How to Keep (Organic) Produce Fresh

I just read an article in the July/August Cook's Illustrated (CI) magazine about produce keepers. You know, you've probably seen them advertised on television. They promise to keep your fresh produce fresher than fresh. So, CI did some tests (you gotta love their tests). The results?

None of the produce keepers had any positive effect on the shelf life of the fresh produce. In fact, in some cases, produce spoiled faster than if left in its original packing. You can read the article here.

So, here's a very inexpensive produce keeper idea - buy it and eat it! I've gotten better about gauging how much produce my family will consume in a week and I buy just enough to get us through to the next week. Yes, sometimes I have to make an extra stop at the market, but it beats buying stuff we'll likely not eat in a week then hoping against hope it will still be fresh and ready to go.

So, this summer, choose lots of healthy organic (and best of all, locally grown when available) produce and just don't let it go to waste! Get creative, you'd be surprised what you can cook up with that produce just on the edge of going bad. My favorite solution is a stir fry. For veggies that are past their prime but still edible, you can make a pretty decent stir fry and jazz up the flavors with organic garlic, ginger, shoyu (tamari, soy sauce), chiles, cayenne, curry - whatever sparks your imagination. Toss it over some organic sprouted brown rice, red quinoa or organic pasta (made from wheat, brown rice, corn and more) and viola! you've got dinner.

For more ideas on sauces and spices to jazz up your summertime meals, visit shopOrganic.com - or click here.

Enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of summer - organic, local, fresh. Yum.