One way to save money on groceries -- something we're all paying considerable attention to thanks to skyrocketing food prices -- is to follow Ben Franklin's maxim, Waste not, want not. I'm especially aware of this during summer, when the temptation of the Saturday morning farmers market surpasses my inclination to cook once home. I've learned the hard way that my best rhythm is to limit purchases to just a couple of days, then, with any luck, visit the Wednesday market for the rest of the week.

So I pored through the fresh produce tips in the July-August 2008 issue of Cook's Illustrated in an article called, "How to Keep Produce Fresher Longer". Here's a sampling but I do recommend picking up an issue for the complete story that includes tips on keep fruit fresh, too, also some of the science behind their tips about keeping produce fresh longer.

REFRIGERATOR MICROCLIMATES
A refrigerator has 'microclimates'. Cool! My dad gave me a wireless indoor outdoor thermometer for Christmas so I put the outside sensor into the fridge, never once thinking it would work report the temperature all the way through the refrigerator walls. But it did -- so I was able to measure the interior temperature of the three 'microclimate' areas in a refrigerator. (I love-love-love this thermometer, by the way. It would make a great gift for other weather watchers. But using it with the fridge makes me realize that it might help monitor the temperature around a bowl of bread that's rising, too, since I'm always fussing with whether it's too warm or too cold. I digress, sorry.)

The 'cold zone' is the coldest spot in the refrigerator, and is the top and middle shelves, toward the back, according to Cook's Illustrated. In the cold zone, the temperature can dip below 34F.

The 'moderate zone' is the middle and bottom shelves, toward the front. Here the temperature will be above 37F.

The 'humid zone' is the crisper drawer, which is supposed to keep a humid environment that helps keep produce with high water content fresher though can hasten spoilage if the humidity gets too high. Supposedly, there are refrigerators have vents to regulate the humidity.

Hmm. Well, when I measured the temperature in my fridge, the 'cold zone' and the 'moderate zones' were both 35F so I'm working adjusting on adjusting the temperatures so that the different zones do have different temperatures. The crispers are both at 37F and don't have vents. Newer fridges may be better? Mine is nearly 11 years old and was the only one that would fit through the doors: trust me, I know, three fridges were delivered, two didn't fit. I guess that salesguy should have believed my measurements, yes? I digress.

WHICH VEGETABLES SHOULD BE STORED WHERE

BEST in the FRONT of the FRIDGE: corn (after wrapping in a wet paper bag placed inside a plastic bag) and peas

BEST in the CRISPER: artichokes, asparagus (after trimming the ends and placing upright in shallow cool water, then covering with plastic), beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chiles, cucumbers, eggplant, fresh herbs, green beans, leafy greens, leeks, lettuce (after washing and drying, rolling loosely in a clean kitchen towel inside an unzipped zip-lock bag), mushrooms, peppers, radishes, scallions, summer squash, turnips, zucchini

BEST on the COUNTER: tomatoes (stored upside down)

BEST in the PANTRY (where it's both dark and cool): garlic, onions, potatoes, shallots, sweet potatoes, winter squash

WHEN to WASH VEGETABLES: just before using them since moisture encourages mold which encourages spoilage; if you do wash beforehand, dry before putting into the fridge

ORIGINAL PACKAGING: Cook's Illustrated suggests storing produce in their original containers which have often been especially designed to keep the produce fresher. (Note: Their story does seem to be oriented to supermarket vegetables which have been bred for long shelf lives under certain conditions.)

See, this is why I love Cook's Illustrated!




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