Monday, May 30, 2011

How to Keep Fruits and Veggies Fresh

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I ALWAYS WONDER WHAT GOES WHERE AS FAR AS STORAGE OF MY PRODUCE.  I CAME ACROSS THIS ARTICLE/TABLE AND I THOUGHT IT WAS HANDY - I THOUGHT I'D SHARE IT!  THERE WERE A FEW SURPRISES IN IT FOR ME!


What to Store Where: A Handy Chart
Use this color-coded key along with the chart below:

  • Store unwashed and in a single layer
  • Store unwashed and in a plastic bag
  • Store in a paper bag
  • *Ethylene producers (keep away from other fruits and vegetables)

Store in Refrigerator
Apples (storage >7 days)
Apricots
Cantaloupe
Figs
Honeydew
Artichokes
Asparagus
Beets

Blackberries
Blueberries

Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage

Carrots
Cauliflower

Celery
Cherries

Corn
Grapes
Green beans

Green onions
Herbs (except basil)
Lima beans
Leafy vegetables
Leeks

Lettuce
Mushrooms
Okra

Peas
Plums
Radishes
Raspberries
Spinach
Sprouts

Strawberries
Summer squash
Yellow squash
Zucchini

Store on Countertop
Apples (storage < 7 days)
Bananas
Tomatoes
Basil
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Ginger
Grapefruit
Jicama
Lemons
Limes
Mangoes
Oranges
Papayas
Peppers
Persimmons
Pineapple
Plantains
Pomegranates
Watermelon
Store in a Cool, Dry Place
Acorn squash
Butternut squash
Onions (away from potatoes)
Potatoes (away from onions)
Pumpkins
Spaghetti squash
Sweet potatoes
Winter squash
Ripen on Counter,
Then
Refrigerate
Avocados
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Kiwi

*More about Ethylene: Fruits and vegetables give off an odorless, harmless and tasteless gas called ethylene after they're picked. All fruits and vegetables produce it, but some foods produce it in greater quantities. When ethylene-producing foods are kept in close proximity with ethylene-sensitive foods, especially in a confined space (like a bag or drawer), the gas will speed up the ripening process of the other produce. Use this to your advantage if you want to speed up the ripening process of an unripe fruit, for example, by putting an apple in a bag with an unripe avocado. But if you want your already-ripe foods to last longer, remember to keep them away from ethylene-producing foods, as designated in the chart above.


Countertop Storage Tips
There’s nothing as inviting as a big bowl of crisp apples on the kitchen counter. To keep those apples crisp and all countertop-stored produce fresh, store them out of direct sunlight, either directly on the countertop, in an uncovered bowl, or inside a perforated plastic bag.

Refrigerator Storage Tips
For produce that is best stored in the refrigerator, remember the following guidelines.
  • Keep produce in perforated plastic bags in the produce drawer of the refrigerator. (To perforate bags, punch holes in the bag with a sharp object, spacing them about as far apart as the holes you see in supermarket apple bags.)
  • Keep fruits and vegetables separate, in different drawers, because ethylene can build up in the fridge, causing spoilage.
  • When storing herbs (and interestingly, asparagus, too), snip off the ends, store upright in a glass of water (like flowers in a vase) and cover with a plastic bag.

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