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Storage Tips for Fall Produce
(From Farmer John’s Cookbook and personal experience)
In case you don’t get around to cooking up all the great late fall produce that you are now motivated to run out and purchase, here is how you can store them to last a little longer:
Peppers - save some summer freshness for the dead of winter! Just wash, dry and cut up fresh peppers. Then place them in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air, seal and freeze! Frozen peppers can be used in any cooked dish you need fresh peppers for — stir fry, soup, casseroles, etc. They taste great!
Potatoes - keep unwashed in a loosely closed paper bag in a cool, dry place. They will keep a few weeks at room temperature, longer if kept between 40 and 50 degrees F.
Winter squash - keep in a cool, dry, dark and airy place. Again, 40-50 degrees F is best. Acorn and butternut last longer than pumpkins, buttercup and delicata. You can also bake the squash by halving it, scooping out the seeds and placing face down on a baking sheet in a 400 degree F oven for about 45 minutes depending on the size. When cool, scrape out all flesh and mash. Then freeze for use in pies, muffins, pancakes, purees, casseroles, etc. Butternut and even acorn squash can substitute for pumpkin.
Celery Root (Celeriac) - keep unwashed in a plastic bag in the fridge for weeks. You can cut off a few strips at a time for use in soups and wrap it well for later use.
What is Celery Root anyway? Also called Celeriac, it tastes a little like celery with the texture of a turnip. Soak celeriac briefly in warm water and then scrub it with a brush. Slice off a thin disk from the top and bottom so it rests on the cutting surface. Peel it with a sharp knife. You can grate it raw with beets, carrots, apples, etc. Eat it with dip. Use as a celery replacement. Cook it in stews. Mash with potatoes. Fry like French Fries.
Sweet Potatoes - put in a loosely-closed paper bag in a cool, dry place. It is supposed to be good for two months, but I prefer to use them quickly.
Cabbage - place dry, unwashed cabbage in the vegetable bin. If the outside leaves get limp, just cut them away when you want to use the cabbage. If you cut it, seal it in a plastic bag and refrigerate it will be good for at least a month.
Kohlrabi - remove stems and leaves and eat like kale within a week. Place bulb in a plastic bag in fridge and use within 2 weeks.
Where is it 40-50 degrees F in your house? In the garage, next to an inside wall (shared with your house); just be careful not to leave your veggies out on VERY cold nights or they might freeze. Or try an unheated, DRY basement.
What’s in my Pantry?
Whole Grains
Brown rice, quinoa, pearled barley, cous cous, bulgur, millet, wheat berries, kamut and rolled oats
Pasta
Tri-color vegetable shells, buckwheat soba noodles, Eden flax-rice spirals, Ezekiel 4:9 penne, whole wheat spaghetti
Beans & Soups
Aduki, garbanzo, black-eyed peas, cannellini, red kidney and black beans; Trader Joe’s black bean chili and split pea soups, free range chicken broth
Hot Cereals
Arrowhead Mills’ Bear Mush, Rice-N-Shine and 7-Grain Cereals; Pocono Cream of Buckwheat, oatmeal
Cold Cereals
Shop Rite Brown Rice Crispies, Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Almond
Breads & Crackers
Mary’s Gone Crackers crackers, Trader Joe’s flat breads, millet bread
Nut products
Natural peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, hazelnut milk, almond milk (and rice milk)
Miscellaneous
Tuna, fruit-sweetened jams, pineapple juice, unsweetened crushed pineapples, unsweetened applesauce, 100% pure pumpkin, Lara bars and 70% dark chocolate bars
Sweeteners
Brown rice syrup, 100% pure maple syrup, honey, date sugar granules, agave syrup, barley malt, Florida crystals
Condiments
Tahini, soy sauce, Heinz organic ketchup, mirin, organic extra-virgin olive oil, organic canola oil, olive oil spray, sesame seeds, Trader Joe’s Tuscan Italian dressing
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Healthy Life Recipes
Kale Chips
A guilt-free and satisfying alternative to potato chips.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1-2 bunches of kale
olive oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Remove kale from stalk, leaving the greens in large pieces.
- Place a little olive oil in a bowl, dip your fingers and rub a very light coat of oil over the kale, (OR spray kale leaves with olive oil cooking spray once laid out on baking sheet).
- Lay kale out on a baking sheet, lightly salt and bake for 5 minutes (or more) or until it starts to turn a bit brown. Keep an eye on the kale, it can burn quickly. Turn the kale over and bake with the other side up.
- Remove and serve immediately.
Granola Bars
These bars are perfect for a breakfast on-the-run or a healthy snack. They will keep at room temperature, covered, for up to a week; you can also freeze them. Vary the bars by substituting your favorite nuts or dried fruits for the ones suggested here, or by using other nut butters or fruit purees for the almond butter.
Yield: 8 bars
Dry Ingredients:
¼ cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
¼ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
¼ cup raisins or dried fruit
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp sugar
¼ tsp. salt
Wet Ingredients:
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup apple juice
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil an 8 by 8 inch baking pan.
- Place the wet ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
- Whisk the wet ingredients in another bowl and then pour it into the dry, stirring until the batter is thoroughly moistened.
- Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cut into 8 bars or various chunks.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then remove the bars with a spatula, and cool them on a rack for at least 30 minutes.
For crispier bars, bake in an 8 x 11-inch pan.
Adapted from the Healthy Hedonist by Myra Kornfeld
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