Most households will have vegetables stored away in their fridge, but when it comes to carrots, keeping them fresh is a challenge.
If you buy your carrots in a bag instead of loose ones, you’ll know they don’t last long before it’s time to bin them – and unless you’re eating them at every meal, finishing the whole bag is tough.
However, experts say there’s a better way to store your carrots that ensures they’ll stay good for up to six months without getting mouldy or rubbery.
Nancy Birtwhistle, an expert gardener and baker who won the Great British Bake Off, found this storage tip after her husband bought two bags of carrots during a sale, as she didn’t want to waste food.
In her book, The Green Gardening Handbook, she wrote: “I knew that if I left these carrots in their plastic bags within a few days the whole lot would be soggy and would end up being tossed into my compost bin.”
Nancy tried a cool experiment with her food, keeping one carrot for six months to see how fresh it would stay, reported the Mirror.
She said: “My carrot experiment went on for six months – can you believe it? At the end of this time, I decided to peel and chop the carrot even though by this time I had gotten quite attached to her.
“The carrot was still moist, had no blemishes once peeled, was firm and a perfect colour, and had the same taste and texture as any other carrot.”
So how did Nancy keep her carrot so fresh? Well, she took them out of their plastic bags and didn’t wash them until she was ready to eat them.
She explained: “I go for unwashed carrots as I find they keep well in a cool garage for several weeks whereas washed supermarket carrots sold in plastic bags last just a matter of days, going soggy, mouldy and sprouting if not looked after.”
Carrots don’t like too much wetness and need just the right amount of dampness to stay good. If you put them straight in the fridge, it’s often too dry.
So, there’s a trick – wrap them up in a clean cotton cloth like a tea towel or handkerchief before you store them.
Nancy explained: “Take a clean cloth, dampen it with cold water, then lay it out onto a work surface portrait style. Starting from the top, lay two carrots or other veggies side by side and fold over the tops and sides.
“Continue with additional carrots, tucking under the side flaps then rolling the cloth into a huge sausage.” You can pop the wrapped-up carrots in the fridge, and they can stay fresh for up to six months.
Plus, this cool tip works for other veggies too. Just remember not to mix different types of veggies in one cloth.
“Stored like this in damp towels in the salad compartment of the fridge, your salads, fruits and other veggies will keep for weeks rather than days,” Nancy added.
