Thursday, September 2, 2010

Vegitating


I'm a meat-lover, but I can eat my share of greens as well. Just recently, I happily noted the abundance of vegetables in my refrigerator. Here in the Philippines, we have a nursery rhyme about a little house with all kinds of vegetables in its garden. I felt I'm living in one when I saw the variety of vegetables I have. I temporarily took them out from the ref for a short photo opp. How lovely they look, I think, not to mention the vitamins and nutrients they have. My vegetable spread includes the following:
1. Spinach ( the leafy one at the leftmost side of the photo)
2. Baguio beans (still in its plastic bag)
3. Zucchini (partly hidden under the spinach)
4. Carrots
5. Eggplants
6. Cauliflower (with a barcode still on)
7. Leeks
8. Pechay Baguio (to the right of the cauliflower)
9. Sweet potato or camote
10. Singkamas (turnips or jicama)
11. Squash
12. Cucumbers
13. Yellow onion
14. Red onion
15. Tomato
16. Green bell pepper
17. Green lime
18. Long green chilis
19. Garlic
20. Celery
21. Potatoes
22. Black olives

Part of the stack is a bag of peanuts, but I'm not sure if it counts as vegetable. These items either played the lead or supporting role in the dishes I cooked later in the week. Because vegetables don't keep long, I feel pressured to cook them right away. I think keeping them in their plastic wrappers and moistening the tips of some help them stay fresh longer. Any effective tip on how to preserve vegetables in the ref longer?