If you’re a true cheese lover, you know that there are “so many cheeses, so little time.”

But we can cut down on the list a bit, because it’s National American Cheese Month.

The American Cheese Society says that, “American Cheese Month is a celebration of North America’s delicious and diverse cheeses, and the farmers, cheesemakers, retailers, cheesemongers and chefs who bring them to your table.”

So how about trying a different new-to-you, made-in-America cheese for American Cheese Month?

How about trying something new?

There are so many great artisan cheesemakers. We don’t mean to exclude anyone, but check out the websites of:

 
 
HOW ABOUT CRESCENZA CHEESE?

Crescenza, sometimes known as stracchino, is a staple in the Italian kitchen.

Says Mozzarella Company of Dallas, “Crescenza is one of those cheeses that no one has ever heard of but everyone loves when they taste it. It is a soft, fresh Italian cheese with a tart, clean flavor.

It is similar recipe to stracchino. The difference is that crescenza is made from whole milk or semi-skimmed milk and aged for 5-10 days, while stracchino is made only from whole milk and it aged for 20 days.

“Whenever we serve Crescenza at cheese tastings, this is the cheese that people invariably buy to take home.”

O.K…we’re in, we said, and we placed an order. It is as promised: delicious.

While the cheese is Italian in origin, there are a number of American cheese makers who make it; both artisan and factory producers.

Crescenza (creh-SEN-za) is made from cow’s milk. It is a young, soft cheese, aged for just a couple of weeks before it is sold.

Eaten very young, it has no rind and a very creamy texture. It is typically square in shape.

It is a great cheese for expressing the natural flavor and aromatics of a good quality milk, a showcase for the wonderful fresh flavors and aromas of the milk.

The Crescenza from Mozzarella Company:

 
How To Serve Crescenza

Beyond antipasto and appetizers, focaccia, sandwiches, melting on grilled cheese or other recipes (casseroles, ravioli, whatever).

For snacking or a cheese plate, The cheese was first made in Lombardy, Italy and areas adjacent to this northern Italy city where it is commonly served as a snacking or appetizer cheese with fruit,
For a cheese plate, pair crescenza with bread and:

 

CRESCENZA CHEESE HISTORY

Crescenza and stracchino have long been made in Northern Italy, regions of Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Romagna and Veneto.

There’s a legend, of course.

Most cheeses are historically made in the spring and summer, when the pastures are lush and green, the days are long and the milk is as fresh as can be.

Crescenza and stracchino were traditionally made during the autumn and winter months, after the cows had descended from the mountain pastures.

The physical exertion of the hike increased the butterfat content of the milk, making a richer cheese.

The cows were tired after the long season and their descent; hence, tired cows.

For stracchino, the name of the cheese derives from the Lombard adjective stracco, meaning tired.

The origin of the name Crescenza comes from the Italian crescere, which means “to grow.” If kept in a warm place, the cheese tends to increase in size, just like rising bread!
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHEESE

[1] Humboldt Fog goat cheese from Cypress Grove Cheese, with the signature line of ash running through the center (photo © Cypress Grove Cheese).

[2] An assortment of cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, from cows happily grazing in Marin and Sonoma Counties (photo © Cowgirl Creamery).

Crescenza Cheese[/caption]
[3] Artisan crescenza cheese, made in small batches by Mozzarella Company (photo © Mozzarella Company).

[4] Spread it on bread or crackers (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

[5] Snack on it with raw vegetables (photo © Arrigoni Formaggi).

[6] An appetizer of prosciutto-wrapped crescenza cheese. Here’s the recipe (photo © BelGioioso Cheese).

[7] Crescenza and peach crostini. You can substitute apples, pears, even grapefruit and oranges Here’s the recipe (photo © BelGioioso Cheese).

[1] Boursin’s fall flavor, Fig Balsamic, makes a beautiful center for a snack plate with black mission figs and brown turkey figs (both photos © Gournay Cheese).

[2] There’s a lot of flavor in each little carton.

[3] You can make a Boursin-like spread from cream cheese. Here’s the recipe from Food.com (photo © Diana | Eating Richly). Also check out this recipe from The View From Great Island.

One of the nice parts of food reporting comes in the fall, when a number of brands release limited-edition fall flavors: chestnut, cinnamon, cranberry, eggnog, fig, gingerbread, peppermint and pumpkin, to name the more popular ones.

So it is with French cheese brand Boursin, with the launch of their newest seasonal flavor, Fig & Balsamic—available for a limited time only.

Boursin is a soft creamy cheese made in a variety of flavors, each as delicious as the next. Its flavor and recall a more sophisticated whipped cream cheese.

Fig and Balsamic joins Cranberry & Spice, also a seasonal flavor, and the line’s mainstays:

Fig & Balsamic (seasonal flavor, available starting this month)

 
The cheeses can be elevated from a toast or bagel spread to an hors d’oeuvre with fine crackers or baguette slices, or stuffed dates.

Check out Boursin’s recipes for more ideas.
 
 
WHERE TO FIND IT

Boursin Fig & Balsamic is now available in the deli section of major retailers nationwide, including AHOLD (Food Lion, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Hannaford, Peapod, Stop & Shop), Albertsons, Kroger, Meijer and Publix. The suggested retail price of $5.99-$6.99.
 
 
BOURSIN CHEESE HISTORY

Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs, sold in a little foil cup, was created in 1957 by François Boursin, a cheesemaker in the commune of Croisy-sur-Eure commune in Normandy, northern France.

The cheese was inspired by a traditional Normandy party dish of garnished fromage frais (French for “fresh cheese”); a fresh, unaged cheese intended to be eaten within days of its production.

In the case of Boursin, guests would take their portion of cheese and top it with herbs to add herbs for flavor.

Boursin thought: Why not sell the cheese with the herbs already blended in?

Voilà: Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs, the first flavored cheese product to be sold nationally in France.

In 1990, the brand was acquired by Unilever, who sold it to Groupe Bel 2007 [source].

The original cheese, fromage frais, is simply drained, lactic set curd, lightly salted, that does not undergo a ripening period. It has a creamy, soft texture and fresh and a fresh, milky flavor.

Fromage frais differs from fromage blanc, another fresh, white French cheese, in that by law, fromage frais must contain live cultures when sold, whereas with fromage blanc, the fermentation has been halted [source].

It is often eaten for breakfast (we love it with toast), with fruit for dessert, or in cooking.
 
 
> Check Out The Different Types Of Cheeses In Our Cheese Glossary

October 7th is National Frappe Day.

Frappe (pronounced frap) is a New England term for a milkshake, from the French frapper (frap-PAY), “to beat.”

It’s an iced beverage that is made in a blender or a shaker, to produce a foamy drink. Ice is added to increase the foaminess. Milk, sugar, and flavorings can be added. Caramel or chocolate sauce can be used as garnishes, along with whipped cream and a host of others.

A frappe is not a milkshake, and it has its own holiday (National Milkshake Day is September 12th).

“When is a milkshake not a milkshake?” asks New England Magazine.

“In New England, of course, when it’s a frappe (or a cabinet).”

> The recipe is below.

> The differences between a float, ice cream soda and shake.

> The year’s 8 ice cream drink holidays.

> The history of the milkshake.

> The history of the frappe is below.
 
 
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT A FRAPPÉ?

New England Magazine goes on to explain that:

 
New Englanders also refer to sprinkles as jimmies. Why ask why? (There are conflicting stories, none of them satisfactory.)
 
 
FINALLY, THE É IS RESTORED TO FRAPPÉ

We hadn’t thought about frappes and jimmies for decades; we lived in Boston long ago. When we moved back to the land of milkshakes and sprinkles, frappes and jimmies faded into the deepest recesses of memory.

But when we did live in the land of frappes, no one could tell us, a student of French and an editorial stickler, why the accent mark was left off.

Maybe the area’s menu typesetters didn’t have an aigu, the é with the accent mark? Certainly, it couldn’t be that nobody knew French.

Etymology notwithstanding, it seems that “frappé” (with the accent) has finally come to New England thanks to L.A. Burdick, one of New England’s finest chocolatiers.

Burdick has café-chocolate shops in Walpole, New Hampshire (the original), Boston, and Cambridge, with a more recent expansion to Chicago and New York City.

If you’re in the neighborhood, here are the addresses.
 
 
LARRY BURDICK’S FRAPPÉS

Burdick Chocolate is one of our favorite artisan chocolatiers. His chocolate shoppe cafes are located in the Boston area plus in Chicago, D.C., and New York City.

Burdick’s frappés combine a chocolate drink (milk and chocolate syrup) with crushed ice and fruit pureé (photo #1). His offerings:

 
Here’s how we adapted the concept.

1. PURÉE your fruit of choice. Sweeten lightly to taste.

2. MAKE a thick milkshake in the blender. Crush a couple of ice cubes with an ice tapper or a mallet.

3. PLACE the purée in the bottom of a tall glass, and top with the shake (photo #1).

4. GARNISH with whipped cream and a piece of fruit.

If you’re near a store that sells Magnum ice cream, you can buy dark, milk or white chocolate ice cream.

Otherwise, punt, with regular vanilla or chocolate ice cream. We used Ghirardelli white chocolate syrup and Talenti Double Dark Chocolate Ice Cream.
 
 
EASY FRAPPÉ RECIPE

Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

1. ADD the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass (or mason jar, or whatever) and garnish as desired.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF THE FRAPPÉ

The frappe (pronounced frap) is a classic New England ice cream drink that’s similar to a milkshake but with a key difference: it always includes ice cream.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, soda fountains became popular gathering spots in the U.S., and regions developed their own variations of creamy drinks.

In most of the U.S., “milkshake” came to mean a drink that included ice cream, but not on New England. They the drink called a milkshake does not have ice cream; just milk and flavored syrup, shaken until frothy.

[1] A chocolate-raspberry frappe (with the accent mark) from chocolatier Larry Burdick (photo © L.A. Burdick Chocolates).

[2] A couple of chocolate cookies were tossed into the blender for this version (photo © American Heritage Chocolate).

[3] Add some spice to your chocolate: cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder (photo © American Heritage Chocolate).

[4] A full-on frappe. Find the recipe for this and others at Koobie’s Coffee (photo © Koobie’s Coffee).

[5] A frappe can be any flavor you like (photo © The Milkshake Factory).

[6] Ready, set, scoop (photo © American Heritage Chocolate).

New England distinguished their frappe from their milkshake by including ice cream in the former, creating a thicker and richer drink than their milkshake.

Let’s add to the confusion by pointing out that in Rhode Island, part of New England, a frappe (a milkshake made without ice cream) is called a cabinet. The name is believed to derive from the cabinet where the blender was kept.

Back to the frappe:

By the early 1900s, the frappe became a staple at soda fountains and ice cream parlors in the region, blending milk, flavored syrup, and a generous scoop of ice cream. It became a beloved part of New England’s food culture, served at ice cream parlors and local diners.

Today, the frappe remains a regional specialty in New England, though the lines between milkshakes and frappes have blurred in some places. But its history remains a testament to the area’s culinary traditions and its ability to preserve regional distinctions in our world of increasingly homogenized food culture.

(Some information via Abacus.ai.)
________________

*Nonpareils, the precursors of sprinkles/jimmies, date to at least the late 18th-century, if not earlier. They were used as decoration for pièces montées† and desserts.

The candy company Just Born (maker of Peeps, Mike & Ike, Peanut Chews, and other favorites), then in Brooklyn, New York, claims that its founder, Sam Born, invented the chocolate-flavored sprinkles he called jimmies. However, advertisements for chocolate sprinkles as a confection exist as far back as 1921, predating Just Born’s, established in 1923, by two years.

But head over to Holland: Dutch hagelslag (sprinkles) were invented in 1913 by Erven H. de Jong in Wormerveer. Here’s more of the story.

†A pièce montée (mounted piece) is a decorative confectionery centerpiece, created in an architectural or sculptural form. They are made for formal banquets and weddings, of ingredients such as confectioner’s paste, nougat, marzipan, and spun sugar.

The great French Marie-Antoine Carême, a student of architecture, is reported to have said about pièces montées, that architecture is the most noble of the arts, and pastry the highest form of architecture [source].

‡Don’t know ibid?

**Fun fact: The original Frappuccino was made and trademarked by The Coffee Connection, a coffee shop in Massachusetts. They were bought out in 1994 by Starbucks, which tweaked the recipe a bit and popularized the sweet coffee drink that everyone knows today [source].

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Bucatini: like spaghetti, but thicker and with a hole down the center (photo by Alicia LaLocanda | CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0 License).

[2] Spicy Pumpkin Carbonara—recipe below (photo © Delallo).

[3] Bucatini Ai Frutti Di Mari (mixed seafood). Here’s the recipe (photo © Delallo).

[4] Bucatini, homemade by The Baker Chick. Here’s her recipe (photo © The Baker Chick).

[5] Delallo Calabrian chiles in olive oil. You can buy them online (photo © Delallo).

[6] Just-picked Calabrian chiles, hanging to dry. Learn more about them below. Depending on the subspecies, they can be rounder or longer and narrow (photo © Toldio74 | Dreamstime).

[7] Bucatini Con Le Sarde: with sardines. Here’s the recipe (photo © Delallo).

[8] Bucatini With Green Olives, made with our favorite olive, the castelvetrano. Here’s the recipe (photo © Delallo).

[8] Artichoke, Bacon & Spinach Bucatini. Here’s the recipe ((photo © Delallo).

Our friend Penny, who does not like mushrooms, felt “left out” when she saw our Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine recipe last week.

So here’s one for Penny, for all mushroom-eschewers, for the pumpkin-happy fall, and for for National Pasta Month, October.

In this recipe, “spicy” means hot, from the Calabrian chiles (photos #5 and #6). If you don’t want the heat, just omit them.

Or, check out the bucatini recipes in photos #7, #8 and #9. Thanks to Delallo for the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE NOTES

This recipe uses bucatini, a cut we love.

Bucatini is a long, thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center. It’s a tubular pasta, kin to cannelloni, elbows, penne, rigatoni and ziti.

The name comes from the Italian buco (BOO-koe), meaning hole.

The Neapolitans* call it perciato, which means pierced. Either way, it’s a fun cut.

Why is it fun? Because you can suck the sauce through the straw. It’s messy, but you don’t have to be a kid to try it (at least once).

Why the hole?

One reason for the hole is that, in the days when all pasta was made by hand, it enabled a thicker version of spaghetti to cook more evenly, so the inside would not still be hard when the outside was al dente.

 
Bucatini is common throughout the region of Lazio, particularly Rome†, its capital.

Popular preparations there use:

 
If you can’t get hold of it bucatini, substitute spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine—or spaghettoni, thick spaghetti without the hole, which is also a fun pasta to serve.
 
 
RECIPE: SPICY PUMPKIN CARBONARA FOR NATIONAL PASTA MONTH

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the eggs, cheese, pumpkin and nutmeg in a large serving bowl, until combined. Add the salt and pepper. Set aside, and bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil.

2. HEAT the olive oil and garlic in a large saucepan. Once the garlic begins to turn golden, remove from the oil and discard. Add the pancetta to the pan. Sauté the pancetta until it becomes golden brown, about 6 minutes. Then add chiles to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3. COOK the pasta according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water to finish the sauce.

4. COMBINE the hot pasta and pancetta mixture with oil in the serving bowl with the egg and cheese. Toss to coat and to gently cook the eggs, which is done with the heat of the pasta. Once combined, add about 1/4 cup of the reserved hot pasta water and toss. If the pasta appears too dry, add another splash of pasta water.

5. SERVE immediately, with additional parmesan cheese to garnish.
 

WHAT ARE CALABRIAN CHILES

Calabrian chiles (or chili peppers) are a variety of native to the Calabria region of Italy (the toe of the “shoe”—the heel is in Apulia).

They are also called the small red cherry pepper, devil’s kiss and peperone picante Calabrese, which means “spicy pepper of Calabria.”

The typical harvesting season is late summer through fall.

Their genus and species, Capsicum annuum, is the same one for bell peppers, sweet/Italian peppers, serrano, cayenne, paprika, and jalapeños. (There are five different Capsicum cultivars.)

Depending on your personal definition of “hot,” Calabrian chiles are moderately hot or hot, ranging from 25,000 to 40,000 SHU on the Scoville Scale.

Hot peppers are in the 30,000 to 50,000 SHU range. By comparison, a jalapeño ranges from 2,500–8,000 SHU.

The chiles are blood-red and small but very flavorful, soaking up more than 300 days of sunshine annually.

This means that in addition to heat, they have a flavor unique to their terroir: fruity, salty and smoky.

These popular chiles—a staple in southern Italy—are sold fresh, but also dried, pickled, or stuffed and sold in olive oil.

DeLallo Foods, an importer of fine Italian foods, sells them that way, ready to use in a recipe or as part of an antipasto.

Diamante, a coastal town at the top of Calabria (above the “ankle” of the foot, close to the border with Basilicata), holds an annual Peperoncino Festival. The weeklong event takes place every September (in a non-pandemic year) and lasts a week. It attracts visitors from all over the world.
 
 
HOW TO USE CALABRIAN CHILES

Calabrian chiles can be served both raw and cooked: baked, roasted and sautéed.

They pair well with just about anything: cheeses, fish and shellfish, herbs (basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, ), meats (beef, poultry, pork), and vegetables (cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini). You can also use them to stuff olives.

Fresh chiles will keep up to one week when stored whole and unwashed in the fridge, in a paper or plastic bag.

The fresh chiles are:

 
In recipes, the chiles can be:

 
They can also be dried and used to:

 

THE HISTORY OF CALABRIAN CHILES

Chiles were first introduced to Italy by Spanish traders, likely in the early 16th century. Columbus had brought seeds back to Spain from the Caribbean in 1493.

These members of the Nightshade** family, were initially met with suspicion, and were mainly used for decoration until they were deemed safe to consume (the same happened with tomatoes, also brought back from the New World, and also Nightshades**).

Then, chiles were quickly adopted into Italian cuisine, and many new varieties were cultivated in Italy. As mentioned earlier, terroir‡‡ had a big influence on the diverse flavors, sizes, etc.

Today, outside of Italy, Calabrian chiles are predominantly grown by small growers in Asia, Australia, Europe and the U.S. If you’d like to grow them at home, you can find seeds online [source].

*Neapolitans are residents of Naples, Italy. Neapolitan is the language of Naples, and also the name of a species of dog and horse bred in the region, among other references.

†Rome is not only the capital of the country of Italy, but the capital of the Province of Rome, and the capital of the region of Lazio.

‡In the U.S., you can find fresh Calabrian chiles from California; but also dried or jarred versions and Calabrian chile oil. Some stores refer to them as peperoncini, the generic Italian word for hot chiles (singular peperoncino, both cases often spelled with a double “p” in the U.S.). The generic name for sweet chile peppers in Italian is peperoni (singular peperone). If you can’t find Calabrian chiles, you can substitute serrano chiles, crushed red pepper flakes or a hot chile paste like aji amarillo, harissa or sambal olek.

‡‡Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is a French agricultural term referring to the unique set of environmental factors in a specific habitat that affect a crop’s qualities. It includes climate, elevation, proximity to a body of water, slant of the land, soil type and amount of sun. These environmental characteristics gives a fruit or vegetable its unique character.

**The Nightshade family, Solanaceae, is a family of flowering plants. Many of their fruits, pods or roots are edible, while others contain the alkaloid solanine, which is toxic in high concentrations (as in the deadly nightshade, or belladonna, and the tobacco plant). Edible members include the cape gooseberry, capsicum (chile), eggplant, goji berry, potato, tamarillo and tomatillo and tomato, among others.

We’re one of those households that wastes a lot of fresh produce.

Thanks to Taste Of Home for these tips:

Some of these you may already know. Most were new to us.
 
 
APPLE SLICES: SOAK IN SALT WATER

Sliced apples are a convenient snack or salad topper, but if you slice them in advance, they brown.

Soak the slices in a bowl of cold salt water, ½ teaspoon of salt or less per quart of water.

After five minutes, pat dry and store the slices in the fridge in an airtight plastic bag. Your slices won’t brown!

Why do some sliced fruits brown more quickly than others?

They contain different levels of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes, which cause browning when oxygen is introduced into the plant tissue.

The level of PPO not only varies between varieties of fruits, but within different subspecies within the species.

That’s why, for example, apple varieties like Granny Smith brown less, and less quickly, than Red Delicious.
 
 
ASPARAGUS: STORE UPRIGHT IN A CUP OF WATER

Asparagus often can dry out when you keep it a few days before cooking. But it’s easy to keep it moist.

Treat asparagus as you would flowers. Trim the ends a bit and place the asparagus upright in a glass of water, covering the bottom couple of inches.

Place a plastic bag over the stalks and place it in the fridge.

Do the same with fresh herbs, as well.
 
 
AVOCADO: BRUSH WITH LEMON JUICE

Avocado may be the fastest “browner” among all the fruits (yes, avocados are a tree fruit, just like apples and pears). They have the most PPO of the fruits most of us commonly eat.

To avoid browning, squirt it with a little lemon or lime juice, and brush the juice over the cut surface (truth to tell, we use our fingers).

The citric acid will help prevent browning for at least a day. This also works with guacamole.
 
 
BANANAS: WRAP THE STEMS WITH PLASTIC WRAP

Bananas give off lots of ethylene gas, which makes them brown.

Separate each banana from the bunch and wrap it in plastic wrap to stop the spread of the gas.

If the bananas are already too ripe for your liking, peel them and store them in the freezer. You can use them to make banana bread and other banana desserts.

Try them in a Banana Daiquiri: You’re in for a treat!
 
 
BERRIES: RINSE WITH VINEGAR>

You’re often told not to wash produce before you refrigerate it. But berries are different:

They carry mold spores that develop and rot the fruit, as you’ve noticed if you keep berries for longer than several days after you bring them home.

Wash your berries with a mix of vinegar and water in a 1:3 ratio and pat them dry before refrigerating (we let ours dry on the countertop).

This disinfects against mold, which can lengthen shelf life by weeks.

Rinse the berries thoroughly when you’re ready to eat them.
 
 
BROCCOLI: PLACE STEMS-DOWN IN A GLASS OF WATER

Trim off the dried stem bottoms and place the head in in a glass of water.

As with asparagus, only the bottom of the stems need to be in the water. Cover with a plastic bag.

If you’ll be eating it in the next day or so, a wet paper towel wrapped around the head will do.

If you feel you won’t be eating it anytime soon, slice it and freeze it. You can add the frozen slices to omelets, soups and other dishes.
 
 
CARROTS: STORE WITH WATER

Do your carrots get that dried-out look? Just like broccoli, loves moisture. To avoid the dryness, first chop off their leafy tops (here are 25 uses for carrot tops, and a recipe for carrot top pesto).

The leaves typically pull nutrients out of their roots (i.e., the carrots we eat).

Place the trimmed carrots in a container filled with water, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Fresh carrots will stay moist for 3-4 weeks this way.

If you don’t have space in the fridge for a stand-up container, wrap the carrots in bubble wrap.

This allows just enough moisture from the fridge to reach the carrots.
 
 
CAULIFLOWER: WRAP IN A WET TOWEL

Loosely wrap a wet paper towel around the head of the cauliflower and place it in a plastic bag, before placing in the fridge.

This storage trick will keep your cauliflower fresh (holding off the brown spots) for up to 14 days

If you’re not going to eat it anytime after that, you can freeze cauliflower for up to eight months.

Cut it into pieces, first. Slice and freeze the stems as well: They’re just as delicious.
 
 
LEMONS: DON’T CUT THEM IN HALF

If you need just a squeeze of citrus juice but don’t need to juice the whole lemon, just puncture it with a fork or skewer instead of cutting it in half.

This way, you can squeeze out what you need without drying out the entire lemon.
 
 
LETTUCE: STORE WITH A PAPER TOWEL

This trick can be used if you want to wash lettuce in advance, or if you’ve prepared too much of it.

Wrap unused (and undressed) leaves in paper towels, then insert them into a plastic bag (or plastic wrap). Place in the crisper drawer.

The towels will absorb moisture, which prevents the leaves from becoming soggy and brown.

Replace the towel(s) when it becomes damp. Don’t pack the leaves too tightly: They need to breathe.
 
 
MELON & MANGO: CUT INTO LARGE SLICES

When they’re ripe, cut them into large slices, wrap the slices in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge.

Watermelons are usually ripe* when you buy them, and can be stored on the counter for 7-10 days.
 
 
ONIONS: WRAP IN PANTYHOSE

Nylon pantyhose and knee-highs with runs have a second life: storing onions. The mesh-like material allows just enough air to reach the onions, which helps them stay fresh.

Insert the onions into the leg and tie a knot between each bulb.

But remember, don’t place onions in the fridge! Store them in a dry, dark, aerated space.

And when you buy onions, be sure that the skins are intact. They help the onion last longer.
 
 
POTATOES: STORE WITH APPLES

Apples produce ethylene gas that can keep your potatoes fresh for more than eight weeks: no sprouts popping up.

Just make sure that you don’t store the potatoes near the onions. Both onions and potatoes release moisture, which can lead to faster spoiling for both.
 
 
TOMATOES: STORE ON THE COUNTER STEM SIDE DOWN

Never store tomatoes in the fridge: The cold can degrade their flavor and texture.

Tomatoes do not like the cold so if you keep them in the fridge, they’ll lose their ideal flavor and texture.

Place them on the counter stem side down, as this part of the fruit is the last to ripen.

If the tomatoes have been cut, store halves cut-side down on a paper towel inside a storage container and use within two days.

If they’re smaller slices, also store them in a sealed container. If you’re not going to use them, freeze them.
 
 
> Also See How To Store Produce

[1] Protect apple slices from browning (photo © Stemilt Fruit).

[2] Keep asparagus fresher, longer (photo © Baldor Food).

[3] Stop bananas from over-browning (photo © Baking Library).

[4] Keep mold from berries (photo © Green Giant Fresh).

[5] Help broccoli stay fresh, longer (photo © Burpee).

[6] Stop carrots from drying out (photo © Grimmway Farms).

[7] Keep cauliflower from developing brown spots (photo © Jennifer Schmidt | Unsplash).

[8] There’s no need to cut lemons in half if you need a little juice (photo © Caroline Attwood | Unsplash).

[9] Lettuce (photo © Meiteng | RGB Stock).

[10] Sliced ripe melon so it lasts longer (photo © Good Eggs).

[11] You can keep potatoes from sprouting (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

*When purchasing a watermelon, look for the yellow spot on the bottom. Watermelons develop a yellow splotch where they rest on the ground. When the spot is creamy yellow, it’s ripe. Another trick is to thump the underbelly of the watermelon. A ripe one will have a deep, hollow sound. Uncut watermelons will last 7-10 days on the counter and 2-3 weeks in the fridge.