Help with veggies.........

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Posted by nanci on November 25, 2001 at 16:05:03:

In Reply to: I'll be an adoptive mom next week... questions, please help posted by Anna on November 25, 2001 at 04:23:24:

: Hi guys, first time I've posted here. After long and drawn-out thought, I've decided to adopt an iguana here in Oregon. She's about three or three and a half feet, comes with a cage (!!!) and apparently is doing fine, aside from an extremely limited diet right now. I'm picking her up next week, and I have a few questions. First of all, approximately how old would a three foot iguana be, growing at a "normalish" rate? Second, I've heard mixed opinions about kale and chard.... should they be fed at all? And third, how do I keep veggies fresh for a decent time? I'll be buying in larger amounts than need be, since collard, mustard, and endive are really cheap around here, and I don't want to waste any. Keep them in jugs? Sealed? What's worked for you guys? Thanks in advance for any tips, support, or criticism offered. I think you'll be hearing from me often.

The veggies won't last longer than a week no matter what. I cut the bottoms off the collards and store them standing up in a pitcher of water. It keeps them fresh maybe a week (provided they were really crisp when I bought them). I pick out the bad dandelions and wrap them in paper toweling and put them in a plastic bag. Don't wet them first or they will wilt. I also roll the romaine (treat on occasion), the mustard greens, the endive and escarole. I feed chard and turnip tops on occasion (more turnip than chard) and store those the same way as the collards. When I "serve" his highness his food, I always run the greens under water (added moisture) and put the stems in a rectangular dish of water (cheapie from the dollar store) so the greens stay fresh for most of the day. My ig likes his greens whole. Snap peas also do better stored in water (yes they get waterlogged and puff up). Or........when I cut up more than a day's worth of snap peas, parsnips, fruit, etc., I will use a divided dish and add a teeny amount of water on the bottom and cover tightly. Keeps them fresh for a few days. Most of the time I cut the fruits and other veggies up fresh each day. My ig likes his butternut squash cooked, so I nuke a half of one and mix it with calcium carbonate and alfalfa tea and store it in a covered plastic container. I will nuke a large spoon of it every day (maybe l0 seconds). Every few weeks, I will also squash some kidney beans for him because he loves them.

Good luck with your new iggie! This is a wonderful place to have your questions answered, too.

nanci

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: : Hi guys, first time I've posted here. After long and drawn-out thought, I've decided to adopt an iguana here in Oregon. She's about three or three and a half feet, comes with a cage (!!!) and apparently is doing fine, aside from an extremely limited diet right now. I'm picking her up next week, and I have a few questions. First of all, approximately how old would a three foot iguana be, growing at a "normalish" rate? Second, I've heard mixed opinions about kale and chard.... should they be fed at all? And third, how do I keep veggies fresh for a decent time? I'll be buying in larger amounts than need be, since collard, mustard, and endive are really cheap around here, and I don't want to waste any. Keep them in jugs? Sealed? What's worked for you guys? Thanks in advance for any tips, support, or criticism offered. I think you'll be hearing from me often. : The veggies won't last longer than a week no matter what. I cut the bottoms off the collards and store them standing up in a pitcher of water. It keeps them fresh maybe a week (provided they were really crisp when I bought them). I pick out the bad dandelions and wrap them in paper toweling and put them in a plastic bag. Don't wet them first or they will wilt. I also roll the romaine (treat on occasion), the mustard greens, the endive and escarole. I feed chard and turnip tops on occasion (more turnip than chard) and store those the same way as the collards. When I "serve" his highness his food, I always run the greens under water (added moisture) and put the stems in a rectangular dish of water (cheapie from the dollar store) so the greens stay fresh for most of the day. My ig likes his greens whole. Snap peas also do better stored in water (yes they get waterlogged and puff up). Or........when I cut up more than a day's worth of snap peas, parsnips, fruit, etc., I will use a divided dish and add a teeny amount of water on the bottom and cover tightly. Keeps them fresh for a few days. Most of the time I cut the fruits and other veggies up fresh each day. My ig likes his butternut squash cooked, so I nuke a half of one and mix it with calcium carbonate and alfalfa tea and store it in a covered plastic container. I will nuke a large spoon of it every day (maybe l0 seconds). Every few weeks, I will also squash some kidney beans for him because he loves them. : Good luck with your new iggie! This is a wonderful place to have your questions answered, too. : nanci

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