Confession time: I have probably thrown hundreds of dollars of produce in the trash. Sometimes our fruits and veggies go bad because I am not in the mood to eat a particular thing and other times it’s because the food didn’t stay fresh long enough.
If that’s you too, you will love this post. I researched the top 20 most popular produce foods and how to properly store them to make them stay fresh longer. And, I discovered that I’ve pretty much been doing it all wrong for 35 years.
How to Help Your Fruit Last Longer
Apples
Put apples in the fridge or another cool place, but keep them separate from other produce because they emit gas that will ripen other items.
Bananas
Keep bananas in a cool, dark place away from other ripe fruits. Gas emitted from the stem is what causes a banana to ripen, so separate your bananas and cover the stems with plastic wrap to slow down the ripening.
Blueberries
Remove any bad berries. Wash the berries in a one part vinegar to three parts water solution, rinse to remove any vinegar taste and let dry completely. Put berries back in the original container for ventilation.
Cantaloupe
Place a ripe melon in the fridge, but don’t cut it until you are ready to eat it. And if you don’t eat the whole cantaloupe, leave the seeds in the remaining section, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.
Grapes
Choose grapes with green stems. Leave grapes on stems and put in a ventilated container in the back of the fridge. Don’t wash the grapes until ready to eat.
Lemons
To keep them fresh longest, put lemons in a sealed bag in the fridge.
Oranges
Keep oranges in the fridge unless they are going to be eaten in the next 3 to 4 days.
Peaches
Let peaches ripen at room temperature on the counter, and then place in the fridge. When a peach’s skin gets wrinkly, it’s a sign that it is over-ripening.
Strawberries
Place strawberries on a paper towel-lined tray and cover with plastic wrap. But do not wash and do not cut them to keep them fresh longer.
Watermelon
If you only cut part of the melon, wrap the remaining end tightly in plastic wrap and put in the fridge. If you cut up the entire watermelon, put in an airtight container and eat within 3 to 4 days.
So there are the tips for the top 10 most popular fruits. If you have other tips to help your fruit last longer, I’d love to hear about them so I can share them with my readers. Just leave a comment on the Defeating Busy Facebook page.
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