Storing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Many people shy away from buy fresh fruits and vegetables because of their reputation of spoiling before you get a chance to eat them. You can avoid this trouble by storing your fruits and vegetables properly so they stay fresh and tasty for as long as possible.
Here are some easy tips:
On the counter, out of direct light:
• Unripe fruit like citrus or apples (they will not ripen if chilled)
• Tomatoes (they lose flavor and texture if chilled)
• Garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Potatoes (or in a dark cupboard)
• Winter squash
• Onions
• Stone fruits
To be refrigerated:
• Ripe fruit (citrus, kiwi)
• Berries (in a vented container)
• Celery
• Carrots
• Apples (can also be left on counter)
• Cut fruit
• Radishes
• Greens such as spinach and lettuce (wrapped loosely in plastic)
• Fresh herbs
• Asparagus can be stored standing in a cup of water for maximum freshness
Keep fruits and vegetables separate as some fruits like apples give off ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening process of other foods and can lead to spoilage. It is also important to clean out your produce bin frequently as possible- any rotten food can cause other fresh food to spoil more quickly.
One last tip: Tupperware makes a line of products called FridgeSmart® for the storage of fruits, vegetables and herbs which are amazing. They’ve kept fresh herbs and salad greens fresh for weeks in my refrigerator.
Useful post and I’d broadly agree with your comments except for carrots and citrus fruits, which probably shouldn’t be in the fridge. The traditional way of storing carrots is in sand and although that may be too messy or tedious for ordinary use keeping them in a cool, preferably dark, place is fine. It’s also essential to keep potatoes in the dark as otherwise they can develop abnormally high levels of alkaloids thus becoming bitter and poisonous where they’re green.
A useful rough rule of thumb is to keep temperate produce cool but produce from warmer climes warmer. Citrus fruits may develop spots and even spoil of too cold, tomatoes (as you point out) spoil while avocados and bananas may change and simply become unable to ripen properly. And if your lettuce has gone all limp and flaccid then soaking it iced water for a while may revive it.
And everything will keep better if it hasn’t be cut or brusied.