down the freezing date and identify the content. Cutting food allows you to make small portions: beyond 1.5 kg, freezing is not optimal, he says current woman. It also makes defrosting easier.
Blanching the vegetables beforehand, immersing them in boiling water for a few minutes, optimizes preservation: this prevents the fruits and vegetables from spoiling and maintains their flavour.
Before freezing them, they must be allowed to cool and dry. “Peppers or pumpkin do not need to be blanched, while beets or aubergines are recommended to be fully cooked before freezing,” the women’s magazine underlines.
However, not all foods freeze well! The salad will look “like mush once thawed,” notes Current Woman. “Same for radishes and cucumbers,[…] watermelon or melon […] they contain a lot of water, and after thawing, there won’t be much left to put on the plate.” The same goes for strawberries and peaches.
The tomato cannot be frozen raw either, but it can be cooked in a coulis or in a sauce before putting it in the fridge. The potatoes will lose their texture, so it’s best to mash them before storing.
Dehydrate fruits and vegetables
It is a more complex method that requires time and knowledge, but it is effective and can preserve food for up to three years. “Dehydration consists of removing a large part of the water contained in fruits and vegetables to preserve them for longer, conserving the minerals and vitamins they contain,” he points out. le figaro.
For this, it is possible to use a dehydrator or an oven gently drying at 40°C for several hours (the time will be adapted according to each food). Dried fruits and vegetables can be stored in airtight jars.
cooking and canning
Mashed potatoes, compotes, tomato sauce, coulis, jams… Processed foods are also suitable for preserving. They can then be placed in jars, clean and airtight, and then sterilized. To do this, place the containers in a pot filled with boiling water for 10 minutes.
Source: BFM TV
