Storing Fruits & Vegetables?

Question

Does anyone have a complete comprehensive list of the best way to store fruits and vegetables? I live alone, but shopping in bulk is more cost effective. How do I make everything last?

Answer 1

I found this link to be very helpful.http://www.postharvest.com.au/storage.htm


A lot of people do not realize that fridge temperatures vary and holding temperatures vary . Use the appropriate crisper's .
Freezing is also an option and can retard nutrient loss due to exposure to air and lighting .

I found this link to be very

Answer 2

The most effective way to get fruits and vegetables to last longer than three or four days (in the frig) is to can (preserve) them. Some can be frozen, but others do not do so well frozen. A good site for freezing fruits and vegetables is listed below. I am sure that somewhere out there (on the web) is a list of the fruits and vegetables that can and can not be frozen.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers when it comes to storing fruit and veggies. Each one is a little different, with some having different needs than the others. The main reason for eating fresh fruit and vegetables, aside from taste, is that they are rich in vitamins and minerals. But most lose those very things when kept at room temperature. On the other hand tropical fruits like bananas and pineapples will undergo very rapid deterioration if stored in cold places.

The first place most people will choose to store fruits and veggies is in the crisper drawers. The crisper is so-called because food placed there loses its moisture more slowly than food placed on refrigerator shelves. Therefore a piece of celery broken in two will have a much crisper pop! to it than celery placed on the shelf. Because of the slower loss of moisture, the crisper is much more humid than the rest of the fridge. Foods that need the humid atmosphere should be placed in the crisper, but not necessarily without an added bit of storage prep.

For instance, apples should be placed in a paper bag first in order to slow ripening and keep them from getting mushy. Don't store apples for more than three weeks, however. Carrots should also be stored in a paper bag, although plastic is almost as good, in order to keep them from going limp, making sure you cut off the green top first. The longer you keep them, the limper they will be. Try not to keep for longer than a week. Asparagus is a special case. Not only are you dealing with the snap effect, but leaving asparagus at room temperature would rob them of almost half their vitamin C power.

When it comes to those shelves you'll want to make room for any fruit or vegetable that benefits from air circulation. Shelving is best for unhusked corn. The best way to store it is to keep it wrapped in a damp cloth and by no means keep it in there for very long. Try to use it within a day or two and certainly no longer than three or four days if you want maximum taste. Most berries should be shelved, either in a paper bag or else covered in plastic, and the stems should be left on until ready to eat. You want to make sure you put your cucumbers in the highest place you can, disregarding a crisper. The reason for this is that you want to make sure ice crystals get as little a chance as possible to form around the seeds. Mushrooms should be wiped with a damp cloth, although cleaning them with water is not necessarily as devastatingly bad an idea as you may have heard, and then stored in a paper bag, the darker the color bag the better.

Most tropical fruits should never see the inside of a refrigerator unless they've been transformed into juice or have reached absolute ripeness (by which time they should by all rights have already been eaten). Everything from avocados to lemons to plums to melons are best kept on the coolest part of your countertop that you can find.

Never ever ever refrigerate tomatoes unless you enjoy eating a flavorless piece of mush. Rather, store them with the stem-side down away from any direct sunlight.

Oddly enough, the best place to store your garlic is also the best place to store your vampire. A dark, dry, ventilated area will keep garlic fresh for three months.

Do you put onions in the refrigerator or in a hanging basket? I know people who do both and frankly I can't tell the difference. The experts say to go the way of the hanging basket, but if you've got them in the fridge, I wouldn't get too upset.

One last word of advice: Don't freeze raw fruit and vegetable. Not only will they be practically inedible, but if you don't let them thaw completely, you could suffer serious dental bills if you try to bite into them.

Answer 4

Bananas can be frozen in wax paper then put in a ziploc bag when ripe. Thaw only partially before eating. Tastes like ice cream. Buy already frozen fruits & vegetables. Fresh corn on the cob can be frozen (on the cob or cut off) after a 3 minute blanching in freezer bags then only take out what you need.

Answer 5

I know that freezing berries works well. I wash and cut them then either place them on a cookie sheet or into ziplock bags and freeze them. Then just take some out when you want to eat them. I use them for smoothies, toppings on waffles or crepes or pancakes, or just to snack on.

Keep the veggies in the fridge, I guess. Sorry that I couldn't be more helpful!

Answer 6

Best choice is go to a library or where i go for research is a book store l. like barnes and nobles as there are many books on storing and presevations of vegetables

Answer 7

Quick answer:

for leafy veggies, it helps to wrap them in paper or keep them in a brown bag in your crisper. Keeping them in plastic bags gives them shorter shelf life.

as a general rule, fruits keep better outside the fridge. (depending, of course, on your environment --- cool, tropical, etc.)

Answer 8

probably in one of those air tight containers or bags and in the refridgerator will probably help them last longest...