Floppy veg from allotment

[johninblackpool]

Hi Folks

Last year i got my first allotment and i am anjoying all the hard work and effort i am putting into it

My Problem is all the veg i bring home although being very fresh, within a few of hours go very floppy, My lettuce goes all limp and feels like soggy paper, My carrots can almost be bent double, The likes of Caulie and Broccoli go all rubbery

Is there something i am doing wrong...I have tried keeping them in the fridge and also just in the veg basket at the side of the fridge but it all ends up the same after a few hours

Is there something I can do to stop this......The stuff you get from the shops always seems to stay fresher for alot longer

Any tips or Ideas would be greatly received

[Aberdeenplotter]

The stuff you buy from the supermarkets may well stay crisp longer but what are you swallowing with it? Take the tops off your carrots when you lift them and they should stay firm. Take the roots off your caulies and broccoli. Lettuce is problematic but is best harvested as close to use as possible. If you need to harvest earlier, keep the root on and stick in a vase till needed. In fact, everything is best harvested as close to use as possible.

[Suky]

Also try the stay fresh bags from Lakeland Plastics. Can be used several times over and really do keep veg crisper for longer.

[Shadylane]

Pick it when you need it. I read on the love food hate waste site that calabrese/broccoli will crisp up if you soak it in water. As for lettuce treat yourself to a salad spinner. (look on Amazon) You can use it to dry your lettuce then store it in the tub. It keeps for ages. Well nearly a week I think - pretty much until we run out from a bowl crammed full.

[Ananke]

I was having the same problem with my lettuce a couple of years ago then I watched a Jamie Oliver show and he said to refresh it in cold water and use a salad spinner........... works a treat for me.

[johninblackpool]

Thanks Everyone

We Always remove roots at the allotment and leave them in the ground to rot down

Aberdeenplotter... Do you mean remove the leaves from the carrots or litterally chop the top off..

Will definately try the Stayfresh Bags and i will keep my eye open for a salad spinner

Thanks again

[Snadger]

Carrots eaten within an hour of being pulled taste much better.......... like proper carrots. Thats the beauty of GYO...............you can eat stuff really fresh.

You have to get into the mindset of "Do I want fresh, tasty produce?" or " Do I want stale, tasteless produce from the supermarket, which APPEARS to be fresh?"

[arpoet]

If you harvest at the hot part of the day you need to get rid of the field heat as quickly as pos.
I pick very early in the morning (its almost 7-30 now and i am back from the lottie with peas and tatties and a lettuce that are now in the fridge.

There was a TV prog where the talked to farmers growing beans in romote areas of kenya, (many miles from the nearest raods) and they picked the beans and put them into a building with charcoal in the cavity.. The charcoal was then sprayed with water and this drew the heat out of the inner space and so the veg was cooled. It then had to go on a tractor for a long drive to meet the refridgerated lorry at the nearest road.
Roger

[Two_Sheds]

The others' advice is all good, so I'll just add what I do :

~ pick as late as you can (I do all my jobs then pick the veg last thing, early evening)
~ lettuce can sit in a glass of water (roots on) for several days and keep good as new
~ otherwise, soak torn up lettuce in water for 10 mins, salad spin, then keep in a bag in the fridge
~ I get condensation inside the bags, so turn them inside out every day after I've taken what I need

Soft, floppy, rubbery veg? I'm wondering if you overwater them, they get too soft so when you pick, it's all a big shock to them and they wilt. I've never had the floppiness, but then I don't water much either: the veg grows stronger

[chris]

Lettuce can also be wrapped in either a damp, or dry tea towel, in the fridge.

That helps it keep surprisingly long - we've had fine lettuce for two weeks doing this. Tip I got from our veg box delivery peeps.

[taff]

twist the leaves off the carrots, or snap at the neck. leave the root on the lettuce, take it back to the compost heap to rot after you've used the leaves. Cauli and broccoli, leave a bit of root stump on them too, and stick them in the fridge.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Aberdeenplotter... Do you mean remove the leaves from the carrots or litterally chop the top off..

Just the foliage. That stops the transpiration process

[chris]

I also found that carrots in ziplock bags kept longer in the fridge too, thinking about it.

[jackie j]

When I get home with my lettuce I wash immediately and then spin in a sald spinner ( get one not very expensive ) then put into a bag, lasts for days in the fridge.

[Dane End Dolly]

When I get home with my lettuce I wash immediately and then spin in a sald spinner ( get one not very expensive ) then put into a bag, lasts for days in the fridge.

I do exactly the same and pick enough lettuce to last a week of work lunches. it can be time consuming to process your crop when you come back from the allotment tired. but it is worth it as you do not want all of your hard work gone to waste by not sorting it out staight away.