How to Keep Produce Fresh Longer

First, the one rule that changes everything: ethylene gas

If you remember nothing else, remember this. Some fruits (apples, bananas, avocados, tomatoes, stone fruit) give off a natural gas called ethylene as they ripen, and it speeds up ripening in everything nearby. So the simplest thing you can do is keep your ethylene producers away from everything else, especially your leafy greens and other vegetables. This one habit alone will save you a surprising amount of produce.

The flip side is handy too: if you want something to ripen faster, tuck it in a paper bag with an apple or banana overnight and the trapped ethylene will speed things along.

Berries

Don’t wash them until you’re ready to eat them. Moisture is what turns berries moldy and mushy, so keep them dry in the fridge. When you do wash them, a quick bath in one part white vinegar to three parts water, followed by a thorough drying, helps them last even longer. Store them in glass containers lined with a paper towel and leave the lid cracked to let excess moisture escape.

Leafy greens

If you’re using them within a few days, wash and dry them well (a salad spinner makes quick work of it), then wrap them in a paper towel before storing in a container or breathable bag. The paper towel absorbs the excess moisture that makes greens slimy. If your crisper drawer has a humidity setting, keep it on high for greens.

Fresh herbs

I like to treat fresh herbs like flowers. Trim the stems and stand them in a glass with an inch of water, then leave them on a sunny windowsill or in the fridge depending on the herb (soft herbs like basil prefer the counter, heartier ones like parsley and cilantro are happy cold).

Tomatoes, avocados, and bananas

These belong on the counter, not in the fridge, and away from each other and from your other produce since they’re big ethylene producers. Once an avocado or banana is as ripe as you like, you can move it to the fridge to buy a few more days. If your bananas are on the verge, follow this post for how to freeze bananas.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms need to breathe. Take them out of any plastic packaging and store them in a brown paper bag in the fridge, which keeps them from getting slimy.

The crisper drawer

Line it with a paper towel to catch condensation, and use the humidity settings if you have them: high humidity for leafy greens, low humidity for fruits and anything that rots quickly. Store carrots, cucumbers, peppers, and other sturdy produce here, loose or in their original packaging.

Potatoes and onions

Keep both somewhere cool, dark, and dry, like a pantry drawer, but store them apart from each other. Onions give off moisture and gas that make potatoes sprout faster.

Nuts and seeds

These go rancid faster than people realize. Transfer them to an airtight glass container and keep them in the freezer, where they’ll stay fresh for a year or more.

My fruit fly trick

When summer produce is sitting out, fruit flies love to crash the party. I fill a small glass with a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, cover it with plastic wrap secured with a rubber band, and poke a few small holes in the top. The flies are drawn in and can’t get back out. Works every time. If this fails, try my new favorite gadget: this tennis racket/fruit fly zapper!