Keeping It Fresh

When we moved to town it bothered me that circumstance made it difficult to have a garden.  I resented buying onions, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and various other things that indisputably taste better fresh from the garden.  But it is what it is.
Then I developed a new peeve.  Green onions that cost an exorbitant amount for 6 pieces, and that either turned to slime or withered pathetically in the crisper. Mini cucs that became listless and tired after a couple of days. Mushrooms that aged faster than I am these days.
And somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered an old friend telling me that she poured her milk into glass jars to make it last longer and taste better.  Hmm. At the time I had to make effort to keep up with buying gallon jugs of milk but now that its only us two chickens here I find that milk does indeed keep better transferred over to glass jars.  Great use for those two quart sealers that are too big for canning these days. Although I found a two person milk jug with lid at VVillage that is perfect for the table and easy on the hands to carry across the kitchen.

Mushrooms.  Ten days in, and should be used soon.

White onions peeled and cut into 1/6  pieces.  I just take out one chunk and I'm ready to go. The pieces don't dehydrate and separate like they do in plastic wrap.  I figured the salad topping and the bacon bits might as well be in glass too. I am partial to fat little barrel shaped jars.

Mini cucs in an IKEA glass storage container.  Used the last two this morning.  They kept 10 days.  The celery about the same, although the ends are getting a little brown.  The green onions, incredibly, are over two weeks in that jar and doing fine.  I wash them immediately on getting home, take off any icky parts, and cut off roots and ends, and any damage that might harbour bacteria.  Then I chop them and store in this cute little jar.  Then if I want to add a half cup to a salad...they are ready to use.  If I want to garnish a bit of snack, three pieces are easy to extract. If a piece or two are becoming less than fresh they stick to the side of the jar, making it easy to wipe out. In a plastic jar they begin to spoil after 4 or 5 days. In a plastic bag...don't even bother!

I love my vintage milk jug.

 

This one is a new experiment.  I bought two kinds of cheese at Costco as I don't get into town a lot.  Over ten days and the cheese that I stripped of plastic wrap and cut to fit a pyrex storage dish, ironically with a plastic lid, and it hasn't dried out yet. One little corner might be showing signs but its been a long time.  Next time I am going to brush the surface with canola oil and see it that helps.

This too is a new idea, gleaned from someone we were catering a lunch with.  Peel the garlic and cover with grapeseed oil which is said not to go thick when cold.  Just did it this morning and I will see how it goes.