Keep Your Produce Fresh: Six Tips for Better Food Storage

Proper food storage is the key to keeping your produce fresh for longer, reducing waste, and saving money. This post shares some simple tips that can make a big difference in keeping your food on your plate and out of the compost bin.

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Summer is all about gardens, farmer’s markets, and CSA boxes in the Midwest. It feels good to have a fridge with fresh foods during this time of year, but it doesn’t feel good when they go back within just a few days. If you’re looking to maximize freshness and boost the longevity of your produce, this is the post for you.

Whether you’re a home cook, a health enthusiast, or someone passionate about sustainability, learning how to properly store fruits and vegetables can make a big impact. In today’s fast-paced world, reducing food waste is more important than ever. The rising cost of groceries nowadays is also no joke. You pay good money for fresh food. Don’t let it go to waste!

With a bit of knowledge and some simple techniques, you can keep your fruits and vegetables fresh for longer, saving money and making a positive impact on the environment. Here are six essential tips for better food storage that will help you make the most of your produce.

Know Your Produce

Different types of fruits and vegetables have unique storage needs. Understanding these needs is the first step in ensuring your produce stays fresh. Here are some general guidelines:

• Refrigerate: Leafy greens, berries, apples, stone fruits, and carrots do best in the fridge.
• Countertop: Tomatoes, bananas, and avocados should be kept at room temperature until they ripen. Once they do ripen, you should use them immediately or freeze to use later.
• Cool, dark place: Potatoes, onions, and garlic prefer a cool, dark environment like a pantry. Keep them away from the oven or places that change temperature often.

By storing each item correctly, you can significantly extend its shelf life.

Wash Your Produce

If I could give you ONE tip, it would be to Wash. Your. Produce. This is key to making it last forever. And I don’t just mean running it under water for a few seconds, I mean soaking it properly, getting all the gunk off, and drying it before storing it. I recommend washing it right when you get home from the grocery store before it goes into the fridge. That way you can store it properly right away, and it’s clean and ready to eat! Many people skip this step, and just say “Meh, I’ll wash it later”, but then later comes and you’re probably not in the mood to spend the time to take care of it.

How to Wash Your Produce to Get it Clean and Improve Freshness

Washing your produce correctly can remove the dirt, pesticide residue, and insects that may be hiding on your food. Rinsing with water alone is okay, but not nearly as effective. Below is my three-step method for washing produce to actually get it clean. This easy method only involves three ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.

• For Thick-Skinned Produce: Use washing method above, but give the produce a good scrub using a scrub brush. I like using either this one or this one.
• For Thin-Skinned Produce: Use method above, but be gentle when it comes to rinsing and drying. You don’t want the skin to break or bruise.
• For Leafy Greens: I’d recommend just using vinegar and water to wash leafy greens. You will also want to lay these out to dry thoroughly before storing. Excess moisture will cause them to go bad faster.

You know that fuzzy feeling grapes can have when you eat them? After washing these green grapes, all of that fuzzy residue was gone!

Use the Right Containers

After washing produce, storing your produce I’d say is the second most important. The containers you use can make a big difference in how long your produce lasts.

• Airtight containers: Great for cut fruits and vegetables, as they prevent air from speeding up spoilage.
• Produce bags: Perfect for leafy greens, allowing some air circulation while retaining moisture. For heartier greens like kale you can use produce bags like this, or you can reuse a plastic zip bag.
• Paper towels: These can be useful in bags with lettuce or other greens to absorb excess moisture and prevent wilting. I recommend getting some non-toxic paper towels for this, like these from Who Gives a Crap. You could also use a thin cotton tea towel instead.

The photo on the right was one of my farmer’s market berries TWO WEEKS later. Washing and storage make a difference!

Refrigerated Produce Storage Hacks

• Carrots and Celery: After washing and cutting the ends, store these covered in filtered water in an air-tight container. This works with cucumbers too, but they don’t last as long.
• English Cucumbers: This is an oddly specific tip, but English cucumbers have oddly specific needs. 99% of the time they come wrapped in plastic, but this plastic serves a purpose. Do NOT take the cucumber out of the plastic until you’re ready to use it! These cucumbers have a slightly thinner skin than a regular one, so the plastic helps to protect it. Sometimes plastic has it’s use in the kitchen.
• Asparagus and Herbs: Cut the ends of the ends and store in a glass jar with just enough water to cover the ends. Treat them like flowers.
• Berries: After washing and drying, store berries in an air-tight container. You can put a paper towel or tea towel at the bottom to help absorb moisture.
• Greens: Store in a bag with a paper towel or tea towel. Make sure they’re dry before storing.
• Potatoes and Root Vegetables: If you’re cutting potatoes to cook later, keep them in the fridge covered in water til you’re ready to use. Cook them within a few days.
• Onions: For cut onions, I’d recommend using an air-tight glass container to help with the odor and moisture.

Using the right container for each type of produce helps maintain the right balance of moisture and air circulation. Adding water to the container when necessary also helps keep things crisp. Ever since I started storing my carrots in water, they have lasted for weeks and still taste so fresh!

Containers I Use Everyday

• Glass jars: These can hold herbs in water or berries with the lid on. Many uses for jars in the kitchen.
• Glass containers: Not just for leftovers and meal prep. I have some spare glass containers to use for my carrots and berries. I also have a larger glass rectangular container for when I cut up a watermelon or need to store bigger batches of things. Ingredient prepping not only helps me keep these things fresh but also organized.
• Stainless steel: Similar to glass, stainless steel is a great plastic-free option to storing food.
• Stasher bags: I LOVE Stasher bags! I use a large one for frozen bananas, or I enjoy the smaller ones for taking snacks on the go. A great alternative to plastic bags.
• Beeswax wrap: Use this for storing cut veggies and fruits. Place the wax wrap over a cut lemon and place it in the fridge.
• Plastic zip bags: Reuse and repurpose! I don’t buy these new, but when I get one from a friend, I wash it out and save it if I can. I avoid putting hot foods in them, and I discard them when they show signs of wear.

You can use code KAYLA10 on Earth Hero for a discount on Stasher bags and other eco things for your kitchen!

Keep Your Fridge Organized

A cluttered fridge can lead to forgotten, spoiled produce. Organize your fridge to ensure proper air circulation and easy access to items. Here are some tips:

• Use clear bins: Group similar items together and use clear bins to see what’s inside.
• Label and date: Clearly label and date leftovers or prepped produce to keep track of freshness.
• First in, first out: Arrange items so that older produce gets used first. You can even have a dry erase board on your fridge and write down what needs to be eaten that week before it goes bad.

An organized fridge not only keeps your food fresh but also makes meal planning and cooking more efficient. Mine isn’t the most organized 100% of the time with the amount of fresh things we use and cook every day, but taking some time once a week to reorganize things really helps.

Avoid Ethylene Gas Buildup

To get into the science a bit of how food spoils, some fruits produce ethylene gas, which can accelerate ripening and spoilage in nearby produce. Ethylene gas is a naturally occurring plant hormone that plays a crucial role in the ripening of fruits. While this process is essential for making fruits ready to eat, ethylene can also accelerate the spoilage of nearby produce. To prevent this, store ethylene-sensitive items away from high-ethylene producers.

High Ethylene Producers:

• Apples
• Bananas (when ripe)
• Avocados
• Cantaloupe
• Tomatoes
• Peaches
• Pears

Ethylene-Sensitive Produce:

• Leafy greens
• Berries
• Carrots
• Asparagus
• Onions
• Broccoli
• Cucumbers

Separating these items can help maintain their freshness longer and prevent spoilage.

Revive and Reuse

Even with the best storage techniques, some produce may start to wilt or lose its crispness. Before you toss it, try these revival tips:

• Leafy Greens: Soak wilted greens in ice water for 10-15 minutes to revive their crispness.
• Carrots and Celery: If these were stored dry, place in a bowl of water in the fridge to maintain crunchiness.
• Asparagus: If you haven’t already, place your asparagus into a jar and fill the jar with water just to cover the ends. Your asparagus will spring back to life if it’s not too far gone.
• Herbs: Treat fresh herbs like flowers—trim the stems and place them in a glass of water, covering them loosely with a plastic bag.

Additionally, use overripe fruits in smoothies, baking, or as natural sweeteners. Veggies starting to wilt can be perfect for soups, stews, or stir-fries.

Freeze What You Won’t Use

When you’re thinking you won’t be able to use up your produce before it goes bag, freeze it! Frozen fruits and veggies have just as much, if not more nutrition than fresh. Freezing changes the texture and water that it holds, but there are still lots of great uses for frozen produce. Freezing before things go bad will save you a ton of money in the long run and allow your produce to have a second life.

To Wrap Things Up

With these six tips, you can extend the life of your produce, reduce food waste, and enjoy fresher, more flavorful meals. By understanding the needs of different fruits and vegetables, using the right washing and storage methods, and getting creative with less-than-perfect produce, you can make a significant impact on both your wallet and the planet.

Have you used any of the methods mentioned here? Have a different method that works for you? Let me know in the comments below! Just like you, I’m always looking for new tips. (: