PERISHABLES
CABBAGE
Cabbage does not have to be refrigerated, nor wrapped, just leave it the way it is. I keep them in a collapsible plastic crate and as needed peel the outer layers off the cabbage. Can be kept for weeks this way.
CITRUS FRUITS
Wash citrus fruit and completely let them dry. Wrap each fruit in aluminum foil and keep in paper bag for up to 4 weeks, check now and then. Most will still be the original color. If limes turn brown and are hard, they are still useable; the inside will still have a nice lime green.
EGGS
I never refrigerate egg , I bought plastic egg containers from Coleman’s and store the eggs at room temperature. Once a week, if I remember I flip the container over. I’ve been keeping eggs this way for up to two months. In all the years I think I had 2 eggs go bad. Make sure when you buy the eggs, that they were not refrigerated, which in third world countries it’s always easy to find. In the US it’s a bit harder as they all are refrigerated. Also when I use the eggs, I break each one in a separate dish, just in case one is bad, this way you will not spoil the once already opened.
FRESH GINGER
Peel and cut ginger into the size pieces you usually use for cooking. Place ginger pieces in a glass jar and cover with cheap vodka. You can keep it in room temperature indefinitely. Every time a recipe calls for ginger, take a piece out. The vodka will make an awesome martini, just add one to two teaspoon of ginger vodka to your martini, drink it on ice, shaken or stirred and enjoy.
FRESH HERBS
West Marine has special bags to keep vegetables fresh for a longer time, they really work. But once you run out you can not buy them other than a West Marine. Herbs are always the toughest to keep fresh for a while. I wash them first, place them in a Ziploc bag, stems in one of the corners, add an inch of water to that corner, squeeze the air out and zip it shut and store in fridge standing up. Even cilantro will stay fresh up to 10 days. Another way to keep it is to wash it and dry it well, wrap in paper towel and then keep in Ziploc back.
FILET MIGNON (NO FREEZER)
I was even told that this method works if you don’t have a refrigerator at all. I bought the whole beef filet, trimmed off all the fat and cut it into the desired serving pieces. In a tall glass juice jar with screw on top, add any type of oil about 2 inches deep and place each piece of meat slowing into the jar, making sure not to trap any air between. Repeat with all the pieces. When done top with more oil, making sure all the meats are fully covered. Place lit on it but make sure the spout will keep open, so that eventual trapped air can escape. This can be kept for up to 6 weeks. Use the filets as needed. They will just get better as they age.
GROUND BEEF (NO FREEZER)
We don’t have a freezer, don’t need one, never had one. Ground beef usually spoils due to the blood seeping out of the meat. Wrap your fresh ground beef good in saran wrap, place it in a double Ziploc bag and store in coldest spot (bottom) in fridge. I keep it this way up to 3 weeks. What happens is, the blood drains out of the saran wrap into the Ziploc bag but can’t get back into the meat. The blood is what contaminates the meat. So when you use it wash the saran wrap off with water, then open it and ground beef will still have the same pink color as you bought it in the store, except it will be better aged now and it also will smell very fresh.
MAYONNAISE/MUSTARD
I never refrigerate mayo or mustard. Mustard usually comes in a squeeze bottle anyway, so no problems there. Now mayo can be purchased in squeeze bottle too, if not, just always use a very clean knife or spoon and don’t TOUCH any of the bread or food with it, this will keep it from contaminating.
TOMATOES, BELL PEPPERS
I buy tomatoes in different stages from green to read, preferably with stem still on. This way the will ripen over time and you will not have to worry about them going bad all at once. Wrap each individual tomato in a piece of newspaper and keep them in a big paper bag, check periodically and use the reddest tomato first.
MISCELLANEOUS:
CAT LITTER
I fill cat litter into empty soda bottles and store them in the bilge.
LIQUOR IN GLASS BOTTLES
Since there is a chance of braking glass bottles, I refill all the Rum, Vodka, etc. into empty soda bottle. They are easier to store and you don’t have to worry about breaking them. Make sure you use soda bottles as they are made to hold pressure, the lids are much stronger and will not break after several times of opening.
COOKBOOKS/PHOTO ALBUMS
Over the years, lots of photo albums and especially cookbook have accumulated on the boat. I scanned them all onto CD’s and make a lot of room for other things.
SOY SAUCE
Same with soy sauce store in soda bottles and store in bilge.
VACUUM PACK MACHINE
Now this is a must, not just will it keep food longer, but it will also leave you more room to store everything. I vacuum packed pillows for guests; you will not believe the room they save. I even vacuum packed Sid’s suit and it is smaller than a pair of kid jeans. You can vacuum pack toilette paper/paper towels, just make sure you take the roll in the middle out. Oh for pet owners, I do vacuum pack cat food too, it lasts much longer, especially if you use a brand you know can’t be obtained in foreign countries.
WEEVILS
To keep weevils out of your food is almost impossible as the eggs are already in the flower, pasta, etc. To prevent them from hatching, nuke the whole package in microwave for one minute and add bay leaves to package to store.
We never had a bug problem until we came to Venezuela. When ghost ants, some call them sugar ants, took over (to recognize them = if they are on a white surface they look like regular ants, but ar
e very, very tiny, but when they are on a dark surface they look like little mites, they have a white but and black head). There is anther type that invaded our boat with black head and red body, double the size of the ghost ant. The ghost ants seem to nest out doors under canvas, the red ones in wood crevasses, both live on anything we eat, but most sugary things. Several boat here had the same problem. The best to get read of them is to use TERRO ant killer. I put some on my boat and it was amazing how it attracted the ants, they take the poison into the nest and feed the queen. It took a while but we are now ant free. You can buy this stuff at:Walmart, KMart, Low's, Osh, Ace, True Value, Long Greens, Alberton's, Sears and many more. Good thing about this product is, it goes a long way as you only use a little drop each time.
It comes in a bottle or also in a package like the toach hotels.
