Tired of seeing your fresh produce wilt or rot before you get to enjoy it?
With a few clever storage hacks, you can extend the shelf life of your fruits and veggies, reduce food waste, and save money.
Here are science-backed tricks to keep your kitchen stocked with freshness.
Keep tomatoes and cucumbers apart
Tomatoes release ethylene gas, which speeds up ripening and can cause cucumbers and other sensitive produce to spoil faster.
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To prevent waste, always store them separately.
Wash your greens
Leafy greens like spinach, romaine, and red leaf lettuce last longer if you rinse them in cold water before refrigerating.
Remove wilted leaves, dry them well, and store in a container or bag with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
Leave the wax on
Many fruits and vegetables have a natural or added wax coating that protects them from drying out or bruising.
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Don’t wash this off until you’re ready to eat. Apples, lemons, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplants are among the produce that benefit from this protective layer.
Trim your carrots
Those leafy green tops may look nice, but they drain nutrients and moisture from the carrot itself.
Cut them off before storing, and your carrots will stay crisp for weeks. Bonus tip: save the tops for pesto or salad garnish.
Keep bananas cool
Warm air speeds up banana browning. Once they reach your preferred ripeness, move them into the fridge to add a few extra days of freshness.
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The peel may darken, but the fruit inside will remain delicious.
Freeze your ginger
If you never manage to use ginger before it dries out or molds, freeze it.
Chop, slice, or grate it (no need to peel), wrap tightly, and keep it in the freezer for up to three months while retaining its punchy flavor.
Let onions breathe
Onions last longest when stored in a cool, dry place with good air circulation.
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Avoid plastic bags. Use a mesh bag or even repurpose old clean pantyhose to hang them individually.
Cut onions, however, should be refrigerated and used within a few days.
Chill your berries
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries keep best when refrigerated at low temperatures.
Moisture shortens their life, so don’t wash them until right before eating.
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Wrap celery in foil
Celery is water-rich and sensitive to ethylene gas, which makes it go limp quickly.
Wrap the stalks tightly in foil and store in the crisper drawer to keep them fresh for weeks.
Bag your lemons
Leaving lemons and limes on the counter dries them out. For juicy citrus that lasts up to a month, seal them tightly in a plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and refrigerate.
Store herbs like flowers
Soft-stemmed herbs like parsley, cilantro, and mint will last longer if placed in a glass of water in the fridge, just like a bouquet. Basil prefers room temperature.
Another trick is storing dry herbs in a puffed-up plastic bag with a little breath, your carbon dioxide helps preserve them.
Vent your mushrooms
Mushrooms aren’t veggies, they’re fungi, and they hate moisture build-up.
Take them out of plastic packaging and keep them in a paper bag in the fridge, where they can last up to a week. Wash just before cooking.
Keep your fridge clean
Bacteria, mold, and yeast speed up food spoilage.
Wipe down your fridge regularly with soapy water or vinegar, and don’t overcrowd shelves to ensure good air circulation. A clean fridge is a fresh fridge.
This article is based on information from WebMD.