Storing Your Fruits and Vegetables

I know this sounds like a no brainer, but how you store your fruits and vegetables will have an impact on their taste when you serve them.  Just about everything can be stored in the refrigerator except for bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, lemons and limes which should be kept in a cool dry area. Garlic and onions should also be kept at room temperature.

Kathy Zengolewicz

Keep all produce separate from any meat in your refrigerator. Crisper drawers help protect and keep your produce moist and aid in the maintenance of freshness for longer periods of time. Mostly all fruits and vegetables can be stored in the freezer. Make sure to freeze in small pieces.

It is better to buy small quantities and eat any produce as quickly as possible after purchasing them. The flavors and nutrients start to degrade the moment they are picked.

Tomatoes should be stored, unwashed, at room temperature. Vidalia onions have a high water content and should be wrapped individually in paper towels before storing in the refrigerator. Eggplant goes bad very quickly and should be eaten with a couple of day of purchasing.

Asparagus should be stored with their tips in water and with a wet paper towel wrapped around the tops to keep them crisp. Mushrooms can be stored in a cool dry place and washed directly before use.

Lettuce should be washed as soon as possible after purchase and cleaned. I rap my lettuce head at the core, remove the core and hold it, core side up, under cold running water until the water comes out of the top. Then let it sit and drain before putting into a lettuce crisper and placing it in the refrigerator.

Cantaloupe will go from ripe to overripe quickly. Store the or any other melons at room temperature. Mangos, plums, peaches and pears can be stored in a brown bag at room temperature.

Storing your fruits and vegetables properly will help them last a little longer and save you money.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon.