MILK
- The sell-by date on your milk is required by state law and is 5 days after bottling. You can expect your milk to stay fresh for at least an additional 5 days, though many of our customers tell us that their milk stays fresh for two weeks after the sell-by date.
- If some of your milk does sour before you have a chance to drink it all, it still has many culinary uses! Sour raw milk is not at all like spoiled pastuerized milk--Misty Brook milk turns sour due to the natural lactic acid bacteria that live in raw milk; the process is similar to what occurs in yogurt-making. Use your soured milk as a substitute for buttermilk in pancakes, biscuits, doughnuts, or in mashed potatoes. Additionally, you can use it to make a simple ricotta cheese. For more ideas and recipes, click here.
MEAT
- Our Organic and Grass-fed animals were not raised in the same way as conventional beef, pork, chicken, or veal. Accordingly, several simple cooking and handling procedures will bring out the best flavors and textures in our meat.
- Most importantly, let your meat thaw out completely before cooking it. Your meat will be most tender if you allow it to thaw in the fridge and rest up to one week before cooking. If you try to cook grassfed meat that is still partially frozen, the texture will suffer.
- If you do need to hasten the thawing process, put the frozen meat in a bowl of cold water on the counter. We really recommend this technique only for ground beef or sausage.
- For more information about cooking with grassfed meat, we recommend the website or cookbooks of Shannon Hayes.
EGGS
- If you keep your eggs in the refrigerator, they will remain very fresh for 1 month. They will remain perfectly edible for 4 months under refrigeration.
- At room temperature, your eggs will keep for up to one week.
VEGETABLE STORAGE
- To revive limp greens: place leaves in a bowl of cold water with 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice for up to one hour. Remove from water and dry in a salad spinner or with paper towels.
- Arugula (and other salad greens)
Wrap the greens in a slightly damp paper towel and place them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. They will stay very fresh for 3 days and be perfectly good for up to a week. - Basil
Basil discolors when refrigerated, so the best way to keep it fresh (for up to 5 days) is to place the stem in a small glass of water.
- Beans ("string" or "green")
Refrigerate in a loosely sealed plastic bag for up to a week. - Beets
Treat the greens as you would spinach (they can be used interchangeably in recipes). Unwashed beets will keep in a root cellar for months. Once beets have been washed, store them in a fridge for 2-3 weeks. - Bok Choi
Store wrapped in a damp paper towel in a loosely sealed plastic bag in the fridge for up for 5 days. - Broccoli
Refrigerate in a loosely sealed plastic bag. Broccoli is very fresh for 3 days, and perfectly good for up to a week. - Cabbage
Winter cabbage can be root-cellared for months. Whole cabbage keeps in the fridge for 1-2 weeks; sliced cabbage should be used within 5-6 days. - Carrots
Carrots will hold in a root cellar (or in the ground) until spring. Carrots will stay fresh in a fridge for months as well, provided that they are not kept in the vicinity of apples (apples and some other fruits emit ethylene gas, which causes carrots to become bitter). - Cauliflower
See Broccoli - Celeriac
Can be root-cellared if unwashed. Once washed, keep refrigerated and use within one week.
- (Swiss) Chard
Keep in loosely sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator; use within one week. The stems require a longer cooking time than the leaves, so put them into any dish you are making about 5 minutes before the greens.
- Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is most delicious 1-2 days after harvest, though still good for up to one week. Keep it in its husk in the fridge.
- Cucumbers
Store in a loosely sealed plastic bag for up to 10 days.
- Daikon Radish
Store in a loosely sealed plastic bag for up to 2 weeks.
- Eggplants
If you will use eggplant within 3 days, store it in a cool place, such as a pantry. For storage up to a week, keep in the fridge.
- Fennel
Keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week.
- Garlic
Keep in a cool dark place. Garlic will stay fresh until spring.
- Husk Cherries
Refrigerate for up to one week. - Kale
Refrigerate in a loosely sealed plastic bag for 5-7 days. - Kohlrabi
Use the greens within 4 days. The bulb will keep for up to a week. - Leeks
Store in a loosely sealed plastic bag in the fridge. Before using, trim off a thin sliver from the root end as well as the tough, green top and leaves. Slice lengthwise and gently rinse off any soil trapped between the layers. - Lettuce
Refrigerate wrapped in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag. Crisper varieties will keep up to a week. Before serving, trim the base and rinse any grit that may be trapped between the leaves. - Muskmelons
Melons will continue to ripen if left at room temperature. Once they achieve their desired level of ripeness (discernable from the scent), store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Cut melons should be covered with plastic wrap and used within 3 days.
- Onions
Storage onions (which have a papery outer shell) will keep for months if kept in a cool, dark place. Fresh, uncured onions (which are more moist) should be refrigerated and used within a week and a half. Do NOT store onions in the same place as potatoes--they will both go bad. - Parsnips
Unwashed parsnips will keep for months in the fridge. - Pea Shoots
Refrigerate for up 4 days. - Snap Peas
Wrap them in a plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 5 days. - Peppers
Refrigerate red peppers for up for 5 days in a plastic bag. Green peppers will keep longer, or you can leave them on the counter in a plastic bag to ripen and become red. - Potatoes
New potatoes keep for up to a week; normal potatoes will keep for months, depending on the variety. Store potatoes in a cool, dark place (refrigerators are just a bit too cool) away from apples and onions (both of which will cause potatoes to sprout). - Pumpkins
Keep pumpkins in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place for 1-2 months. Once cut, pumpkins should be refrigerated for up to 1 week. - Radishes
Keep refigerated for up to one week. - Scallions
Refrigerate up to one week.
- Spinach
Refrigerate wrapped in a damp paper towl in a plastic bag for up to one week. - Sprouts
Refrigerate for up to 4 days. - Strawberries
Handle gently. Do not wash strawberries until just before eating. Berries will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. - Summer Squash (Yellow Squash, Zucchini)
Refrigerate for up to one week. - Sweet Potatoes
Keep up to 4 weeks in a cool, dark, dry place. - Winter Squash (Butternut, Acorn, Delicata)
Store in a cool, dry place for a month or more. If you notice a soft spot, use the squash immediately, removing any portions that are inedible. - Tomatillos
Store in a paper bag in the fridge for up to one month. Pull off the papery hull and wash in cool water to remove some of the stickiness on the skin. - Tomatoes
Do not refrigerate tomatoes--the coolness will affect the flavor. Keep ripe tomatoes on the counter and use within 5 days. Unripe tomatoes will continue to ripen on the counter. If you have an abundance you will not be able to use, peel the tomatoes and freeze or can them. - Turnips
Treat the greens like kale. The roots will keep wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to one week. - Zucchini
See summer squash.