Quick guide to produce storage

A few months ago, First for Women, a magazine generally available at the grocery check out counter, did an article that summarizes their best produce storage advice. The article was well research and very succinct. Take a look.

Storing leafy greens

On the subject of bags, we are often asked the very good questions about bagging produce for maximum life. There are about as many rules as there are produce varieties, but there are a few constants. The plastic bags that are available in the produce section are intended for transport only. They are not designed for storage. Having said that, they can be used to store leafy greens if the tops are left open and/or a few holes are put in them. One of the major factors in produce aging is humidity. The grocer supplied bags can help hold the humidity close to the surface of the leafy greens. The problem is that these bags do not allow produce to breath. Of course, produce is alive and requires oxygen to stay alive. Stored in closed plastic bags, produce will suffocate.

If the grocer supplied bags allow enough air passage to prevent suffocation, they can help keep the humidity near the leaves, dessication problems can be limited, and if there is ethylene protection you have gone a long way to maximizing the life, nutrition, taste and texture of your leafy greens

Green bags

We have been receiving a lot of inquiries recently about the green bag. At home, we use, like and recommend them. The green bag was part of the evolution that lead to the E.G.G. We had used the green bag for some time before we understood the need for the E.G.G., too.

The green bag has a small amount of ethylene absorbing capacity and it is laser micro-perforated. The ethylene absorption function is intended to absorb any ethylene that is given off by the contents of the bag. Virtually any produce will give off some ethylene when is is cut, bruised or damaged. When that happens in an enclosed environment, like a bag, this ethylene can do a lot of damage. The green bag absorbs enough of the ethylene to prevent that. Furthermore, the ethylene that is absorbed is bound by a loose ionic attraction. The ethylene is easily released from that bond with exposure to water. So, the ethylene is washed off the zeolite when you wash the bag – allowing the bag to be reused.

The limitation of the green bag is its small ethylene absorption capacity. If the produce put in the bag is a natural ethylene generator, (think apples, pears, peaches, etc. etc.) or if there is one elsewhere in the refrigerator, that capacity is quickly overwhelmed. Since we store a variety of produce in our refrigerator we found that we needed more ethylene absorption capacity to maximize our produce life.

We use the green bag to store our greens. In our climate, the problem with maximizing the life of greens is the humidity. Our greens wilt and dessicate if not stored in a bag. The laser micro-perforations in the green bag’s film allows the bag to hold the humidity close to the surface of the produce, but let enough moisture out to prevent a condensing atmosphere from forming. Water droplets on the produce provides sites for microbial growth. The green bag works very well for our greens.

Use the green bags for your greens, but do not neglect the problem caused by the ethylene generating produce. If you had to choose between one or the other, you would save more money by using the E.G.G. alone.

Use the E.G.G. for counter top produce storage, too.

Although the E.G.G. was designed for use in the refrigerator, it should be included in your counter top storage, too. Among the varieties of produce that should not be refrigerated, several are also ethylene sensitive. Since the ethylene generated by the ripening produce is not trapped on the counter top, the way it is in the refrigerator, the concentration never builds as high on the counter top. Although the results are less dramatic than the forced ripening seen in your refrigerator, your counter top produce will look and taste better longer if there is an egg from the E.G.G. in with them.

To see if you are storing your produce at the right temperature, check the advice from U.C. Davis. http://4theegg.com/FVstorage.pdf

Using the eggs (From the EGG)

We are occasionally asked by customers if they can save money by using just one egg at a time. The answer is no. The E.G.G. was designed to be used as a pair. One of the keys to the superior performance of the E.G.G. is that we keep the ethylene absorber as close to the source of the ethylene as possible. If one of the of the bins does not have absorber present, the ethylene can build up enough to trigger the ethylene response by the produce in the bin, before it can be circulated out of the bin. Remember that ethylene is effective at VERY LOW concentrations. I have seen studies that suggest that the ethylene effect can be seen at ethylene levels as low as 20 parts per billion (detection limit). Basically, there is no “threshold” below which ethylene is not a challenge to the health of your produce. Also, part of the ethylene response that produce begins on exposure is to generate more ethylene. Of course, the purpose of that is to speed the spread of the “message”. It is that false message the E.G.G. is designed to cut short.

Use both eggs in your refrigerator for the maximum savings of your produce.

Web site security

We have had the occasional customer who has expressed concern about the security of our website. Of course, the website itself is not “secure”. But, the order page is. The reason that the “https:” and the secure symbol does not show show “secure” is that the order page is framed with photos of the product offerings. If you prefer to place your order with the visible indications of “secure” you can do so by clicking on this link – https://customer.allwest.net/4theegg/cart/order.jsp. Of course, you will not see the product you are ordering.

To blog or not to blog

Marketing tells me that it would be a good idea to add a web log to our web site. A blog would provide an opportunity to answer common questions from customers and receive feedback from them, they reason. Betsy, my wife, is not so sure.  She claims that I have an innate capacity to make the simplest question complex beyond comprehension. So, we will see how it goes.

The E.G.G. requires an understanding of the ethylene phenomenon to maximize the benefits of its use. The role of ethylene as a plant hormone is fascinating and its impact on how we store produce is critical. The point of this blog is to help you maximize the useful life of your produce.