How-To Harvest, Store & Preserve: A to C

when storing food for the Zombie Apocalypse, here are some tips on how to preserve some perishable foods...

This is a segment that has been taking me longer than I expected to write. It's title should fully read, How-To Harvest, Store & Preserve Fruits, Vegetables, Legumes, Herbs, & More! 

A

Arugula - (Bunched) when comes as a bunch, remove the stems and then thoroughly clean. A salad spinner* can be used to clean and dry the leaves. If you don't have a salad spinner, you can place the cleaned leaves onto paper towel layers or pat the leaves lightly with a towel; to completely dry.

     Place these dry leaves on new dry paper towels and put into plastic bags, loosely closed. It will last up to a week.

     If the leaves are not cleaned well enough, they may only last about 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Avocados - this fruit is part of the berry family called Lauraceae. Avocados start to ripen once they are removed from the tree. You can keep them on the branches for months if you decide you would rather pick them at a later time. When removed from their trees, they ripen within a week. If you decide to slow this process down, you may place them in the crisper in your refrigerator to keep them for about 2 weeks. To check for ripeness, apply slight pressure to the fruit. If it makes an impression, it's ready to eat or to be mashed.

     To freeze this fruit for guacamole, mash the fresh, ripened avocado. Add some lemon or lime juice into the mash (about 1 teaspoon per avocado used). Place mixture in freezer-safe bags. Make sure it's airtight. Defrost in cool water.

B

Basil - this annual plant is a very common herb. It is a member of the Lamiaceae family. It does not do well in the cold or around frost. Grows best in strong sunlight, in dryer places, and best outside. To ensure the best flavor from this herb, it is recommended that you water the plants a few days before harvesting.

     (Drying) - when drying basil, you typically should dry it as quick as possible, to refrain from losing all of the natural flavors. A common way of drying it is by bunching it together and tying it up at the end. Next, hang it upside down.

     (Freezing) - using a food processor, blend the basil leaves with oil. This will make a pasty mixture that you can then freeze in ice cube trays. Once frozen, place cubes in freezer bags for future use.

     (Vinegar storage) - this process can be used by allowing basil to steep for about 2 weeks and then placing it in a bottle with some yummy tasting wine vinegar or some spiced oils. This can make some great salad dressings.

Beets - are year round vegetables. They are a member of the Caryophyllales family and are best experienced in the late summer and in autumn. One good way of choosing your beets, is by observing the skin and it's colors and then by examining the state of the stems and leaves. It should have a smooth texture of skin with a green, sturdy, leafy stem. The greener the leaves on the end of the stems, the better and healthier.

     (Storing) - after purchasing beets, you should immediately cut the greens off, leaving about 1-2 inches of stem leftover. Keep at cool room temperature for a few days. Or, you can keep beets for a longer period of time by storing in the fridge.

     The best way to prepare beets is by roasting them (or boiling them) whole and unpeeled. Cook until a fork can stab into them easily. Next, peel off their skins and continue your cooking process by slicing or mashing them (or do as you desire and follow your favorite beet recipe). Beets tend to be very messy and will stain your hands and any utensils you use with them. To avoid stains, use gloves and place wax paper on any surfaces they may touch.

Broccoli - is an annual crop that grows in the cool seasons and has a hard time growing in hot summer weather. It is a vegetable in the Brassicaceae Family. 

     When purchasing this vegetable, you want to look for evenly distributed dark green colors, tightly enclosed buds, a sturdy stalk and healthy looking leaves. Avoid heads of broccoli that have wilting leaves, a yellow tint, foul odors, and open or split buds. To avoid excess moisture, do not wash the broccoli before storing. Store in the fridge in a perforated bag.

     Products such as apples, kiwis, pears, bananas, cantaloupe, peaches, tomatoes and other fruits or vegetables with the gas ethylene, should not be stored next to broccoli. This causes the broccoli to ripen quickly and, therefore, go bad quicker.

Brussels Sprouts - is a vegetable in the Brassicaceae Family that thrives best in a cool humid climate. This vegetable is more particular with where it grows best. It does in fact grow in most places, but sometimes under the right weather, conditions, or sometimes even under controlled settings and/or environments.

     At about 1-2 inches in diameter, before the yellowing color begins (and when they are firm), you should harvest the Brussels sprouts. This harvesting will be around 90-100 days after seeding. The "sprouts" or "buds" of the Brussels sprout plants are found at the base of the leaves. Best weather is when it's hot and sunny during the day and when a light frost follows at night.

C

Cabbage - is an annual vegetable that is a member of the Brassicaceae Family. One would preferably want to pick the head of cabbage when it is firm. Once harvested, packaged, and then brought to a market, heads of cabbage tend to last up to 4 to 6 months. If you cut the cabbage, the remaining pieces will only stay good for a few more days. For the longer storage of up to 6 months, you want to keep the cabbage between 30 to 36 degrees F with a humidity of 90-100%. Keeping the cabbage cold, usually by refrigeration, also helps to retain its vitamin C content. Keep cabbage wrapped or in an airtight container in the crisper section of your refrigerator.

Carrots - are vegetables that were first grown for medicinal purposes and later came to be grown as food. It is a root vegetable and member of the Apiaceae Family. This biennial plant grows best with sunlight and when planted in loose soil that contains no rocks. Carrots take about 4 months to mature but can be typically harvested at any point in their growth.

     In North America, most carrots are grown year-round. As a rule for both carrots and beets; one should always remember that the sweeter ones are usually darkest in color.

     When purchasing carrots, avoid any that seem to have wilting or dying steams/leaves. Always buy the carrots that are firm and sturdy (with nice coloring and no bruising) and have green, leafy stems. Once you get home with this vegetable, you should remove the greens, place the trimmed carrots in the fridge, and wrap loosely in plastic. They should stay good for weeks.

     The maturity of carrots can also effect the amount of time that carrots will stay good, once they've been purchased. If carrots are harvested at an immature stage, they can be kept or stored for around 4-6 weeks. You want to keep these carrots around 32 degrees F with between 95-99% humidity. Under alike conditions, maturely harvested carrots can last around 4-5 months. Damaged carrots should not be stored, but rather eaten or used right away.

Cauliflower - is an annual vegetable, alike to cabbage and broccoli, within the Brassicaceae Family. It reproduces by seed. When growing cauliflower yourself, there is a great tip to remember before harvesting that ensures safety of the plant's natural flavors. At about 2-3 inches in diameter, you should cover the cauliflower head by pulling the large leaves up over it. Loosely tie the leaves together in order to blanch them and cover them from the sunlight. After about a week after the blanching process, harvest. It will be around 6-12 inches in diameter. Handle the head with care and try to leave a few leaves around the head for longer storage time. 

     To clean the head, place it in salt water for about 30 minutes. This kills any pests or worms inside. Cauliflower lasts longest canned or frozen, but lasts anywhere from a week to 3 weeks, depending on whether it's stored properly. Keep it refrigerated and covered in plastic wrap.