How to Store Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
You’ve just returned from the farmer’s market with two canvas bags full of gorgeous fresh fruits and veggies. You sit down at the kitchen table to plan out the delicious dishes you’ll cook up for the week. But after one look at your calendar, you know deep in your heart you can’t possibly eat and cook all of this produce in one week. And sadly there’s a high probability that some of it will go to waste.
You are not alone. The typical American family throws out almost 500 pounds of food a year. That is a lot wasted of money! Here are some tips on how to store fresh fruits and veggies so you don’t become a statistic.
Know Which Fruits and Veggies Produce Gas
Fruits and veggies naturally emit an odorless, harmless, and tasteless gas called ethylene, and some produce it in greater quantities than others. When ethylene-producing foods are stored next to ethylene-sensitive foods, the gas will speed up the ripening process of the other produce. This is great if you need to ripen a piece of produce, for example, pair an apple with an unripe avocado. However, if you don’t want to speed up the ripening (or decay) process, store or keep the following fruits and veggies separate.
Produce That Creates Ethylene Gas: Apples, apricots, avocados, ripening bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, citrus fruit (not grapefruit), figs, grapes, green onions, honeydew, ripe kiwi fruit, mangoes, melons, mushrooms, nectarines, papayas, passion fruit, peaches, pears, peppers, pineapple, plums, prunes, tomatoes and watermelon.
Produce That Is Damaged by Ethylene Gas: Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, kale, kiwi fruit, leafy greens, lettuce, parsley, peas, peppers, potatoes, romaine lettuce, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, watercress and yams.
Take the Time to Plan Your Meals
- Plan your meals for the week before you go shopping and create a shopping list
- Only buy what’s on your shopping list
- Eat and or cook the produce with the shortest shelf life first
- If you still can’t manage to eat all of your fruits and veggies, throw them in your compost pile (along with your food prep scraps)
Follow These Food Storage Guidelines
| Produce | Storage | Life Expectancy |
| Apples | refrigerator (loose, not in bag) | up to 1 month |
| Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, Plums | counter until ripe, then refrigerate in a bag | 2-4 days |
| Artichokes | refrigerator, in a bag | 1-2 weeks |
| Asparagus | refrigerator, trim stems, upright in a jar of water | 3-4 days |
| Avocados | counter, store uneaten portion with the pit intact in a bag in the fridge | 3-4 days |
| Bananas | counter | 2 days |
| Berries & Cherries | covered in the fridge. Don’t wash until you use them (too much moisture in the package speeds spoilage). | 1-2 days |
| Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower | refrigerator, bag in the crisper | 4-7 days |
| Carrots | refrigerator, take tops off | 2 weeks |
| Celery | refrigerator, wrapped in aluminum foil | 1-2 weeks |
| Citrus | room temperature of 60-70 degrees | 1-2 weeks |
| Cucumber | refrigerator, bag in the crisper | 4-5 days |
| Eggplant | cool, dry, dark place (counter, cupboard, basket) | 3-4 days |
| Garlic | unpeeled – cool, dry, dark place; peeled – sealed container in refrigerator or freezer | unpeeled – several months; peeled – several weeks in refrigerator, months in freezer |
| Ginger | store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, then freeze remainder | if refrigerated – 2-3 weeks; if frozen – 2 months |
| Grapes | refrigerator, in a bag | 1 week |
| Green Beans & Peas | refrigerator, in bag or container | 3-5 days |
| Greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, cabbage) | refrigerator, bag in the crisper | 1-2 weeks |
| Herbs (fresh) | refrigerator, trim stems, upright in a jar of water | 1 week |
| Kiwis | counter until ripe, then refrigerate in a bag | 3-4 days |
| Mangoes, Melons | counter until ripe, then refrigerate in a bag | 4 – 7 days |
| Mushrooms | cool, dry dark place (counter, cupboard, basket) in a bag | 2-3 days |
| Onions | cool, dry dark place (counter, cupboard, basket) | 2 months |
| Pears | counter until ripe, then refrigerate in a bag | 3-4 days |
| Peppers | refrigerator, bag in the crisper | 4-5 days |
| Potatoes | cool, dry dark place (counter, cupboard, basket) | 1-2 weeks |
| Root vegetables (radishes, beets, turnips) | refrigerator, leave greens on | 1-2 weeks |
| Squash | cool, dry dark place (counter, cupboard, basket) | 4-5 days |
| Tomatoes | counter, uncovered; refrigerate if very ripe | 2-3 days |
Related articles:
- How To Maximize Your Organic Produce
- Which Fruits and Vegetables are the Most Contaminated?
- More Organic Fruits & Veggies!
Image credit: matthannon
