How do you look after vegetables?

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Ok... don't even go there.

I was just wondering how you all look after you're vegies when you're out and about on a long trip? :)

[ladas]

I put them in a 'foodsaver bag' and pull a vacuum on them before heat sealing the bag.

This seems to extend the life of most veggies. I also go for 'harder or more solid / denserveg' (carrots, potatoes, etc.,)

For softer veg like cauliflour, brocoli, cabbage, I blanche (pop into boiling water for 5 mins), chill with ice water then vac and seal

[p38arover]

For softer veg like cauliflour, brocoli, cabbage, I blanche (pop into boiling water for 5 mins), chill with ice water then vac and seal

With broccoli and brussel sprouts, I cook them first. Then after they have cooled I throw them in the bin 'cos no one in theiir right mind would eat either of them.

Which reminds me of a mate's wife. She'd regularly buy bulk quantities of brussel sprouts to save money - to which her husband responded "Why, we don't eat them - we hate them!"

Ron

[Bushie]

With broccoli and brussel sprouts, I cook them first. Then after they have cooled I throw them in the bin 'cos no one in theiir right mind would eat either of them.

Ron
Geez, Ron you had me worried when I first started reading that. I didn't think anyone ate brussel sprouts. :eek2:



Martyn

[BMKal]

With broccoli and brussel sprouts, I cook them first. Then after they have cooled I throw them in the bin 'cos no one in theiir right mind would eat either of them.

Ron

Couldn't agree more Ron. Reminds me of the recipe for cooking / eating a certain well known bird (which it is just a little illegal to take from the wild).

Pluck and clean said bird and place in a large container of boiling water with a housebrick.

When housebrick becomes soft, discard the bird and eat the brick.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

Couldn't agree more Ron. Reminds me of the recipe for cooking / eating a certain well known bird (which it is just a little illegal to take from the wild).

Pluck and clean said bird and place in a large container of boiling water with a housebrick.

When housebrick becomes soft, discard the bird and eat the brick.



ive heard of almost the same method for the same bird........
but this method said to use a rock instead of a brick.........

maybe this is for medium rare......?

[p38arover]

I'm sure only women like broccoli and brussel sprouts. It must be in their genetic makeup. :)

Ron

[numpty]

I love broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage,;) but I can't stand brussell sprouts. How anyone can say they taste like cabbage gets me.

[EchiDna]

I'm sure only women like broccoli and brussel sprouts. It must be in their genetic makeup. :)

Ron

more or less correct! It's actually due to biochemical receptors that genetically some of us have and others don't.... a bit like attached/detached earlobes or eye/hair/skin colour.

We did a test during Uni days to show this - a piece of paper soaked in a sugary solution of a certain chemical (I forget what!)... 80+% of the group could taste it (it was vile!), but a few couldn't and could not understand the fuss over a piece of sugary paper... guess what - it was the same flavanoid found in brussel sprouts!

[dobbo]

I'm sure only women like broccoli and brussel sprouts. It must be in their genetic makeup. :)

Ron



I love them both yet my wife hates them, mind you sometimes I'm as likable as Brussel sprouts. :D

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Well you guys are sprouting on well :p :D

Any ideas as to how to look after the vegies?:)

[weeds]

i found this, not much help

http://www.exploroz.com/OntheRoad/Camping/FoodAndWater.aspx

[jessie_xa]

when you're out and about on a long trip?

Same as everyone else potatos carrots pumpin, and any other hard veg, while passing through towns buy up on the other vegies but only for a few days eg two to three meals.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

i found this, not much help

http://www.exploroz.com/OntheRoad/Camping/FoodAndWater.aspx
Top tip Weeds!

[cartm58]

most people dislike their veggies as they have been inappropriately cooked and the usual crime is boiling the guts out of them, brocchli and brussel sprouts when cooked properly are lovely to eat.

Mothers teach their daughters to cook these veggies for at least 30 mins they should be cooked for less than 6 mins in rapidly boiling water

A quickly prepared sauce would be lemon squeezed into melted butter with dash of garlic and black pepper

[ciapek]

Well there were some top tips above, but we do things a little different.

1. Vacuum seal fresh Hardy vegetables. ie Carrots/Pumpkin
2. Hot water Braise and then Vacuum seal your Broccoli/Cauliflower types.
3. Easily perishable veggies we use the Dehydrator, then Vacuum seal.

Same applies to meats/smallgoods and pre made soups/stews.....

[cartm58]

Most trips of any duration requiring crossing state borders l have always avoid buying any fruit and veg as you have to dump them at the border for fruit fly or vine disease control or some such agriculture measure.

Buy dehrydrated vegs in commercial packs and dried fruit

Buy fresh once in the state lm going to stay longest time in

Always carry range of tinned veggies jsut in case and make stews curries out of them

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Wow growing your veges is pretty impressive :)

[numpty]

most people dislike their veggies as they have been inappropriately cooked and the usual crime is boiling the guts out of them, brocchli and brussel sprouts when cooked properly are lovely to eat.

Mothers teach their daughters to cook these veggies for at least 30 mins they should be cooked for less than 6 mins in rapidly boiling water

A quickly prepared sauce would be lemon squeezed into melted butter with dash of garlic and black pepper

Believe me, we know how to cook vegies. It's just that brussel sprouts taste s**thouse.:p

[D110V8D]

Steam your vegies......never boil them. ;)

I have no tip for storing vegies long term other than leave them uncovered in a cardboard box or similar. Let them breath, not sweat in plastic bags.:)

[Bush65]

I love most vegetables except broad beans.

Green vegies like brussel sprouts and silver beet contain a fair amount of chlorophyll (which btw is chemically very similar to our blood and good for us).

The trouble with over cooking and boiling (large bubbles in boiling water are superheated) is the cells with chlorophyll break down, resulting in the bad taste and colour changing to more olive green. Steaming is better, but not for too long.

With spinach or silver beet, wash well, shake off excess water and put in a pan (with the lid on) over moderate heat, shaking frequently so it does not stick to sides and burn. It will steam with only the water left on the leaves. Only cook until it wilts. Squeeze out excess water then into a pan with a little butter and nutmeg, or better still with hazel nuts (or perhaps macadamia nuts). ;)

Sorry not much help with keeping vegies.

There is a small book called Sailing the Farm. It has good ideas for cruising sailors, some of which would be useful for us. One I remember is about growing sprouts (not the brussels variety). And I seem to remember the tip for bananas was to dip the bunch in sea water, then they are supposed to keep much longer (don't know if keeping on the bunch helps or not).

[Chenz]

We have never had much luck with the veg on trips. Unless you can fridge them ( and our fridge freezes them which is about as useless as not putting them in the fridge).

Chenz did well on our last trip, coz he had a styrofoam box with his veg in and a few freezer blocks which he kept frozen in his fridge which was basically running as a freezer

We found even in hot weather potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato and onions last really well ( like 4 - 6 weeks) just packed loose in a cardboard box.

Substitute dehydrated peas and peas/carrots mix for some greenery on a long trip.

If you have the ability....a couple we met recently in an ultimate camper had a couple of those plastic windowboxes with lettuces growing in them. Got them out in the sun each day and they travelled in the camper when on the move. Nice idea but not much good for the way we travel.

Depending on how long you go for and how much room you have, if you use two polystyrene boxes and split your veggies into the two boxes, you can put freezer bloks into one and then seal it with duct tape etc and then do as Numpty's Missus said we did with the other one, the sealed one will keep them OK for over a week.

Just need to make sure that things like lettuce and leafy veggies are not directly on the freezer blocks.

[crump]

I normally live on salads when I travel so I dont have to cook as much and find that the resealable bags in the fridge keep most things fresh.With lettuce I portion the leaves in bags rather then trying to stow the entire thing.Tomatoes, use cherrys, they keep for ever.Lebanese cucumbers, the same.The most important thing is to stop them jumping around and getting beaten to a pulp. I place them in resealable bags and then into tupperware containers and have no probs.

[nornalup]

Dry veg like potatoe and punpkin will last ages in a cardboard box.

Green leafs, including herbs, should be in sealed containers, with absorbent cooking paper in with them to stop moisture causing rot. I find plastice results in too much bruising. Refrigeration will wilt uncovered green leaves as it is dry air.

Stuff like tomatoes and cucumbers do better out of the fridge if stored well. Refrigerated tomatoes tend to bleed real bad when cut, same with cucumber.

If you have the room I reckon a few styrofoam boxes. If you have an engel/wayco keep rotating ice packs into the boxes. This creates more cold space that cramming it all into the fridge and is a better temp than what you need for a ice cold beer.

[1103.9TDI]

We start with salads (lettuce in a container, tomato, cucumber, avo's, etc) for two days, then salsas, then go to veges like cellery, carrot, cabbage, corn. Once these get too long in the tooth, it's pumkin, potato, onion, whatever else has lasted.
You have to be careful packing some fruit with vege's, as they give off gas that will prematurely ripen others, eg: bananas and avo's, keep them separate in styrofoam trays, if possible with freezer packs.
As to how long everything lasts depends on the outside air temps at the time, so these ideas are ours in FNQ, you guys further south should be able to make this stuff last longer.
If you're going to get down to cans for a week or more, I always take a vitamin suppliment along, especially for the kids.
I agree with Bush65 and cartm58, brussell sprouts a very nutricious, last a fair while, and taste bloody great if cooked properly, though, I admit, are not the nicest tucker in the worldfor kids;) .

[Blknight.aus]

I look after vegetables the same way as i look after the car...

lower the wheelchairs tyre pressures to give a better footprint and pay more attention to the wheel bearing temperatures....

[neil-d1]

sprouts ain't called satan's balls for nothing you know:twisted:

[d@rk51d3]

I love broccoli, brussell sprouts and cabbage, but cauliflower...... you can shove it.:D

[maca]

If ya can't buy it in a tin, it aint worth buying. Potatoes are the one exception as they come in packets instead of tins.

Other than the above smart asre statement, no useful advice to offer other than wack em in the engel but remember to leave room for the important items: Beer, Scotch and Steak.

[Xavie]

sprouts ain't called satan's balls for nothing you know:twisted:

I knew there was a reason I liked them so much.

Blanched and then with a bit of bacon fried up are so damn good. mmmm...... I'm hungry now.

[Ricey]

I knew there was a reason I liked them so much.

Blanched and then with a bit of bacon fried up are so damn good. mmmm...... I'm hungry now.

Haha Xavie, that sounds really good & the devil doesn't seem so scary now with little green orbs!

Bush65 is on the money - just the way to do silverbeet/spinach, yum

[wingingpommybstard]

Ok... don't even go there.

I was just wondering how you all look after you're vegies when you're out and about on a long trip? :)

you start by comforting them ad telling them that their jap 4x4 is really a good car and that honistly we take them seriously:D

[waynep]

We only have luck with root vege like spuds if they're kept in a coolest darkest possible part of the car and given plenty of "air" - keep them out of plastic bags and in paper bags or carboard. Soon as you're at camp move them out of the car.

I like Brussel Sprouts as much as any other green vege - but they have to be very fresh and steamed till just soft. They have quite a sweet flavour if bought fresh and cooked properly. Try a squeeze of lemon over them.

You want a foul green vege try okra. It's popular in some Asian diets you occasionally see it at the markets.