Have you ever had to throw away fruits and veggies just because they didn't look edible
anymore? Most of us get a little carried away at the store and buy more than we can eat,
and then don’t store them properly. In this case, pay attention! There are ways to make
your food stay fresh and crisp longer!
1. Keep your fridge clean. Let's start with the basics! I know cleaning
the fridge isn't the most exciting thing to do, but it's necessary if you want food to
last longer. Leftover residue or mold spores can make your fruits and veggies go bad much
faster.
2. Keep onions in nylon stockings, but twist or tie knots to separate them from each other.
Now that’s what I call a smart reuse! Onions can get rotten pretty quickly if there's too
much moisture. That’s why it’s better to keep them in a cool dark place. And, if
you hang them in tights, they can last up to 8 months.
3. Store garlic in a dark place with low humidity. It’s best to keep them in a dark, dry place
like a container or a paper bag. Also, keep in mind that if the whole garlic bulb stays
intact it can last up to 2 months. But the storage time of separated cloves is only 3-10
days.
4. Place the stems of parsley, cilantro, basil, and asparagus in a container with water and
leave them at room temperature. If you don't want to put them in the fridge,
then you have to treat them the way you treat flowers. Also, don't wash them until you're
ready to use them.
5. Put potatoes in a dark and cool place. Plastic bags aren't the best option for storing
potatoes. Paper or mesh bags work better. Another great preservation trick is to place
them in a box with grids and cover the pottom with newspaper.
6. To make avocados ripen faster, wrap them in newspaper and put them in a paper bag.
It usually takes avocado 7 days to ripen. But if you use this tip it will only take
3-5 days. And if you put a banana inside the paper bag with the avocado, it'll be ready
in only 2 days!
7. Don't store tomatoes in the fridge. Their storage time can vary from 3 weeks to
2 months. It all depends on how ripe they are when you buy them. To make them last longer,
keep them in the pantry or on the counter, because low temperatures make them lose their
flavor.
8. Keep mushrooms in a paper bag with parsley. Don't ever wash them until you're ready to
cook, because humidity can ruin them. Just leave mushrooms in the fridge in a paper bag
and add some branches of parsley, which has antioxidant properties, preventing the appearance
of spots.
9. Use white vinegar to disinfect strawberries. You should wait to wash berries until right
before eating them, because water makes them soft which is bad for storing. Take 1 part
white vinegar and 2 parts water to disinfect them. Make sure there are no berries with
mold because they'll ruin the others. After that, you can either eat them or, after removing
the stems, put them an airtight bag in the freezer, where they'll last up to 4 months.
10. To keep lettuce, spinach, or collards fresh wrap them (after disinfecting).
No one likes soggy green leaves, right? To avoid this, wash them in a large amount of
cold water and dry them completely before putting them in the fridge. You can keep them
either in a container or in an airtight bag. Just don't forget to wrap them in a paper
towel to absorb the remaining water if you want them to stay crisp for up to 2 weeks.
11. Wrap a lemon in tin foil or sprinkle it with salt after cutting it.
If you only need half a lemon, don't let the other half go to waste. Wrapping it in aluminum
foil or putting salt on the pulp will help it stay fresh for 3 days. Just don't forget
to rinse it well before using again.
12. Sprinkle an avocado with lemon juice. If you've cut an avocado in two, save it from
turning brown by putting a few drops of lemon juice on the pulp or by brushing the avocado
half with a little bit of edible oil. You can also put it in a container with chunks
of onion at the bottom. With these tips, the avocado will retain its color for 1 or 2 days.
13. Leave peeled potatoes in a container with water and white vinegar.
To store freshly peeled potatoes up to 4 days, put them in a container full of water, add
a few drops of white vinegar, and place it in the fridge. This will help to prevent them
from turning gray.
14. Freeze ripe bananas for your smoothies. If you've bought bananas that are already
really ripe, but you want to store them for longer, simply remove the peel, cut them in
two, and put them in an airtight bag. You can leave them in a freezer for up to 3 months
and use them for smoothies or homemade ice cream!
15. Make cubes with cilantro, parsley, basil, or any other herb or edible plant.
This is a great trick that will save not only your food but time as well. Finely chop the
herbs or plants you want to use and pack them into ice cube wells. Then add melted butter
but don't forget to let it cool before freezing. You can also use extra virgin olive oil. When
cooking, melt a few frozen cubes of flavor into your pan and enjoy the nice taste!
16. Keep citrus fruits, such as oranges, on the counter.
Citrus fruit should be stored away from direct sunlight, at room temperature, and in an open
space. This will greatly reduce mold growth and the rapid spoiling of the fruit.
17. Put bell peppers in a paper bag. If the bell pepper isn't cut, keeping it in
a paper bag will help to keep it crisp and reduce moisture build-up, which creates an
environment for mold growth. If it's cut then wrap it in a paper towel and put it in an
airtight container.
18. Put plastic or aluminum foil around the stems of bananas.
This yellow fruit is known for producing ethylene gas while it gets ripe. So putting plastic
or aluminum foil around its stem won’t let this gas spread to other parts of the fruit
saving the pulp from becoming a brown mushy mess for 4-5 days.
19. Don't store fruits and veggies near a gas stove or in an area that tends to have
heat or smoke. Just like ethylene, natural gas is known to increase the ripening process.
When fruits or veggies are exposed to the heat even from a toaster oven, they’ll get
ripe way too soon.
20. Store potatoes with apples to keep them from sprouting.
Apples are potatoes' best friends because they can keep all the sprouts away. But onions
are not great companions for potatoes since they can make them go bad faster.
21. Wrap your celery stalks in tin foil. I don't know about you, but I love crispy,
juicy celery as a snack! If you're anything like me then you'd better keep your celery
in the fridge, wrapped in tin foil. This way you can extend its freshness up to a whole
month!
22. Keep roots like ginger or turmeric in the freezer.
If you use roots for juicing or cooking you can freeze them and they'll still grate quite
easily. But their storage period will be much longer.
23. Use glassware for fridge storage. Many plastics may contain harmful chemicals
that can speed up the maturing process and increase spoilage. That's why it's better
to store fruits and veggies in glass containers. Or you can finally put your Mason jars to
use!
24. Trim the carrots. Any green tops draw out moisture and cause
carrots to go limp pretty quickly. That's why it's better to cut them off and leave
unpeeled carrots in a zip-top bag in the fridge. If the carrots are peeled, keep them in a
tightly covered container filled with water.
25. Don't keep cucumbers in the fridge. They don't like the cold! Low temperature
can cause them to spoil faster. They are also super sensitive to ethylene gas, so keep them
away from bananas, melons, and tomatoes.
Do you know any other tips to keep your fruits and veggies fresh? Let me know in the comments!
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