Category: Techniques

Longer Lasting Strawberries

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Who loves Strawberries?

I do!

The biggest concern I have when I buy lots of them is using them before they spoil. They spoil fast.

Here are a few tips for making them last longer:

Farmer’s markets are the best. Especially during the strawberry season which is from Spring and Summer.

When bringing these beauties home from the store or market, get a bowl and add 1 part of vinegar to 3 parts of water. Remove any dirt or mud and mold spores from the strawberry and drop them in the solution. A few minutes won’t even change the taste. Also, unlike other fruits, strawberries do not continue to mature after they have been picked.

 

Swirl them in the vinegar wash to wash them. After a quick soak, let them dry before putting them away.

 

Another idea is to line a salad spinner with paper towels and give them a spin.

 

Store strawberries that are dry on a paper toweled lined container that prevents trapping moisture.

 

These steps will slow the aging process and reduce fast spoilage.

Lastly, if you are freezing strawberries, hull them. Next slice them into the shape you want then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop them into the freezer. After they are frozen (1-4 hours) place them in freezer bags or freezer-safe storage containers.

Enjoy your wonderful strawberries!

Please comment about your favorite way of using strawberries are. Share with the Chefsville community.

 

 

Pickled Red Onions

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A most helpful condiment

When I go to help a restaurant that may be re-branding itself, one of the easiest things to do is help them change their condiments.

This is one of the most versatile condiments as it goes with so many cuisines like Mexican, Chinese, Korean, American, Greek, and Indian foods.

Photo by Nigel Cohen on Unsplash.com

Chefsville will be filming a video on how easy it is to make this. Making pickles in the kitchen with kids is a great way of teaching them about preserving foods. Preserving foods has a rich history. There is a difference between just preserving food and fermenting foods.

My research found by far the best information and how-to article is Best Article Ever on Pickled Red Onions. We wanted to share it with you. This is the starting point for making great pickles. change the recipe and make it your own based on your personal preferences and where you live. Please tell us what you use pickled red onions on.

Also fermenting foods. Fermented foods are gut-healthy foods for humans. The fermentation process allows for microbial growth conversation of food components through enzymatic actions.

Examples of fermented foods include sauerkraut (German), miso (Japan), kimchi (Korea), kefir(North Caucasus between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea), and kombucha(China). There are many more.

Fermentation allows for potential probiotic health benefits since the fermentation process is derived from the production of bioactive peptides and other naturally occurring processes that benefit our gastrointestinal health.

Please excuse me while I go and make a batch of this using agave nectar as a sweetener for my family. Don’t forget to comment below on your favorite use of pickled red onions.