Tips for preserving some essential fruits and vegetables

To store lotus seeds, you should remove the shell and core (do not wash), then divide each portion into enough portions to eat at a time into plastic boxes or nylon bags and store in the freezer.

1. Lotus seeds

If preserved properly, lotus seeds can last for 4-5 months. Photo: zaodich.

Fresh lotus seeds are only available in late summer and early fall. To store lotus seeds for processing in other seasons of the year, you must preserve them carefully to avoid damage and loss of nutrients. You can preserve lotus seeds in the following ways:

Method 1:

After buying lotus seeds, peel off the lotus seed shell to get the core (absolutely do not wash), use a toothpick to take out the lotus heart. It is better to buy lotus seeds that still have the outer shell to avoid being soaked in water. Then dry the lotus seeds in the sun 3-5 times until completely dry, then put them in a clean, dry jar with a tight lid for later use. During use, occasionally take the lotus seeds out to dry to avoid mold. Note that if you cannot dry them in the sun, you can dry the lotus seeds, which is both quick and convenient. Then store them in a dry jar for later use.

Method 2:

You buy fresh lotus seeds, peel off the shell, remove the core (do not wash), then divide each portion into each plastic box or nylon bag and store in the freezer. Each time you want to eat, take out the amount of lotus seeds needed, rinse with water many times to remove the cold so that when cooked, the lotus seeds will be soft and crumbly without being hard. By doing this, you can preserve lotus seeds for 4-5 months.

2. Crocodile

Star fruit is probably a favorite fruit of many housewives because it can be used to make many delicious dishes, soaked in sugar to make soft drinks or made into dried fruit... However, the star fruit season only lasts 3 months each year, so choosing and preserving star fruit all year round is always a matter of concern.

To store star fruit to eat all year round, you need to store star fruit in the freezer and also need to pay attention to some small tips such as scraping the star fruit skin (do not peel), washing it, and letting it dry completely to shrink the face of the star fruit. Many people often just cut the star fruit stem to let all the sap flow out, drain it, and put it in the freezer. This method is also fine, however, if the star fruit is not peeled, when put directly into the soup, it will have an astringent taste of the skin. Moreover, the star fruit is still fresh, scraping (or peeling) the skin is very easy. If you put it in the freezer and then defrost it before scraping the skin, the star fruit will be soft, very difficult to do. You should not put all the star fruit in one bag and put it in the refrigerator, because if you put the whole big bag, each time you open the bag to eat the star fruit, a large amount of moisture will enter the bag, the star fruit will stick together, and it will be difficult to take each fruit out the next time. Therefore, you should divide the star fruit into many small bags, with this method, it will be much easier for you to take out the star fruit. With ripe star fruit, the fruit will no longer have sap, so you do not need to cut the stem or peel, just wash it, drain it, and then preserve it like green star fruit.

3. Potatoes

For potatoes, when buying, you should choose firm, smooth tubers with a few "eyes". Do not choose tubers with green spots because they will be bitter and can be poisonous if eaten in large quantities. After buying the potatoes you like, you should not store them in plastic boxes but in paper bags. If kept in a cool, dark place, potatoes can stay fresh for at least 2 weeks. Unlike other common vegetables and fruits that are stored in the refrigerator, potatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator because it can change the taste and deliciousness. In addition, potatoes should only be peeled right before cooking. This nutritious tuber can be processed into many dishes, in many ways such as frying, making soup, mashed porridge, steaming, boiling, stir-frying...

4. Onions, garlic

Garlic should not be kept in the refrigerator because this will cause the garlic to lose its health-beneficial nutrients. Photo: resource.

Onions and garlic are common spices used daily by most families. However, not everyone is proficient in choosing and preserving onions and garlic.

For fresh green onions with leaves, buy as much or as little as you like, cut off the roots, wash and drain. Chop finely (like for stir-frying or cooking). Put in a plastic bag or plastic box and put in the freezer. When cooking, take out just enough onions from the bag and put them in the pot, the rest continue to store in the freezer.

Buying good garlic is also a way for you to preserve it for a long time. When buying, you need to choose bulbs that are firm, intact and free of worms. The outer shell must be intact and white, the garlic cloves must be even, not too dry, not wrinkled. Avoid buying garlic bulbs with gray or yellow cloves, bruised, or watery because they will not have a fragrant smell and will not last long. Garlic should be kept in a dry and airy kitchen, this will help the garlic not be bitter and still retain its characteristic flavor. A cool place is also a condition for bacteria to not have a place to live and spoil the garlic. Garlic should not be kept in a humid or too hot place, it will cause the garlic to sprout quickly and quickly spoil the garlic. It should also be noted that garlic should not be kept in the refrigerator because this will cause the garlic to lose the nutrients that are beneficial to health.

5. Lemon, chili

To keep lemons fresh for a week, before storing them, wash the outer skin thoroughly, drain, put them in a plastic bag, tie it tightly, and then put them in the refrigerator. If you do not tie the bag tightly or leave the lemons in the refrigerator, they will quickly wilt.

For chili, according to the experience of many housewives, you can use a knife to cut the chili to remove the seeds, soak it in boiled water to warm it up, then dry it. When eating, just soak it in warm water again and the chili will be as fresh as before. In addition, there is another way to preserve chili for a long time, which is to put it in the freezer of the refrigerator. Buy chili, remove all the stems, wash it, then put it in a sealed box and put it in the freezer. When eating, just take it out, wash it again and the chili will be soft again. According to the experience of some people, this method can be kept for a long time without spoiling the chili.

According to Ngoisao.net