How to Properly Store Your Fruit
Buying fruit is a tradition that nearly everyone is familiar with. No matter how much of a healthy diet you stick to, all people enjoy a fresh piece of fruit to cool them down and re-energize their bodies. From sweet, juicy fruits like nectarines and peaches to savory roots and succulent citrus, there are plenty of types of fruit and produce to enjoy on a daily basis.
And when you buy more than one piece, you know how exciting it is to save one for later. But, that brings about an important question: How exactly do you store your fruit so that it lasts a long time? You paid for this fruit, and it’s only natural that you want it to be as fresh as possible for as long as possible. So what can you do to ensure that your fruit is properly stored?
Here are a few rules of the road to get you into the habit of proper fruit storage.
Keep Them Cool
Most fruit thrive well in cold and dry spaces. This typically means that not all types of produce do well in the fridge. While your instinct may be telling you to keep your fruit chilled so that it will last longer, some fruits do better when it’s dry.
For example, fruits such as citrus, tomatoes, and bananas should be kept outside of the fridge. Still try to store them in a cool and dry place, though.
Other types of produce including mushrooms and potatoes should also stay out of the fridge as well. This helps to promote ventilation and keep them from going bad within the first couple of days.
Keep Them Temperate
Other types of fruits work best in room temperature conditions. Instead of placing them in the fridge or freezer, you might want to consider keeping them simply in a well-ventilated area, without worrying too much about temperature.
Some of the valuable fruits that need to be kept at room temperature include:
- Tomatoes
- Plums, pears, peaches, and mangoes
- Pineapple
- Whole melons
- Onions and garlic
Here’s a tip: When it comes to pineapple, you might want to store it upside-down at room temperature. This helps the sweet part of the plant seep throughout the rest of the fruit, ensuring that each bite is full of sweet, citrus-y goodness.
Freeze It Up!
Yes, there are some fruits that can store well in the freezer. And, this is a viable option for when you want to keep fruits at their peak ripening for an extended period. This is almost literally how to freeze them in time!
Freezing your produce not only keeps it at peak maturity for a long time, but it also preserves its peak nutritional value. This is when fruits are the most healthy for you, and can provide you with nutrients and vitamins needed to keep feeling great throughout the day. Not only does it work for fruit, but for veggies as well.
There are a few pieces of produce that should never be frozen, including potatoes, lettuce, eggplant, and sweet potatoes.
It’s Okay in the Fridge
There’s nothing wrong with storing your fruit in the fridge. A lot of fruit, such as apples, will soften much faster in the fridge than at room temperature. Almost anything can be stored in the fridge to ensure that its freshness lasts longer than it would if it were just sitting outside.
For extra protection, you can try wrapping your produce in plastic bags or paper towels to help the fruit get rid of its moisture. Excess moisture can lead to quick mildew, browning, and an overall lack of freshness. This is an especially good exercise to implement for berries.
Go with Your Instinct
If you’ve been taught to store fruit a certain way, the odds are that you are probably already doing it right. Just remember that some types of produce work better at room temperature, while others need to be in cool – or even frozen – places in order to preserve their peak freshness and nutritional content.
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