By Nina Andres

Knowing how to store your produce, and how long to expect things to last, is essential in maximizing the enjoyment of your fall fruit and veggies (read: no waste). In general, the longest lasting are the winter squash, potatoes, and root vegetables. Store the winter squash in a cool, dark, dry place and they can last for months. New potatoes (‘slippery’ skins) are best stored in the refrigerator and eaten within a week, but storage potatoes (with set skins) can be placed in a paper bag and stored in a cool, dry, dark place for weeks. The root vegetables, such as turnips, carrots, beets, radishes, daikon, last longer when they are separated from their leafy tops (which will continue to draw nutrients from the roots if left on). Remove leafy greens and store separately. Keeping both roots and greens in the crisper part of your refrigerator is best.

What will not last as long in your FarmShare are broccoli and leafy greens: lettuce, arugula, spinach, kale, chard, and the turnip and beet tops. Try to use these items within 4-5 days at the most. Enjoy salads with the tender greens, and mix the other greens into your soups and stews, or steam them and squeeze lemon juice on top. What may look like a lot of greens (one bunch) will shrink down to about two portions after it is cooked. If you make a daily smoothie, consider adding greens to it! I am partial to kale, but have tried bok choy, napa cabbage, spinach, turnip greens, and others.

Fall fruit, such as mandarins, pomegranates, persimmons, and moving into winter, the navel oranges, don’t last long at our house usually because they are eaten before they have a chance to sit for long. Mandarin oranges keep well on the counter, as long as the room temperature is not too high. Also, if they are out where you can see them, you are more likely to eat them. As long as they are not bruised or cracked, pomegranates can be stored in a cool dry area for about a month, or refrigerated up to two months. If they have cracks or soft spots, I would prepare them right away, cutting away the soft or dried area. The crunchy fuyu persimmons will last weeks on a counter, as will the hachiya persimmons, which can seem to take forever to ripen to a mushy jam-like consistency. Both varieties can also be stored in the refrigerator.

If you have any questions, ideas, or comments about storing fall produce, please feel free to email us. We love hearing from you!!!

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