Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

there has been some talk on here in the past about methods of preserving veggies, but what methods have you tried for keeping them alive and fresh till consumption?
I know some things you can stick in water and they will live for days, but in the case of fruiting bodies you pick, what can be done to extend their life span without preservitives

1) beans we freeze - still eating packets that were from the previous crop ~3 months old

2) tomatoes in the fridge - they are normally eaten pretty quickly or made into relish when the plants go ballistic

3) lettuce - rinsed, then put in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge, lasts a week or more and still fresh

4) spring onions - wrapped in cling wrap and stored in the fridge

5) silverbeet - normally pick as required, but put in a glass of water to keep fresh

6) converting produce to alcoholic drinks

7) onions/garlic - wait for tops to dry then store in a string bag (or similar)

What specific type do you want to extend the shelf life of

Another way is to stagger planting so that you have a continuous supply over an extended period and thus reduce the need to preserve

Keep nitrates low to avoid rapid, weak, wilt-prone growth.

Don't refrigerate tommies. It makes the texture mealy and mushy. Pick in the morning and get them out of the heat.

Pick anything else in the morning and chill promptly.

IMHO, tomatoes ripen, keep and taste better if they're not kept in the fridge.... think this is probably true of most fruits as they ripen from the inside out....

i'm aiming to grow all my own veggies and fruit, one of the greatest challenges i see with it is keeping a steady supply. i'm staggering my planting and eating only things in season, but it'd be great to keep some things even if it's for a few extra days. i'm thinking of prototyping a vacuuming sealing box as an option
the way i see it, i've paid a fortune for a small chunk of land, why not make it as productive as possible and have it help pay for itself. even $50 a week less on groceries is a healthy saving, and i think it's obtainable.

Peter Cundall says "apples in the fridge, tomatoes in the fruit bowl" but he advocates picking them pink.

Putting Food By is a great book on keeping food. Covers everything. Drying, freezing, pickling, canning, storing root vegies etc.

Hey Timmy,
Tupperware have a range of crispers that I have used to help keep things fresher for longer. I think they also still have a lifetime guarantee, but it is plastic.

nah my idea involves something that sucks the air out, greatly reducing decay

Do a search for vacuum sealers Timmy.... a very recent thread discussion

Here you go Timmy .... http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... php?t=2643

hey marnie here and i have a little plastic contraption that i brought from coles in the ice cube section that sort of collects any gasses that veges etc give off as they ripen in the crisper of the fridge. better homes and gardens had a segment about them and i have seen an improvement in the life span of most of my vegies. you could look it up in their search engine. hope that helps.

Hi Samantha,

did you happen to see him on stage with Maggie and Simon, It was really good getting three very informative perspectives on the same topic, such as tomatoes and other veggies. ( I'm assuming you went to the Gardening Australia Expo).

Himzo.

I did go to the expo.
I didn't see PC with Maggie and Simon. Which was unfortunate because I think the Cook and the Chef are great. I love the relationship they have with the ingredients!

i just can't bring myself to like the cook and the chef.

cold cucumber soup anyone?

bbbbrrrrrrrrrr!

Coles has things that are kinda like bread boxes (though clear) that have an inbuilt pump for sucking out the air. Can be used for bread but also fruit and veg. I got one the other day to trial because they were marked down from $40 to $27. If it works - using the some concept with a larger container would also be good. Can be done cheaply using the hand vaccum pumps discussed here elsewhere.

yeah thats what i'm talking about. if you put that in the fridge it would furthur reduce spoilage.