While talking to Jonathan earlier this week I realized that CSA storage might be a topic of interest to some. I think I've developed some pretty solid systems to maximize freshness for as long as possible. I will list my tactics in my perceived order of importance below.
1) Get the vegetables into the fridge as soon as possible (with the exception of onions, garlic, under-ripe tomatoes, and a few other items we'll be seeing, but in the case of week 1, everything should go in the fridge).
2) Seal EVERYTHING (greens, roots, peppers, eggplant, squash, etc.) in air tight plastic bags. I found some hefty 2.5-gallon bags for larger items like kale.
3) Cut the greens off things like radishes, carrots, turnips, kohlrabi and beets (see photo above). Store the greens separately if they are good-quality and you are going to cook with them. Not only do greens make fitting the roots in bags difficult, they can transpire and make the roots lose moisture.
4) Washing loose leafy greens in cold water and spinning them dry before sealing them up can help extend their storage life in my experience, especially if they are a little wilted.
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