"Fresh" veggies in the fridge?

[Storm Bride]

This has been niggling at me. I'm not very organized with my produce. I have a tendency to buy things I like, planning to eat them that day or the next, and then they sit. I throw out too much, but that's not what I've been pondering.

I read over and over and over again about how much nutritional value is lost over time. So, if I buy, say, kale (one of the ones I'm bad with) on Sunday, planning to make it for lunch on Monday, then I don't actually eat it until Thursday or Friday, how much nutritional punch does it still have? I never used to think about this very much, but I'm going through a really bad spell, in terms of stuff sitting in the fridge, so it's bugging me a bit.

Some articles and such make it sound as though I might as well not even eat it after a few days.

[cristeen]

Are you buying from the farmers market or the grocery store? The grocery store produce is anywhere from 2-10 days old by the time you get it.

Regardless though, eating old veg is more nutritious than eating none. We get produce once a week, and eat it when we get around to it. Its not something i really worry about.

[Smokering]

Hmm. I wouldn't stress about it, unless you feel able and willing to make a super-organised meal plan utilizing the most nutrient-fragile veggies early in the week. Or unless you want to go veggie shopping every day or two... but even then, there's no guarantee the carrots you buy aren't a week or two old already.

I grow the occasional veggie in my garden, and usually try to harvest them as needed rather than just pulling up all the carrots at once. But for storebought produce, I don't pay that much attention. If we eat them before they wilt or go rotten, I figure my job is done.

[ollyoxenfree]

This is one of those things that I figure I can balance the optimal with the pragmatic.

Optimally, I will cook and eat the freshest possible food - straight out of the field and onto my table, barely detouring through the kitchen on its way.

Pragmatically, that won't happen. The field-to-table trip is going to take longer. Since I don't grow my own, I have to shop. It just isn't realistic to shop a farmer's market everyday, even though it is actually possible in my city.

I accept that the veggies will lose some nutrient density and probably some flavour too. I still think they are better than tinned or frozen. I don't like the flavour or texture of most tinned veg. Frozen is only a little better.

I also figure that my family is still eating better in some ways than our ancestors. They spent very long winters with few fresh vegetables. They ate root vegetables that were MONTHS old or canned preserves that may even have been around for a year or two. We eat a wider variety of fresher vegetables and that has to count for something.

[velochic]

Unless you are freshly picking it yourself, by the time you are eating it, the difference is practically nothing between eating 10-day old veg and 12-day or 15-day old veg. This is one reason we like to buy non-root vegetables frozen. They are fresher than fresh, actually. Root vegetables retain their nutrients better, though.

[plantnerd]

I shop and menu plan for two weeks, so a good bit of our veg have been sitting around for a bit. I agree with the pp in that any veg is good, especially when you compare it to the typical SAD.
I do use a lot of frozen veg these days- economical, store forever, and very good flavor and nutrition.

[Storm Bride]

Thanks, all. This is really my feeling most of the time. It's just been one of those situations where I read too many things talking about how your food loses all its nutrients in too short a time, yk?

I mean...I eat kale that's been sitting in the fridge for a few days (and I have some I plan to eat for lunch today). It won't be crisp, anymore, but it will still be green and probably fairly firm.

I just hate all the negativity about food. I think it's important to get good information out there, but when I'm eating lots of veggies (not all organic, but some...and a fair bit of local produce, too, so it hasn't travelled as far) and still being told they're virtually worthless, it's kind of discouraging.

I do shop at the grocery store. There are some farmer's markets around here, but they're only on the weekends, and I really don't get to them that often (they're several miles away, whereas I have two grocery stores within a mile of the house). Both stores stock at least some local produce, which helps.


I'm not eating enough veggies at dinner (we have a big salad almost every night, and sometimes veggie sticks, but rarely anything else). I'm going to start buying fozen again. That way, even if nobody else will eat them, I can dish up a small serving of brussel sprouts or spinach.