If you are not familiar with Jicama, you must be missing a lot. This is a food that is considered to be multi-functional and has a close relation to vegetables. You could treat jicama similar to vegetables for storing, cooking, and cleaning purposes. It is not difficult to use jicama and it is commonly bought from the area where it is produced in most of the grocery stores.
You will need to know how you can properly store jicama whether you are a professional with the use of jicama or you are just a first timer that is trying jicama for the first time. There are several times that you purchase some produces but you are unable to finish them all at once, after which they will get spoilt and you will have to throw them away. You may sometimes get your produce at a very cheap price and you bought a lot of it, only to get confused about what you will do with it.
This is why you will have the question of how to store jicama in your mind. If you want to store jicama, always remember to keep the jicama dry, this is the most essential thing to keep in mind. Irrespective of where you want to store it, whether in a fridge or on a countertop, the jicama will be kept fresh longer when kept dry.
You can store jicama by using different methods. What we have in this guide is to show you how you can store your jicama by sharing the tricks and tips involved. You are recommended to continue reading to get all we have in stock for you.
Your Guide to Jicama – and Beyond
Talk of an amazing meal, Jicama is a perfect mix of crunch, juicy, and sweet. Jicama resembles a potato that has a sweet flesh like an apple. Jicama is classified to be a crunchy, sweet vegetable whose origin is from Mexico. It is tuberous, resembles potato because the part we commonly see or use is the root. Jicama is a member of the family of a bean. It is a great meal option that can serve several purposes. Jicama is most commonly eaten raw with most people loving it that way after it has been peeled. Jicama can also be cooked and you can enjoy it in a lot of ways.
The same way we have several methods to cook, serve, or use jicama, we also have a lot of ways it can be stored. We may try to show you some recipes of jicama and also some of the tips of cooking, but our main focus is on how you can store your jicama in its raw form. Jicama is normally cultivated in Mexico, but it has now been found throughout the Philippines and Asia. It is also sometimes called yam bean in some areas.
Uses for Jicama
There are a variety of ways to use jicama, it is a very versatile vegetable. You should also note that almost all the parts of jicama are poisonous and the only consumable part is the root. Ensure you remove and discard all the stems, skin, or leaves that come together with the jicama because you won’t be safe if you cook or eat it.
To use jicama, first, wash it, then peel it before you later rinse it. After then, you can proceed to prepare the jicama for anything you want to use it for. You may shred it, cube it, or slice it. Check below for some of the foods and ideas you can use your jicama with:
- Cold and raw when served with sweet dipping sauces or caramel and cinnamon.
- Cold and raw when sprinkled with salt, chili powder, and lime.
- Cook it with meats
- Make tortillas
- Finely chopped into Pico de Gallo
- Hash brown type dishes
- Fries
- Mixed with carrots, onions, or other vegetables
- Mixed with oranges, apples, or other fruits.
- Raw and plain
- Soups
- Coleslaw
- Salad
- Stir fry
There are various options and they are kind of endless, a lot can be done with jicama whether when it is cold or hot, it could be added to any dish because its health benefits are enormous.
Storing Jicama
It is not too challenging to store jicama, but we want you to know that there are a lot of options you can choose from. Depending on the resources you have as well as the climate in your area, growing your jicama may not end well but it is very possible. Jicama’s shelf-life is only that long without a measure.
You must keep one important factor in mind when you want to store jicama and it is that you should always keep the jicama dry irrespective of the storage method you want to use. Having noted that, jicama can be stored at room temperature if you are yet to peel or cut it. It can then be stored in the refrigerator or freezer and it can also be stored by canning. Check below for the highlight of the different storage methods:
- It could be stored at room temperature
- It could be stored in a refrigerator
- It could be stored in a freezer
Storing Jicama at Room Temperature
Jicama resembles potatoes in a lot of ways, when you buy your jicama in its raw form, it would have been peeled like potatoes, you may even mistake it for potatoes because it is usually stored like how potatoes are stored in its initial time of purchase. Check below for the instructions to store your jicama at this particular point:
- You may store it unwrapping it at room temperature
- Ensure you store it in a dry and cool place
- The temperature recommended to store it is between 53°F and 59°F, it must not be colder.
- Ensure you store it where it will not try to accumulate moisture because it could cause mold or rot.
The jicama could store this way for about three weeks if you follow the instructions above. You may, however, have to monitor it. The major problem you will have is that you don’t know how your jicama was previously handled before it got to you. The kind of temperature the jicama has been subjected to during the processing stage as well as distribution is not known to you. Ensure the jicama you select is the one that has a tough skin. Select jicama whose skin is shiny, not the one with blemishes, this is the jicama that most likely has been treated better and they will not really have the risk of rotting too quickly.
Treat your jicama with care when you are storing it, don’t move or bang it around because the skin that should protect it could become blemished or bruised and it will cause it not to last long.
Storing Jicama in the Refrigerator
You cannot store your jicama at room temperature any longer immediately you cut or peel it, it will start to discolor from there. You can use your jicama in many ways that require that it is chilled. Check below for how you can store your jicama in a fridge:
- Ensure the jicama is dry by patting it until excess moisture that may be on it is gone.
- Wrap the jicama tightly with plastic wrap.
- Place it inside the fridge’s vegetable drawer.
- As it stores in the refrigerator, ensure you do not keep it close to the coldest area of the refrigerator. The fridge’s vegetable drawer works perfectly fine but you must make sure it is not too close to the blower/fan or the freezer.
You must ensure that the jicama is stored in a dry area and that is why you are wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap so that moisture will not be collected into it and then go bad or grow mold. The jicama will stay fresh in the refrigerator this way for up to two weeks. You can also use a Ziploc bag to seal the jicama if you do not use a plastic wrap. The only thing you must ensure is that you seal it well. You can also avoid discoloration by allowing them to sit in water and lemon or lime juice mixture. You should, however, remember to dry the jicama before you store it.
Storing Jicama in the Freezer
If you want to have a solution for the storage that will outlast the storing at room temperature and also in the fridge, then you should store in the freezer. It is very easy to store jicama inside a freezer. It is as easy as when you store inside the refrigerator. Always remember that you should allow the jicama to dry before you store it. Jicama may actually be frozen whole or diced and sliced and it means it is all down to your choice. Check below for the steps you should follow to freeze your jicama whole:
- The first thing to do is to use foil to wrap your jicama whole. Ensure you tightly wrap it and also cover it to ensure that there are no gaps.
- Keep the jicama away from areas where there is high moisture because it has to be dry even while frozen.
- Store the jicama inside the freezer for about 12 months.
To freeze your sliced or peeled jicama, follow the steps below:
- Ensure the jicama is dry by patting it so that all excess moisture is taken away.
- You should store the jicama in a sealable freezer bag or an air-tight plastic container by ensuring that it is tightly sealed.
- Put the jicama by using any of the storage methods of your choice.
- Ensure you seal it well and that it is not slacked.
- Store the jicama inside the freezer for about nine months and it will stay fresh this way.
Once you have frozen the jicama, you can use it easily afterward because the process of defrosting is not complicated for you to follow. To defrost, the frozen jicama can be taken out to room temperature to stay for up to 30 minutes to one hour. Ensure you use it immediately or try to thaw it by moving it to the refrigerator and allow it to defrost overnight. Ensure you use it within one or two days after you have taken it out of the freezer in order to prevent it from becoming soggy, always remember this.
Benefits of Jicama
We will also like to check out the benefits that are provided by jicama. Whether or not you are new to jicama or you are very familiar with it, you should check out some of the benefits of your jicama. Jicama is a food that contains a high content of water and it is also very nutritious. You can also use it to replace potato in your meal and this will help you reduce your intake of starch and carbs that are associated with eating potatoes. Check below for those things that make jicama beneficial:
- Maintains health of the heart
- Maximize the functions of the brain
- Boosts the immune system’
- Aids digestion
- It is very rich in magnesium and potassium
- Very high in fiber
- Jicama contains vitamin C in high amount
- Jicama may be about 90% water
- It is nutritious
- Very low in the constituent of carbohydrates
- Very low in the constituent of starches
- Very low in sugars
Related Questions Asked
We are sure that the guide above has been of help to you and you now know how you can store your jicama. You are encouraged to check out some of the questions that may be lingering in your heart, we have provided some answers to it.
How Can I Tell if My Jicama is Bad?
It is quite easy to know when jicama is bad. If you do not know, try to check the texture and smell. If it gives you a spoiled smell, or it appears rotten, you should throw it away. Furthermore, if your jicama has changed to sticky or slimy, don’t use it.
Is Jicama OK on the Low-Carb or Keto Diet?
You can use jicama as a substitute for starchy foods that contains a lot of carbs. Examples like water chestnuts and potatoes. Jicama is very healthy and it contains very low content of sugar and carb.
