Quick Question!

[muffledcry]

How does everyone store their veggies? I only go shopping once a week for my piggies, and I put everything in Ziploc containers, but I have 14 of them in my fridge...7 for the morning and 7 for the night. Both piggies have the containers split up for them. Just wondering if anyone has a better idea then plastic containers.

Also, I think that Im feeding them too much. I looked over the sample veggie feedings that other people are doing and I have been feeding Sid and Nancy about a handful of different veggies in the morning and night. Is that too much? I spend about an hour or two cutting food up and putting them into the containers....and I usually spend a lot of money on a lot of different veggies. I just want to get them on a schedule and get them on the right amount of food. Maybe I will follow one of those lists but would I be feeding them enough? Please help! Thanks alot!

[catzeye21138]

I usually keep mine in the containers for the first few days, then I break the lettuce heads apart, cut up the peppers, etc and put them all in veggy specific gallon freezer bags. I just reach in and grab one of each or two depending on the veg.

A list of veggies may help, what exactly are you feeding them in the morning and at night?

[Ly&Pigs]

Variety is the key to a good diet. The sample menus are just to help people figure out a good diet for their pigs.

Please list everything you feed for 1 week and the approximate amount of each veggie and I can tell you if it's a good diet plan. Do it in a format like: Monday- list veggies/amount, Tuesday- list veggies/amount, etc. Thanks.

[aqh88]

Storing veggies in air tight containers actually increases mold and the time they break down. You want to absorb some of the moisture and allow some air flow. Line your plastic containers, a specific shelf, or a drawer in the fridge with paper towels and lay your veggies on top. Do not completely close the lids on plastic containers. Only use plastic bags for very short term keeping such as the next day or 2 of food. The lettuce will last days if not a week longer than if you put wet lettuce from the sprinklers in the store or rinsing into an air tight container. Currently I have many pounds of vegetables from my garden sitting in my basement at around 50F on top of newspapers and paper towels in open topped storage containers. It will still be good 2months from now.

[muffledcry]

Ok well the funny thing is, I kinda just go to the store, buy red and green lettuce, Romaine lettuce, radicchio, endive and cilantro, along with peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and raspberries and just cut everything up and put it in the containers. Doing it this way takes me forever and I end up spending alot because I think that I need more to last for 7 days! After looking at the sample lists, I realize that Im over feeding. In one container, I fill it abuot to the top with leafy greens and other veggies and thats what my two kids get for the morning. And I do the same for the afternoon and the other days. So really, I dont know what they are eating everyday. I dont have a break down of it. I think that I am just going to go shopping in the next few days and start them on their little piggie 'diets'. Now I know why Sid has gained weight! So if I start doing it that way, should I still put the veggies in a container? I only buy enough for a week and nothing has ever been spoiled....so is putting everything in gaint freezer bags a better idea?

[aqh88]

You can put the veggies in the container just don't snap the lids down all the way. When I was chopping everything up into daily containers I set the lids at an angle and then stacked them so all the corners had gaps.

Pigs don't get fat on veggies. There's no fat there. They get fat on pellets so if you have a fat pig cut back the pellets not the hay or veggies. You can't really overfeed veggies so long as they are still eating enough hay for fiber so no soft droppings. Otherwise 1 cup a day per pig is only the average or recommended amount. There are even diets where you don't feed pellets but feed alot more veggies. Which I've done in the past because I had a pig that was horribly obese and kept eating the pellets for 8 pigs instead of 1. I was feeding more like 2-3 cups per pig in veggies along with 2 grocery bags or 4lbs of grass for the 8 of them daily. Then they'd eat around a pound or 2 of hay a day. Grass can take the place of hay and provide some of the nutrients hay is missing like vit c but they have to eat more of it since it has a higher water content.

[ctinaw]

I don't pre-prep any of my guinea's food - I just prepare it right before it is served. My lettuce I just keep on the head in my crisper. I cut the amount of peppers, cucumber, squash - whatever I happen to be using - as I use it as well. So I usually have whole chunks of various veggies in my crisper along with the lettuce. Basically - one full crisper is dedicated to guinea food right now. I only buy a weeks worth at a time as I found that if I buy more the lettuce starts to wilt.

I wouldn't recommend storing your cut veggies in a sealed container - this actually traps the gases vegetables give off causing them and the others in the container with them - to deteriorate and mold more quickly. You could continue to hold them in these containers but leaving the lid crack will help - unless you use them so fast that they don't start to go bad before they are gone.

Veggies that dry out like cut cucumbers can be stored in UNsealed plastic baggies.

I've seen these bags on HSN and am thinking about trying them out. They are called "debbie meyer green bags" and allegedly slow down the decomposition of fresh fruits and veggies. She's also started to sell silver bags or something like that - for cereals and breads - I think those would be good for keeping pellets fresh!

Has anyone tried those?

[samoews]

I cut up everything I am going to use, and then make up individual baggies of mixed veggies for each day of the week. The veggies stay nice and crisp for a week (sometimes even a few days beyond), and it is SO convenient.