How to Keep Fruits and Vegetables Fresh?

A healthy diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of some types of cancer. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables regularly may also lower your risk for heart disease and can contribute to your overall health and vitality. Even though eating fruits and vegetables has tremendous health and healing benefits, many of us don't benefit from them because they go bad before we can eat them.

There are few things worse than having to throw away food that has spoiled. This is not just a waste of resources; it is also a waste of time and money. In most houses, fruits and vegetables are in need of either quick consumption or quick storage. However, there are certain things you can do to mitigate the amount of food you throw away on garbage day. Here are some tips that can help you keep your fruits and vegetables fresher longer:

• Don't purchase more than you need at once
  

  One of the best ways to avoid food spoiling in your refrigerator is to simply avoid buying more than you need at any given time. Many people like to do all of their shopping for the month during one trip. While that is great for most things, such as cleaning products or soda, it can be really bad for fruits and vegetables. These items rot quickly, so you are better off buying them in small quantities and picking up more on an as-needed basis.

• Keep fruits and vegetables dry
  

  When you get home from the grocery store, you might like to wash your fruits and vegetables to make sure they are clean and ready to be used. However, it is best to avoid washing them before storage. Instead, wash them when you are ready to use them. If the produce is very dirty, rinse it and then dry it well before storing it. This is because moisture causes plant matter to rot faster and in just a few days, mold could be growing on your food.

• Separate fruit and vegetables in storage
  

  Fruits and vegetables give off an odorless, harmless and tasteless gas called ethylene (harmless to us) after they're picked. All fruits and vegetables produce it, but some foods produce it in greater quantities. Most fruits and vegetables are categorized into two groups, those that are considered ethylene producers, and those that are considered ethylene sensitive. When ethylene-producing foods are kept in close proximity with ethylene-sensitive foods, especially in a confined space (like a bag or drawer), the gas will speed up the ripening process of the other produce. Products such as apples, papaya, melons, bananas, avocados and tomatoes are considered ethylene producers. Products such as lettuce, broccoli, mangoes, lemons, oranges and carrots are considered ethylene sensitive. Also note that bruising or cutting some fruits and vegetables can cause them to increase their ethylene production.

  Generally, fruits give off more ethylene than vegetables, and vegetables are more sensitive to the harmful effects of ethylene.  Therefore, store fruits and vegetables separately. In general, separate ethylene-producing items from ethylene sensitive items for storage. For example, keep bananas and apples away from other fruits and vegetables. However, you can use this to your advantage if you want to speed up the ripening process of an unripe fruit, for example, by putting an apple in a bag with an unripe mango.

• Keep your fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator
  

  Some fruits and vegetables do not need to be stored in the refrigerator. However, doing so can help them stay fresher for a longer period of time. The cold temperature of the refrigerator helps to slow the aging process.

  Many fruits do best when they are ripened on the counter, then refrigerated once fully ripe. Foods in this group include melons, peaches, plums and nectarines. It also includes avocados and tomatoes. This also works for more tropical fruits, such as bananas, papayas and mangoes.

• Not all produce needs the fridge
  

  Not all produce needs refrigeration. Potatoes and Onions for example should be stored in a cool dry place in the cupboard or pantry. Bananas will go black when placed in the fridge and tomatoes will be tastier if stored at room temperature.

• Use plastic bags
  

  Most fresh produce requires humidity levels of 80-95% for best storage results but your refrigerator humidity level is only about 65%. So keep your produce in plastic bags to stop them from dehydrating, particularly products like leafy greens and others that do not have an outer skin of their own.

• No plastic bags for mushrooms
  

  Mushrooms are 90% water and will go slimy if stored in plastic bags. They will also absorb odors if stored with other foods that have a strong odor. Always store your mushrooms in paper bags.

• One bad apple will spoil the lot
  

  Decayed or damaged produce will produce much higher levels of ethylene than normal. In addition, mold and fungal spores can easily transfer from one piece to another. You should sort through your produce before storing them in your fridge and discard any items that are decaying or damaged.

• Storing leafy vegetables
  

  Lettuce and herbs keep well in specially designed plastic crisper containers. These containers either have a plastic rack insert which keeps the air flowing around the greens or have vent holes. If you don't have a crisper container, you can use a plastic zip lock bag and plain white paper towels. Place one or two sheets of a paper towel flat against the side of the bag and place the greens on top of the paper towels without overcrowding. This method works well with leaf lettuce, spinach (palak), cilantro (dhania), parsley, mustard greens (sarson) and other similar greens.

• Remove toxins
  

  You should cut off the tops and outermost leaves of leafy vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage before putting them in the fridge. Any toxic residues from agricultural chemicals and fertilizers may reside in these outer leaves. Remember to always wash your produce in clean water before use.

By changing just a few of your produce habits, you can make sure that you are not wasting time, money, and food as often as possible. Remember, doing your part to help the household save money on fruits and vegetables can really help decrease you overall food budget every month!