it's a nice problem to have, mind you......

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LuckyLeprechaun
LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a problem:

I was given an enormous amount of free food, and a lot of it is perishable produce items. I have many pounds of broccoli, all the tops, all cut up, ready to steam and eat. The problem is, there is absolutely no way for us to eat it quickly enough.

can I
a) freeze it as-is, for later use, to be cooked later after thawing? or
b) steam it now, then freeze for later use?

I also got a large amount of russet potatoes, and yellow onions. I do NOT like onions raw, but tell me some things to do with cooked onion. potatoes will keep a long time, how long do onions stay good? and do I tuck them into my pantry alongside the potatoes, or should onions be kept in a fridge for maximum longevity?

I also got a lot of butter lettuce, it makes nice salads, which we are eating at every meal, what else can I do with it?

I got two giant bags of spring mix salad, will it keep best in its own bag or should I portion it up into ziplocs?


thanks for all your advice or tips, I want to make the most of this food and prevent wasting this blessing.

Replies

  • erikazj
    erikazj Posts: 2,365 Member
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    How lovely! With the broccoli, steam it lightly and then cool and freeze. Steam from frozen when you want to eat it.

    Are the onions freshly harvested, or have they already been dried? If they have already been dried just keep them somewhere cool and dry, like the potatoes. Don't put them in the fridge as this will be too cold for them. If they are freshly harvested and haven't been dried yet, you need to do that first...they should be dried outside for a few days in the sun, protected from the rain and then stored as your potatoes.

    Not sure what you can do with the excess lettuce...salad leaves do need eating fresh, and don't freeze.

    Enjoy the veggies!

    Erika
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    I don't know when the onions may have been harvested, they are in red mesh bags as you would find them in a supermarket. so I'd say storing with the potatoes sounds right for that, wouldn't you?


    thanks for the advice:flowerforyou:
  • erikazj
    erikazj Posts: 2,365 Member
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    Yes, it sounds like they've been dried, I was just thinking someone may have just harvested them. It is best if you can to store things like onions and potatoes in paper bags rather than plastic.

    Erika
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    the potatoes are in a big cardboard box (they look clean), the onions are in the red loose mesh bags they came packaged in. I can get paper grocery bags if it would keep them longer than this original packaging...you think?
  • maurierose
    maurierose Posts: 574 Member
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    I freeze a lot of onions... I finely chop them (food processor or by hand) and put about a cup and a half in a quart ziplock bag, squeeze the air out, smash the bag flat, and lay it flat in the freezer. When it's frozen, I stand them up on their sides.... I use these for soups, crock-pot spaghetti, toss them into ground beef or ground turkey, break a corner off to saute for breakfast eggs, potatoes... they are great for cooking with. I wouldn't recommend using them for thaw-and-use-raw purposes, probably would have a wierd consistency, but I've never tried that either. :bigsmile: You can certainly keep them in the pantry for a looong time, but if you notice them not storing well, freezing is a great option.

    Broccoli - you've already gotten the best suggestion on :smile:

    Lettuce - there's a recipe on MFP for Chicken Lettuce Wraps - YUMMY! Could use it for tacos, sandwiches, use the butter lettuce around a chicken breast or burger instead of a bun (kind of a wrap, low-carb style), burritos, invite someone over for a soup and salad night?

    I'd keep the salad in it's own bag, it seems to keep a little longer when it's unopened.

    You're right, what a great problem to have! Enjoy that gift! :smile:
  • astridfeline
    astridfeline Posts: 1,200 Member
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    http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/31849507#31849507

    this is video clip about storing foods. If I remember correctly, she said potatoes & onions should both be stored at room temp, but in separate cabinets.

    what a great gift!
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
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    Great tips and ideas- I'm stealing some of them myself! :bigsmile:

    Another thing you can do is make sauces, spaghetti works well, with the onions and then freeze the sauce in ziploc bags. They keep for up to six months- longer depending.

    Make onion soup and freeze it too. Or vegetable stock too if you can grab some carrots and celery- plus you can control the sodium in your own broth so a bit of a bonus there too.

    Congrats on the food!
  • Emdog24
    Emdog24 Posts: 81 Member
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    This site gives you the shelf life for just about any food and lets you know how long different foods stay good for depending on if you store them in the fridge or the freezer.

    http://stilltasty.com/
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
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    in case you can't keep it, donate what you can't keep to a drop-in centre for homeless individuals, a lot of shelters will take it too.

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