How to Keep Your Produce Fresh at home

KEEPING YOUR FRUIT & VEG FRESH AT HOME​

It’s undoubtedly become a lot harder to visit the grocery store as frequently as we used to, and that means it’s a lot harder stocking up on your regular supply of fresh fruit and veg. While many may be tempted to opt for frozen foods, there’s nothing that beats the nutritional value and deliciousness of fresh produce. Not to mention, a diet of frozen and processed foods is unhealthy for anyone, and we encourage you to keep up your lifestyle of eating leafy greens and crunchy vegetable goodness.

But how do we make our fruits and vegetables stay fresh for longer? There’s nothing worse than wilted leaves and decay. You want to keep your perishables fresh and crisp for as long as possible, and we’re here to help with a few tips and tricks.

How to Keep Your Produce Fresh at home ​

​If you select only the freshest fruits and vegetables, you’re bound to have produce that lasts longer. Leaves that already have discolouration (think yellow/brown patches) and wilting are already on their way out, and the same goes for fruit and other vegetables. Look for produce with the richest colours, and when it comes to root vegetables, onions, cabbages, and squash go for the ones that feel the heaviest for their size, without any soft spots or blemishes. 

Now that you know what to look for, you need to know how to store it.

Start off Fresh - Avoid early signs of decay ​

Not all fruit and veg age the same way, and that means that there’s no universal way to store all your produce. There are different tricks that work for each kind, and we’ll break it down for you by type and factors. There are a few things to consider that determine how they should be stored, mainly temperature, ethylene, and airflow. 

Temperature: Some produce lasts longer in the fridge thanks to the low temperature, but things like onions, garlic, and potatoes last longer when stored at a cool room temperature. 

Ethylene: Fruits like apples and bananas release ethylene gas, which in turn speeds up the ripening process for other produce like broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, and other leafy greens. So it’s best to store these fruits and vegetables separately to avoid them ripening and decaying rapidly.

Airflow: Fruit and veg that last for longer at room temperature need to have good airflow and circulation to last for longer. Avoid storing them in plastic bags. Even if you bought your bananas or potatoes in a plastic perforated bag, it’s best to take them out to allow them to breathe.

Produce that lasts longer when kept cool however last even longer when sealed in some kind of storage, be it zip lock bags, Tupperware, or pouches. That helps them retain moisture for longer, and also keeps them safe from ethylene gas.

To make it even easier to discern where they should be stored, we’ll break it down for you by type. Here’s how fresh vegetables and fruit should be stored.

Storage for Fruit and Vegetables ​

Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes

• Store your potatoes in a cool, dark place like a cupboard or cellar, where it won’t get too cold or too warm. Kept them away from appliances that might cause temperature changes.

Onions and Garlic

• Don’t refrigerate
• Keep in a cool dark place with low humidity
• Don’t store with other produce
  
  

Cabbages

• Keep sealed and refrigerated
• Uncut heads can live in the fridge without a bag
• Once cut, seal in an airtight container

Winter squashes

• Keep away from ethylene producing fruit and veg
• Store at room temperature
• Can last for a very long time

Leafy greens

• Keep in the fridge unwashed
  
• Seal them in plastic zip-lock bags
  
• Only wash them when you’re going to use them
  

Apples and pears

• Store in the fridge in ziplock bags
  
• Underripe pears should stay at room temperature in a bowl or paper bag
  
• Use a crisp drawer if you have one for non-ethylene-sensitive fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, navel oranges, and raspberries.
  

Mangoes

• Store at room temperature when unripe
• Once ripe you can refrigerate them. 
• Keep them away from apples and other ethylene producing produce

Bananas

• Separate your bananas and wrap the stems of the bananas in plastic wrap, which keeps the ethylene gas away for longer

Buy Fresh Groceries Online ​

Keeping your fruit and veg fresh for longer is one thing, but perhaps you need to restock more frequently, or you need something in particular. By buying groceries online, you can order your fresh fruit and veg and have it delivered to your door.

​It’s easy and convenient and helps take some of the worry and guesswork out of trying to make your produce last. Check out our range of produce and opt to buy groceries online through Raw Nutrition.