Storing fresh fruits and vegetables the right way takes some planning, but in the long run this planning serves us well. At some point or the other you’re sure to get carried away at the grocery stalls and end up with a couple of kilos of fruits and vegetables, thinking you’ll eat them up soon. You reach home, and dump all the fresh fruits and vegetables into the crisper – after all that’s the section marked for fruits and vegetables, isn’t it? And before you know it the old bananas hiding in the crisper from your last fruit shopping spree spread their decay across all the new and fresh groceries. Avoid this predicament by reading on and learning about the right way to store fresh fruits and vegetables.
God Didn’t Intend Fruits & Vegetables to Last More than a Week
God Didn’t Intend Fruits & Vegetables to Last More than a Week
Buying groceries is a decision making process that must involve the following parameters:
How big is your refrigerator? To avoid those d’oh moments, always keep your refrigerator’s crisper size in mind when buying fruits and vegetables. If you have a large crisper, you can afford to buy certain fruits and vegetables in bulk.
Do you have storage areas in the kitchen (outside the fridge)? Some fruits and vegetables don’t need to, or rather should not, be refrigerated. So it’s a good idea to designate storage areas in your kitchen. Maybe a bamboo rack, some shelves, a drawer etc, could come in handy for storing fruits and vegetables that don’t need refrigeration.
How many people are you buying groceries for? The more people you’re trying to feed, the more fruits and vegetables you’ll need to buy. Buying one aubergine for six people is not very bright.
How often can you buy vegetables? If you are starting a new kitchen schedule and have resolved to cook every day, then form a plan about how often your schedule allows you to go grocery shopping. If the plan is once a week, and you plan on cooking vegetables for the week in one shot, then this simplifies things.
Wash Groceries Only When You’re Ready to Use ThemIf you absolutely must wash your groceries before adding them to the crisper, then wait for them to dry outside and then bung them in. They spoil quickly if refrigerated moist.
Green Leafy Vegetables Spoil Quickly if Not Handled WellYou decided to whip us some lovely summer salads, but forgot about that iceberg lettuce only to remember it weeks later? Think worms, bugs, all kinds of creepy crawlies that you’ll add to your family’s dining table, if you don’t treat these green vegetables with some respect. Always separate them, pluck them if need be, and then leave them to dry in a colander or crisper bowl before storing or using. Be careful to soak them in some potassium permanganate salt before cooking. Potassium permanganate is available in most provision stores and just a pinch added to a tub full of soaked greens is enough to clean them further.
You Know What They Say about Them Bad Apples!One spoilt fruit or bugged out vegetable will spread its rot to all the other groceries in no time, so make sure you check the refrigerator crisper, and room-temperature storage areas regularly.
Store Fruits & Vegetables in Mesh BagsSince most fresh fruits and vegetables require a humidity level of 80-90%, the fridge’s average humidity levels of 50-65% don’t do much to keep the groceries fresh. So use fruits and vegetables storage mesh bags that allow the air within the crisper to circulate freely. This will keep your groceries fresher for longer.
Store Fruits & Vegetables in Separate SpacesThe answer lies in ethylene. Ethylene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon that is a gaseous, organic compound. Bottom line says that some fruits and vegetables produce ethylene, while some other fruits and vegetables are sensitive to it. So, while emptying out the contents of your grocery bag into the same crisper might seem like an easy thing to do, it’s not exactly the smartest. Here’s a short list of some ethylene producers and some groceries sensitive to ethylene:
Ethylene Producers: Apples, Papayas, Melons, Bananas, Tomatoes,
Ethylene Sensitive: Lettuce, Broccoli, Mangoes, Lemons, Oranges, Carrots
Here’s a comprehensive list of how to store fresh fruits and vegetables, whether on the counter or in the refrigerator.
How big is your refrigerator? To avoid those d’oh moments, always keep your refrigerator’s crisper size in mind when buying fruits and vegetables. If you have a large crisper, you can afford to buy certain fruits and vegetables in bulk.
Do you have storage areas in the kitchen (outside the fridge)? Some fruits and vegetables don’t need to, or rather should not, be refrigerated. So it’s a good idea to designate storage areas in your kitchen. Maybe a bamboo rack, some shelves, a drawer etc, could come in handy for storing fruits and vegetables that don’t need refrigeration.
How many people are you buying groceries for? The more people you’re trying to feed, the more fruits and vegetables you’ll need to buy. Buying one aubergine for six people is not very bright.
How often can you buy vegetables? If you are starting a new kitchen schedule and have resolved to cook every day, then form a plan about how often your schedule allows you to go grocery shopping. If the plan is once a week, and you plan on cooking vegetables for the week in one shot, then this simplifies things.
Wash Groceries Only When You’re Ready to Use ThemIf you absolutely must wash your groceries before adding them to the crisper, then wait for them to dry outside and then bung them in. They spoil quickly if refrigerated moist.
Green Leafy Vegetables Spoil Quickly if Not Handled WellYou decided to whip us some lovely summer salads, but forgot about that iceberg lettuce only to remember it weeks later? Think worms, bugs, all kinds of creepy crawlies that you’ll add to your family’s dining table, if you don’t treat these green vegetables with some respect. Always separate them, pluck them if need be, and then leave them to dry in a colander or crisper bowl before storing or using. Be careful to soak them in some potassium permanganate salt before cooking. Potassium permanganate is available in most provision stores and just a pinch added to a tub full of soaked greens is enough to clean them further.
You Know What They Say about Them Bad Apples!One spoilt fruit or bugged out vegetable will spread its rot to all the other groceries in no time, so make sure you check the refrigerator crisper, and room-temperature storage areas regularly.
Store Fruits & Vegetables in Mesh BagsSince most fresh fruits and vegetables require a humidity level of 80-90%, the fridge’s average humidity levels of 50-65% don’t do much to keep the groceries fresh. So use fruits and vegetables storage mesh bags that allow the air within the crisper to circulate freely. This will keep your groceries fresher for longer.
Store Fruits & Vegetables in Separate SpacesThe answer lies in ethylene. Ethylene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon that is a gaseous, organic compound. Bottom line says that some fruits and vegetables produce ethylene, while some other fruits and vegetables are sensitive to it. So, while emptying out the contents of your grocery bag into the same crisper might seem like an easy thing to do, it’s not exactly the smartest. Here’s a short list of some ethylene producers and some groceries sensitive to ethylene:
Ethylene Producers: Apples, Papayas, Melons, Bananas, Tomatoes,
Ethylene Sensitive: Lettuce, Broccoli, Mangoes, Lemons, Oranges, Carrots
Here’s a comprehensive list of how to store fresh fruits and vegetables, whether on the counter or in the refrigerator.
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