Veggies, like broccoli, love to be all fresh and green. But once they’ve spent a little time with you, they start dying, drying, and wilting away. It’s almost like they get angry that they’re not getting the attention they deserve.
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Now, how do you keep them fresh when you may not be ready to give them that attention immediately? You’ll find some helpful tips in this article.
Select the Best
Once you miss selecting the best ones, you may have to put in more effort than necessary to preserve them. Surely, you can’t go home with an almost spoiled broccoli and expect it to stay fresh for long.
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So, go for the ones with very green heads and firm stems. Make sure it’s all green and without yellow or brown spots, which are tell-tale signs that it’s not fresh.
Whole Storing
Don’t pick at your broccoli. Instead, store it whole with the head and everything else intact. When the head is on, it retains moisture that protects the vegetable from drying.
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Once you cut into it, you expose those cut edges to air and they’re at the risk of getting dry or discolored when you put them in the refrigerator.
The Crisper Drawer
You’re to put your broccoli whole in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. This part was built to maintain a higher humidity, create a moist environment, and ultimately extend the lifespan of your produce.
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This makes it the most suitable place to store your broccoli as your vegetable needs an environment that would slow down its dehydration process.
Micro-Perforated Bags
Normally, we would not think of bags when storing fresh food because they release ethylene gas. This gas initiates ripening, and that leads to spoilage because bags hold them in. So, it does its work and the fresh food gets spoiled even faster.
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But micro-perforated bags have changed the game with their tiny holes. They allow ethylene gas to escape while retaining the moisture that would keep the vegetable fresh.
The Dry Towel Trick
We have seasons where refrigerators accumulate more moisture because of environmental conditions. These moist conditions may reduce the lifespan of the broccoli, but we have a way around that.
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Before placing it in the fridge, wrap it in a dry paper towel and put it in a storage bag. That paper towel would act as a moisture absorber to absorb any moisture on the surface of your broccoli.
Don’t Rinse
We know you like to wash your vegetables squeaky clean, but skip this step if you’re not ready to use them immediately. When it comes to vegetables, water is one of the biggest threats to longevity.
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Keeping broccoli dry is the key to its preservation because that moisture can create an environment for bacteria, which kills your vegetables. So, do not rinse until you’re ready to use.
The Water Container Method
There’s something the florists do that keeps their flowers fresh and you can do that too. Mimic the plant’s natural living conditions by putting water in a container and placing the stem end of your broccoli into it.
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This would keep the entire head of your broccoli fresher for longer. Remember to change the water daily to prevent bacterial growth and keep your container in the fridge to maintain freshness.
Regular Checks
You may not want to give them all the attention yet, but you cannot completely ignore them either if you really want them to last.
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Check them regularly and look out for any sign of spoilage like wilting or discoloration. If you find any spoiled parts, remove them immediately to avoid the spread of decay to the rest of the broccoli.
Regular Rotation
Every part of your broccoli needs to get the same share of your fridge’s humidity. So, make this happen by rotating it regularly.
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It would retain its freshness for a longer time and would also prevent pressure spots, where spoilage can easily start. If you fail in regular checks, regular rotation would save you and you would be able to detect when it starts getting spoiled.
Keep Fruits Away
You shouldn’t keep your bananas, apples, and avocados in the same place as your broccoli if you want it to stay fresh for long.
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These fruits produce ethylene, which causes fruits and vegetables to ripen and spoil your vegetables prematurely. This ruins all your efforts at preserving them. So, ensure you keep your fruits away for the safety of your vegetables.
Avoid Cross Contamination
Fruits that produce ethylene are not the only things that are unsafe for your broccoli. Raw meats and seafood would also do your vegetable harm.
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It’s a food hygiene practice where you separate your raw foods from your vegetables because the raw food can transfer bacteria to your broccoli. When that happens, it would only cause contamination, which would kill your vegetable or make it an unhealthy food choice.
