Tips to Keep Organic Produce Fresh All Summer Long
I wonder if everyone has a difficult time refraining from filling their basket with the entire season’s bounty of wonderfully delicious produce when they shop this time of year? I know I do!
It’s peak season for Melissa’s organic plums, melons, peaches, nectarines... corn, beans, pickling and lemon cucumbers, tomatoes—and that’s on top of everything I might normally have on my list, like organic avocados, romaine lettuce, radishes, green onions, and peppers. Oh my! It's pure delight to bring all this home! Of course, it can also pose a challenge to maintain peak flavor and texture while ensuring you don't lose any produce in the process.
Here are a few tips to make sure you get the most out of some of your favorites this summer. How you store each item is critical!
Melissa's organic peaches, nectarines, plums, and other stone fruit are best kept on the counter in a single layer, unwashed and uncovered, for 2-3 days until they are fully ripe. They could ripen quicker depending on the ambient temperature in your house. Keep them stem-side down, apart from the other fruit and away from direct sunlight as well. Check them daily to see if they are fully ripe by their fragrant smell and soft flesh, which should give slightly when pressed gently. Then you’ll know they are ready to enjoy!
Oh, and here’s a tip for when you’re shopping: make sure you buy stone fruit that is displayed unrefrigerated. This will help ensure that you are starting with fruit that can ripen properly at home.
A couple of classic melon favorites: Melissa's organic cantaloupes and honeydews will keep on the counter for three or four days. As soon as they start smelling sweet and have some give at the non-stem end, they should be cut and eaten, or they can go into the fridge, where they’ll last for a couple of weeks. The question for me, though, is how anyone can wait two weeks to eat such a sweet treat?
How about tomatoes?
It’s always best to keep them at room temperature. Putting them in a fridge actually stops their flavor-producing enzymes from functioning and can create that awful mealy texture that I'm sure everyone in the entire tomato-loving universe hates. To tell if it's ripe, give your Melissa’s organic tomatoes a squeeze. Yep, the best way to judge a ripe tomato is by its softness, not by its color! It should be firm and subtle.
If your tomatoes ripen too quickly on the counter, you can place them in the fridge but be sure to bring them back out for a day before eating, as this will allow those enzymes to start producing again, so your tomatoes will still be bursting with flavor.
Melissa's organic Grapes change the storage game - you do want to place them in the fridge!
That said, do not wash your organic grapes until you are ready to eat them. They should remain as dry as possible. Since they like the cold, put them in the coldest part of your fridge. For the best storage, leave them in the perforated plastic bag they come in; the bag is specially designed to allow the grapes to breathe so they do not trap moisture, which can speed up spoilage and mold.
Finally, an all-time summer favorite: Melissa’s organic corn. There are three simple tips: keep it fresh, keep it cold, and store it in the husk.
But first, you’ll want to choose the best ears! Though you may find your retailer offers a compost can next to the display, you don’t have to strip the leaves down; you just need to feel the husk and leaves. Dry husks and leaves are a sign that corn is past its prime.
You’ll want fully filled-out ears in a green husk. If it still has the silk at the top, it should be light brown and not moldy or slimy. Look for plump, firm ears and then run your thumb up the length of the corn to feel if it is missing any kernels inside. Give it a try - you will be surprised how well this works!
Once you get it home, store it in the fridge and in the husk until use. Check the quality daily and use it as soon as possible. However, if your corn shows all the qualities of freshness, it can stay in the fridge for up to five days.
As you can see, there is a lot to getting the most out of your summer bounty.
Use these tips and enjoy everything you buy! Next month, I’ll share more tips on getting the best value and shelf life from more of your organic favorites.
