Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran
There's nothing wrong with drying vegetables. Wet foods don't last long. Though I did recently discover that a small unbroken pumpkin lasts a lot longer than I ever would have guessed.
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Undamaged pumpkins, stored in a cool, dark place, can last through a winter. So can potatoes (though if they're not brushed clean of dirt and/or get even a little warm and damp they'll sprout, making them next to useless as food. the same goes for carrots and many other root vegetables. Many fruits can as well - apples in particular.
One of the things that prevents this is having been chilled - which fruit and vegetables bought in a supermarket almost invariably has been - this kills the produce, so it doesn't keep at all, but simply rots. The tendency to pick under-ripe and force ripen also reduces storage life, as does mechanical picking, sorting, packing, and then long-distance transport.
Modern food production and distribution is amazingly productive and efficient, but it's pretty hard on the produce, and the breeds used are selected for their ability to survive this and remain acceptable (and for crop size), rather than for keeping well (or for their great flavour off the tree/vine, out of the ground, etc.).