The Best Way To Store Fresh Fruits & Vegetables For Longevity

Do you find as you’re consuming more fruits and veggies on a day to day basis, you often loose some due to them going off quickly? If your answer is yes, then keep on reading as we have some great tips for you on how to keep your fruits & vegetables fresher for longer. Whether these are homegrown fruits and vegetables, or store bought.

Storing your fruits and veggies the right way can make all the difference to how long they last and how they taste. The natural gas (Ethylene) that’s released from most fruits and vegetables speeds up the ripening, and rotting process. Of course, this can be an advantage if you actually want them to ripen. However, if you are trying to get them to last longer, this isn’t what you want.

For example, to ripen an avocado more quickly, you simply seal it in a paper bag. This envelops the avocado in it’s gases and helps it to ripen quicker. Temperature, humidity and storage also play huge roles in the ripening of fruits and vegetables. So, how can you keep your fresh vegetables at their peek freshness?

Where To Store Your Fresh Fruit And Veg?

The first thing to know is once you get your fresh fruit and veg home is how to best store them. Below is a list of the fruits and vegetables, ad where they like to be stored…

A quick way to know where to store them is to note how they are kept at your supermarket. For example, if you find the broccoli in a cool, fridge section, that’s how you should store it at home.

Store at room temperature

• Parsnips
• Bananas
• Cucumber
• Aubergine
• Garlic
• Kiwis
• Grapefruit
• Green beans
• Citrus fruit
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Watermelon
• Butternut squash
• Courgette

Store in the fridge

• Lettuce
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Leafy greens
• Grapes
• Leeks
• Parsley
• Peas
• Blueberries
• Pomegranate
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

There are also items that should be ripened out on the counter, then moved to the fridge once ripe. These include…

• Nectarines
• Apricots
• Avocado
• Kiwis
• Mango
• Melon
• Peaches
• Pears
• Pineapple
• Plums

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Can You Store Fresh Fruit & Veg Together?

This was actually something we had never really considered until i read that some actually really don’t like each other. Some fresh food items emit a very high amount of the Ethylene gas, which can causes issues of over ripening for others.

For example, onions, apples, avocados, pears, bananas and even tomatoes are some of the ones that emit the highest amount of the gas. So, these should all be kept well away from more delicate items such as leafy greens and potatoes. The leafy greens are so delicate that they will suck in the gases meaning they will go off much more quickly. The same goes for potatoes. The gases will actually cause them to sprout and go soft, even in your fridge!

Also, putting these high emitting fruits and veggies with each other can cause rotting to happen more quickly. They should be kept away from each other as much as possible to avoid over ripening. Bananas and avocados next to each other in a fruit bowl for example, is a disaster waiting to happen!

So watch how you store fresh vegetables to make sure they’re in the right place.

Cutting Fresh Fruit & Vegetables

Having fresh fruits and veggies on hand to have as snacks can be great. Especially if you’re trying to eat healthier or to loose a bit of weight. However, some really don’t like to be cut ahead of time, and will often go brown quickly. Knowing which ones can handle 3 days in the fridge, and those that can’t will save you a lot of waste.

Fruits & veggies that don’t like to be cut ahead of time are – bananas, apples, avocados and pears will go brown very quickly once cut, so these are best to leave until you want to eat them.

The majority of the rest are fine being prepared early, meaning they’re great if you like to prep your meals for the week. However, once you’ve cut them, make sure you put them in to airtight containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. A squeeze of lemon juice on the cut fruit and veg can also help them last longer.

Hopefully you found this article helpful when it comes to keeping your fruits and veggies fresher for longer. Now there’s no excuse for not having fresh food to hand!