Joan’s Picks: Solutions for keeping produce and bread fresh for weeks!

I just spent a few days with my friend, Vicki, in Maine.  She owns a kitchen store called The Good Table in Belfast, Maine.  While I was there she introduced me to a couple new products she uses in her store.

Solution #1 – PEAKfresh Produce Bags.
I’ve seen these bags advertised here and there — claiming to keep fruits, vegetables, herbs and other foods fresh for weeks but I never really thought they would work.  Well apparently, they do so I’ve started to carry them in our stores.

And they’re here  just in time for harvesting our gardens or storing our CSA deliveries!

Here’s how they work:  Because most fruits and vegetables expel ethylene gas after being harvested, putting them in an ordinary plastic bag will actually speed up the aging process of foods because the bags don’t “breathe” and the gases can’t escape.  PEAKfresh bags remove ethylene gas which will prolong the life and freshness of the produce.  Unlike ordinary plastic bags, they ‘breathe’ so that damaging gases produced by the fresh produce are removed — more than doubling the storage time of most foods.  Lettuce stays fresh up to a month!  Imagine bananas lasting 9 days!  And, Peak Fresh bags are not only breathable…they’re also reusable!

I know this almost sounds like an info-mercial but when you think about all the money and time you spend purchasing and/or growing fresh produce only to have it end up a withered or slimy mess in your refrigerator — it seems silly not to use these bags.

You can buy them online right now by clicking here!

Solution #2 – Artisan Bread Bags (at the Barn & Rhinebeck right now)

There’s nothing like a warm loaf of Artisan bread fresh out of the oven from your local bakery — I’m partial to Red Devon’s Baguettes which I sell on Saturdays at Hammertown Barn.

Sometimes you might not finish a whole loaf or you’d like to buy a couple loaves but you know it’ll be stale by the next day.  What a waste!  Well, here’s a solution — Artisan Bread Bags.  And they really work.  Baguettes fit perfectly in these bags so if you don’t use the whole loaf or want to buy two, just pop them in these bread bags and they’ll stay fresh for over 2 weeks.

Bread Armor Artisan bread storage bags use a high-performance multi-layer film technology that extends the shelf-life of bread.  And they too are reusable and are also great for keeping food fresh longer in the freezer as well.

Extending the shelf-life of produce…PEAKfresh Bags: $18.50
Extending the shelf-life of bread…Artisan Bread Bags: $4.00
Extending the shelf-life of people:  PRICELESS