Tired of Your Fruits and Veggies Rotting So Quickly – Our Guide Will Help Them Last Longer
You know you should be eating your fruits and vegetables but they just never last long enough before they ripen, wilt, and rot. What’s worse is that when you’re not munching on them, they can make your fruit basket as stinky as roadkill. If you hate throwing money away and wasting your time running back to the local grocery store for new produce every couple of days, this guide is for you.
How to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh longer?
We all want to eat healthy, and we all want to save money. But it seems that we can’t do both at the same time. Fruits and vegetables are expensive, but they also go bad quickly. In order to keep your fruits and veggies fresh longer, you need to know how to store them properly.
It’s actually pretty simple if you follow these steps:
- Wash your produce before storing it in the refrigerator or freezer
- Make sure that your refrigerator is set at a temperature of around 40 degrees Fahrenheit / 4.4 degrees Celsius or below.
- Remove any damaged areas on the produce before storing it in the refrigerator or freezer.
- When freezing fruit, remove any seeds or pits first.
- When freezing veggies, make sure they’re dry before placing them in the freezer bag so that they don’t get freezer burn.
How should you store fresh fruits and vegetables?
Fresh fruits and vegetables can be a great addition to any diet, but they often spoil quickly. How do you keep your produce fresh longer? The first step is to store them properly.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation offers this advice:
- Store fruits and vegetables in a cool place, away from direct sunlight.
- Do not wash until ready to use. Washing before storing causes water-soaked spots that encourage mold growth.
- Gently dry your produce with a towel or paper towel after washing it, but don’t rub the skin too hard — it will bruise the fruit or vegetable and cause discoloration.
- If possible, buy local produce from farmers’ markets or roadside stands instead of grocery stores; local farmers usually harvest their crops at their peak ripeness, so they are more flavorful than out-of-season produce even if they cost more per pound they will also last longer.
Can you freeze fresh fruits and vegetables?
The short answer is yes! You can freeze a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. The process is very simple, and the resulting frozen produce will last for months.
How to Freeze Fruits & Vegetables:
- Wash your produce thoroughly under running water. Use a vegetable brush to scrub off any dirt or residue.
- Pat dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen cloth to ensure moisture is not absorbed into the fruits and vegetables.
- Choose your preferred method of freezing based on what fruit or vegetable you are freezing:
For most fruits, we recommend flash freezing because it preserves nutrients better than other methods and doesn’t require any additional equipment like special bags or containers that need to be purchased beforehand.
How to store fruits and vegetables in the fridge?
The refrigerator is a great place to store fruits and vegetables. However, it’s important to know how to store them so that they last longer.
Here are some tips for storing fruits and vegetables in the fridge:
- Wash your produce before you put it in the fridge.
- If you plan to eat fruit or veggies within a few days, put them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. If you plan to eat them later, store them in airtight containers or sealed plastic bags (not directly on shelves).
- Try not to stack produce items one on top of another if you’re storing them in containers or bags. This could cause bruising and other damage as they rub against each other while moving around inside your fridge.
- Don’t store fruits and vegetables next to onions and garlic because they give off gases that can cause spoilage in nearby foods (including things like breads, cheeses, nuts and grains).
What’s the best way to keep fruits and vegetables fresh?
I’ve found that if I don’t buy enough produce to last through the week, I end up throwing away more than half of it. Plus, I hate wasting money on something I could have eaten. So, what’s the best way to keep fruits and vegetables fresh?
Here are my four tips for keeping your produce lasting longer:
- Buy small quantities regularly
- Store properly
- Keep them in water or airtight containers
- Use them before they go bad
Should you use fruit and vegetable storage containers?
You’ve just bought some gorgeous, fresh fruits and vegetables. The problem is they don’t last long, so you end up throwing them away before you can eat them all. It’s frustrating which is why we recommend using,
Fruit and vegetable storage containers!
If you’re buying in bulk, consider getting yourself some fruit and vegetable storage containers. These are designed to keep produce fresh for longer, keeping out air and moisture. They come in various sizes, so you can choose one that fits your needs best.
You can also get a set of reusable food storage bags that work much like the plastic ones but aren’t made from plastic — great if you want to reduce your plastic use! These can be washed and reused again and again.
Wrapping it all up
Always remember: the most important thing you can do to maximize the amount of time your produce stays fresh is to use what you have. Be sure to only buy as much as you will be able to eat and try to purchase smaller amounts more frequently so that you don’t have to throw away the ones that have gone bad. There are many ways that you can save your fruits and vegetables before they spoil, and you should definitely experiment to see what works best for your lifestyle.
