Hi all,

Got to go to the store with my DW, and spent some time just looking around finally (Dw is a "hurry up" kinda chick).

Have a few questions that maybe some people can help me with:

1. How long is a piece of fresh ginger good for? Will grating some off and exposing a portion of it affect the shelf-life? Keep it in the refrigerator?

2. Are there any commercially, mass-produced ketchups without HFCS? I KNOW I'd get my butt beat if I suggested stopping at a health food store, so if I could find one available in a normal store, it would be great... the only brands available at the store I shopped are Hunt's, Heinz, and the store brand; all with Corn syrup.

3. How long is jarred (like Chi-Chi's) salsa good for once you open the jar? I'm notorious for opening them and then throwing the jar out after 3 days b/c I'm a little OCD about expiration dates and the like. I'm sure my wallet would appreciate my not trashing food all the time.

4. Any suggestions on a good first bean? I'm tactile defensive on a lot of things and beans are one of them. I can't stand the piercing of the skin when bitten and then the mush that ensues (whole tomatoes are the same way). I would like to introduce beans as a protein source, but need a few suggestions.

OK, those are my crazy questions for the moment. I'm sure I'll have more later, but I don't want to scare too many people off. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

There are seemingly endless varieties of beans, and truly infinite recipes with which to use them. Canned beans are already cooked and very soft. In particular black, cannellini, and pinto come to mind as being soft and having no firm skin. If you start with dried beans, just soak them overnight in water and make sure you cook them long enough and they will be soft (no 'skin' to pierce). You can use all of these beans to make wonderful chilis and soups or just as a side dish with whatever else you are eating.

Hope this helps.

1. I've kept ginger around for several weeks on the counter. It didn't go bad but it did start to grow - LOL! Once you cut into it, you should put it in the fridge. If you put it in a plastic bag, I think it will be good for a couple of weeks at least. So long as it is firm and there's no visible mold on it, it's fine. BTW-I recently discovered crushed ginger sold in a jar (similar to crushed garlic). Way easier to deal with than fresh ginger root (it is the same thing, but I don't have to peel and grate it myself) and it will keep forever in the fridge. My Safeway sells it in the produce section.

3. That salsa is probably good for at least several weeks and maybe as long as several months. Tomatoes are high in acidity to begin with, which extends their shelf life, and anything in a can or jar generally has preservatives in it that extends the shelf life even further. I'd use the sight/smell test on it. If you can see any visible mold on it and it smells okay, it's okay to eat. This test has served me quite well for the past 20 or so years. I've kept opened jars of pasta sauce in the fridge for a couple of months and they've been fine; salsa will have the same shelf life. In fact, I think I've been able to keep jarred salsa around a lot longer than jarred pasta sauce.

4. Try garbanzo beans (chick peas). Hardly any skin to speak of and a nice firm texture. Edamame (you can usually find it in the freezer aisle and sometimes even fresh in the produce section) or fava beans (probably only in the freezer aisle) would also be good choices. Again, firm texture and no skin. Be careful on the portion sizes of edamame and fava beans though; for vegetables, they are inexcusably high in calories.

Sorry, can't help you on the ketchup, I hardly ever eat it.

Comments below in purple

1. How long is a piece of fresh ginger good for? Will grating some off and exposing a portion of it affect the shelf-life? Keep it in the refrigerator?

I definitely keep ginger in the refrigerator. It seems to last a really long time, at least a week, maybe longer. Not sure about the grating, if you're worried about it, you could wrap the remainder. I've had ginger get kinda soft, but I don't remember it ever going bad

2. Are there any commercially, mass-produced ketchups without HFCS? I KNOW I'd get my butt beat if I suggested stopping at a health food store, so if I could find one available in a normal store, it would be great... the only brands available at the store I shopped are Hunt's, Heinz, and the store brand; all with Corn syrup.

Can't really help you with this one, I don't eat ketchup. If I did want one without HFCS, I would probably go to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

3. How long is jarred (like Chi-Chi's) salsa good for once you open the jar? I'm notorious for opening them and then throwing the jar out after 3 days b/c I'm a little OCD about expiration dates and the like. I'm sure my wallet would appreciate my not trashing food all the time.

Jarred salsa has a pretty long shelf life - at least 2 weeks? I've rarely had it go moldy on me. Just smell it, after actually working in a Chi-Chi's for 4 years, when salsa starts to go over, you can definitely smell it.

4. Any suggestions on a good first bean? I'm tactile defensive on a lot of things and beans are one of them. I can't stand the piercing of the skin when bitten and then the mush that ensues (whole tomatoes are the same way). I would like to introduce beans as a protein source, but need a few suggestions.

I like all beans, but I guess garbanzos (chickpeas) might be a good first bean, they are very mild. You can roast them, which might help negate the "skin" factor. You can also blend them with some garlic, lemon juice, a little reserved liquid from the can (maybe some olive oil) and make hummus (skin free!). Black beans are also good. If you have issues with the texture, how about using so many ingredients, you just get the taste of the bean without your tongue being able to roll over each bit individually. I make a good quesadilla with diced sweet potatoes, quinoa, canned tomatoes, black beans, cilantro, onions, garlic and a little low fat cheese.

Ginger lasts indefinitely in the freezer, and it grates fine when frozen. Just wrap in foil or a baggie and toss it in. It will seriously last over a year this way.

For the beans, I'd make bean soups which are pureed. The skin is all blended in. I make a white bean soup that is essentially white beans, onions, garlic, and chicken broth pureed (there are some seasonings in there too, but thats the basic concept)

Thanks all for your comments and advice, it's really appreciated. I'll try to start sneaking some beans into my food... ahhhh the joy of wanting to eat healthy but being a picky eater (doesn't help that I grew up in a beef, potato, corn for dinner kind of family)

Thanks again

I dont think that ketchup has that much HFCS, does it? If its just a little its not that big of a deal to worry about.