Keeping Produce Fresh for Longer
Do you have trouble keeping your produce fresh? What a bummer when you buy all these colorful healthy foods, only to realize they’ve gone bad! Here are some tips to keep produce fresh & tasty:
- Some fruits and veggies produce a gas called ethylene as they ripen. Keep ethylene-producing foods away from ethylene-sensitive foods. Avocados, bananas, cantaloupes, kiwis, mangoes, nectarines, pears, plums, and tomatoes, for example, should be stored in a different place than your apples, broccoli, carrots, leafy greens, and watermelon.
- Keep potatoes, onions, and tomatoes in a cool, dry place, but not in the fridge. The cold will ruin their flavor.
- Store unripe fruits and veggies like pears, peaches, plums, kiwis, mangoes, apricots, avocados, melons, and bananas on the counter. Once they’re ripe, move them to the fridge.
- Wash and cut your veggies then completely dry before storing. Keep in mesh vegetable bags or glass containers. Keep them in plain sight so you don’t forget about them!
- Cover salad greens with a paper towel to absorb moisture that increases in the plastic containers.
- Avoid washing porous produce, like berries or mushrooms, until right before you’re ready to eat them. Wetness encourages mold growth.
- Store your asparagus upright in a glass container.
- If you like to wash, dry, and cut your fruits and veggies all at once, store them in covered glass containers lined in paper towels. You’ll not only be able to see them — which reminds you to eat them — but you’ll also be keeping moisture out.
- Buy only what you need! Plan out your meals ahead of time so you only buy what you know you’ll use.
I hope these tips and tricks help! Keep eating those colorful fruits and veggies! 🙂
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