Tips for Storing Fruit and Vegetables
Tricks to Optimize the Shelf Life of Fresh Produce
Oct 16, 2008
The following tips are designed to help make the most out of the products purchased, increasing shelf life and optimising storage conditions.
It’s frustrating when fruit and vegetable products go off before they can be consumed. Wasted food impacts the environment, costs money and causes inconvenience to the cook. By observing a few simple rules it is possible to lengthen the shelf life of many products, preserving vitamin and mineral contents and keeping them fresher, for longer.
Tips and Tricks to Optimise the Shelf Lives of Fresh Products:
- Apples should always be kept cold. They emit a high amount of a gas called ethylene, which accelerates decomposition of other produce, so should always be kept separate from other fresh produce
- Asparagus should be stored in the refrigerator, with the stems standing in a small amount of water to preserve freshness
- Broccoli can be plunged into very cold water to revive it if it becomes wilted, crispening it up ready for consumption
- Honeydew and Cantaloupe melons should be stored separately, as they react and rot more quickly if stored together
- Cucumber should be kept very cool, as it is quick to soften and over-ripen if in a warmer temperature
- Green beans should be kept at 10 degrees, and consumed within two days for optimum freshness
- Grapes should never be washed when storing, as their natural bloom protects against ripening
- Bananas act as an accelerant on other fruit and vegetables, causing them to ripen too quickly, keep them out of the refrigerator and preferably hung in a cool place
- Oranges should be kept separated from other porous foods such as eggs and cheese, as their odour is easily absorbed
- Leave stalks on foods such as strawberries and tomatoes, to lengthen their shelf life
- The refrigerator door is the coldest place in the fridge, so is ideal to keep perishables such as milk at optimum temperature.
Preventing Ethylene Gas Production
All fruit and vegetables naturally produce ethylene gas as they age and ripen. Ethylene gas is odourless, tasteless and harmless but the gas given off builds up in the refrigerator causing fresh produce to rot prematurely. There are a number of products on the market designed to stave off production of the gas, lengthening the shelf life of all fruit and vegetables purchased.
Other Tips for Lengthening Shelf Life
Always wrap bread in a polythene bag after purchasing, as this slows down the process of decomposition and stops it from going stale so quickly. Other products such as biscuits and cakes should be kept in sealed air tight containers in a cool dry place.
Products such as mushrooms and strawberries should be placed in the refrigerator with their packaging punctured to allow air to circulate. This inhibits excess damp which can greatly speed up decomposition.
Source:
The Friends of the Earth website
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