We have all faced this at one point of time or another. We bought a bunch of leafy veggies like spinach or herbs like coriander and they got spoilt before we could use them all.
In the last 10 years that I have been buying veggies and cooking for myself, this has probably been one of my biggest hurdles in reducing food waste. Because I am too bad at sticking to planned meals. I have the best intentions when buying said leafy things, but sometimes work and other things come in the way and they dont get used quickly. Leading to wastage. I guess another reason is also the time it takes to prep these things. Washing them, picking leaves, making sure they are chopped according to use etc. And when I only have 30 min to prepare my meal then often I will pick the items that have the least amount of prep. I am lazy.
But I love learning and researching ways to do things that I am finding difficult. And the internet is a huge resource. What I was unable to learn from my “village” as a result of living in a nuclear family, the Internet “village”of amazing people teach me.
Here are the diffrent ways I have learnt that help me keep enjoying the leafy veggies and help reduce wastage to almost nil.
1 – Freezer. The freezer is a great option at storing food for longer times. We all know that. There are some limitations, but in a lot of cases, its a great option. When I buy green leafy things, I make sure I have a bit of time afterwards to “process” them. I will wash them all and drain them well. Then chop them according to what I am planning to make and then store them in the reusable silicone bags and store them in the freezer. When stored like this, and then thawed for use, the leaves will ofcourse not look like fresh. They will look wet and wilted. But depends on the use, it is fine. For example if I am planning to use the spinach for making Palak Paneer ( a dish where the spinach is pureed) or for making dal palak, its completely fine. In fact, I tend to use store bought frozen spinach for this just as easily. I can even store coriander leaves like this and use them in sauces and for mixing with curries. I store fresh thyme, rosemary, sage like this just as easily and I do not see a difference in flavour or texture when they are being used mixed into a dish. I have used frozen Kale for smoothies without any issues.
2 – Fridge. Theres a few different ways to save things in the fridge to ensure the best results. Most often, we just buy from the shops and chuck them in the fridge. And use as we need. A lot of things fare fine like this and if used within a few days its fine. But leafy veggies tend to wilt and dry in a few days when left like this. I have noticed that washing and drying before storing is the way to go. BUT, it needs to be really dry.
I tend to pick them and wash them. Then dry them in a spinner or colander as much as possible. I learnt another trick from a genius lady from another vlog. I wish I could remember the name to give credit. She showed how to dry the wet leafy veggies very well without crunching them up. Using a Top Loader washing machine. Just wrap the washed leafy veggies loosely in 2-3 layers of towels and then place in the bottom of the washing machine drum. Ensuring that the weights are balanced around teh drum for best results. Then run a spin cycle. I have tried this. And yes, the leaves come out prefect and perfect dry. Then these can be stored in a container in the fridge for quite many days. I have seen my leafy vegges last upto 3 weeks in the fridge like this. I have not tried more than that.
For things like coriander leaves, I have found another method that works. Make sure the bunch is as dry as can be (unwashed) and just wrap in a paper towel and store in a airtight container. I have successfully kept coriander leaves fresh for more than 4 weeks in this way. I do need to change the paper towel wrapping every few days when I notice its excessively damp.
These are the ways I have learnt to store fresh leafy veggies so far. Do you have tips on storing these that you have been using and that work well? Share with us. I am always looking to learn.