I’m guilty of not storing my veggies properly. I’m also guilty of not EATING my veggies soon enough. Each week at the grocery store I have the best intentions of an upcoming week of healthy meals, often to find that my produce goes bad before I get to them. Needless to say I need more veggies in my diet (for another post)! But for veggies such as onions, garlic & shallots that often come in a large bag (when I only need one!), it can be hard to keep these lasting long if they’re not stored properly.
Fortunately, there’s another solution outside of downing the bag of garlic like you’re in the world championships. There’s a contest for everything nowadays, huh? All you need is 5 minutes and a couple supplies around the house.
Supplies needed to keep your vegetables fresh
- Paper bags (I use the lunch bag size, but you could use larger ones)
- Black sharpie
- Paperclips
- Hole punch
Fold your paper bag length wise and punch holes one inch apart. This step is a MUST as this provides air circulation for the veggies. Contrary to how meticulous I was punching the holes EXACTLY one inch apart, Joe (my husband) pointed out that the produce doesn’t actually last longer if the holes are perfectly even! 🙂 Just make sure you don’t punch holes on the bottom. Also, leave about an inch on the top with no holes.
Turn your bags upside down and write the name of the produce with your sharpie. You could be much more specific with your labels than I was (red onions, yellow onions, etc.). Admittedly when a recipes calls for a specific color onion, I just use whichever one I have!
Store these bags in a cool dark place (kitchen drawer, cabinet, or a pantry) for up to a few months!
I should have tried this when I had a whole bunch of garlic. I think I ended up throwing out about half.
I have never thought about doing this. I always end up throwing garlic out – definitely worth a try!
Oh wow…such a great idea!
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Great tip. I actually hang my onions in panty hose in my basement closet if I have a whole bunch of them. This is a great idea though. Thanks for linking up to Tips and Tricks. Hope to see you again this week.
OOOHHH I love the idea of using panty hose! Thanks for hosting your party! Love stopping by each week!
Cool! This will be perfect in the summer and fall when the garden abundance sometimes exceeds how much I can eat, haha. Which is certainly not a bad problem to have.
Totally agree! It’s definitely one way to make me eat my veggies 🙂
Hey there! First of all, I love that the holes are punched perfectly! 😉 I’m sure I would do the same thing. Second, I am definitely game for trying this trick.. do you know if this would be good for all veggies??
haha, LOVE LOVE LOVE that you appreciate that! So I’ve ONLY used this for potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger and shallots, but I’m pretty confident it would work for most ROOT vegetables!
Haha! Yes, yes! I love seeing things in perfect order, but for some reason that does not currently describe my house! 😉 I will keep that in mind.. Root veggies!! Thanks! =)
This is a great idea! I’m always tossing my onions because I never use them all in time.