The right way to Make Produce Final Longer

[ad_1] <img width="800" height="534" src="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Hand placing bag of frozen mixed vegetables in organized freezer with meal prep containers" decoding="async" srcset="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-scaled.jpg 1800w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /> Maintaining a healthy diet is under no circumstances a simple feat, however it's utterly attainable with just a little little bit of know-how and energy. One subject that usually arises for people who find themselves beginning to eat extra complete meals is produce going dangerous. After a couple of days, or perhaps a few hours for some grocery objects, your meals may spoil.

So, how do you repair this? Vegetables and fruit are confirmed to be good sources of power, vitamins, dietary fiber, nutritional vitamins, and minerals (1). Produce is important for a nutritious diet—and with a purpose to eat it, you want to know what to do with it to maintain it recent. Right here’s the best way to make produce last more.

The place Ought to I Retailer My Produce?

The principle subject with regards to preserving produce recent is the place you select to retailer it: fridge, countertop, or elsewhere. Location can really make all of the distinction with regards to how lengthy your meals lasts.

Meals that must be saved in your countertop are those who nonetheless must ripen. Sure produce (normally fruits) could also be bought earlier than they’re ripe, so that you’ll need to put them in your countertop till they’re able to be eaten. From then on, it’s a good suggestion to eat them instantly, or retailer them within the fridge for a pair extra days. Examples of some produce that you could be need to pass over of the fridge are (2):

Tomatoes

Avocados

Bananas

Pears

There are additionally sure greens that it's best to retailer in a cool, dry area resembling a pantry—these embrace (2):

Onions

Garlic

Potatoes

Winter squash

All these produce can't be saved within the fridge as a result of when uncovered to moisture, their texture and taste can change for the more severe.

Another produce must be put in your fridge. This particularly contains vegetables and fruit which are already ripe or lower up into items.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips-1024x683.jpg" alt="someone putting food away while practicing food organization for optimal freshness" class="wp-image-63640 size-full" srcset="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips.jpg 1504w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> You may also like

How To Arrange Your Fridge So Nothing Will get Misplaced Or Wasted

Don’t Retailer These Meals Collectively

Ethylene is a fuel launched by most vegetables and fruit that causes produce to ripen (3).

“The extra ripe an ethylene-producing fruit or vegetable is, the extra fuel it produces. So if different produce objects are close by, the fuel will make them ripen extra rapidly as effectively,” says MyFitnessPal dietitian Katherine Basbaum.

Most tree fruits put out massive quantities of ethylene, amongst a number of different produce. Listed here are some ethylene-producing vegetables and fruit (3):

Apples

Pears

Apricots

Avocados

Cantaloupe

Nectarines

Papayas

Peaches

Bananas (when absolutely ripe)

Peppers (when absolutely ripe)

Tomatoes (when absolutely ripe)

The above produce objects shouldn't be saved with vegetables and fruit which are delicate to ethylene, which embrace (3):

Carrots

Parsnips

Broccoli

Cucumbers

Asparagus

Iceberg lettuce

Squash

Herbs

Apples

Decrease temperatures assist scale back sensitivity to ethylene (3). You’ll need to retailer these ethylene-sensitive meals within the fridge, in a crisper drawer. Ethylene-producing vegetables and fruit must be bagged and saved in a special crisper drawer.

In regards to the Knowledgeable

Katherine Basbaum, MS, RD is Meals Knowledge Curator at MyFitnessPal. She obtained her Masters in Vitamin Communication from the Friedman Faculty of Vitamin Science & Coverage at Tufts College and accomplished her Dietetic Internship at UVA Well being, the place she additionally works as a vitamin counselor for cardiology sufferers.

4 Tricks to Make Produce Final Longer

Now that we’ve coated the place to place sure produce and what sorts of produce to not retailer collectively, let’s dive into extra particular suggestions and tips on the best way to make produce last more.

#1: Take away Tops Off Root Veggies

Root greens like carrots, beets, and radishes all have leafy tops that are likely to rot rapidly, so in case you are not planning on consuming the leafy tops, it’s a good suggestion to chop them off instantly after buying (4). Go forward and retailer the destemmed root greens within the fridge after that.

#2: Use Your Crisper Drawer

Don’t put produce on fridge cabinets—crisper drawers are there for a cause! Placing produce in crisper drawers helps defend it and maintain moisture in for longer (5). This in the end maintains freshness for longer durations of time. Guarantee that once you use crisper drawers, although, it's best to separate fruits from greens, in addition to ethylene-producing objects from ethylene-sensitive objects.

#3: Maintain Recent Herbs Upright

In case you purchase recent herbs, don’t depart them within the produce bag that you simply purchased it in. As a substitute, deal with the herbs like flowers: snip off a little bit of the ends and put them in a mug, then cowl them with a produce bag (5). It will maintain the herb stalks alive, so that you've the freshest substances to make use of.

#4: Wash Leafy Greens

Basbaum recommends rinsing leafy greens below cool water, patting them dry with a paper or dish towel, wrapping them in a clear towel to soak up extra water, and storing them in a sealed container (6). This results in optimum freshness for the leafy greens—good for salads, stirfrys, and anything.

Often Requested Questions (FAQs): The right way to Make Produce Final Longer

How ought to I retailer lower vegetables and fruit? It’s greatest to retailer pre-cut or packaged produce within the fridge (7). This additionally applies to vegetables and fruit that you could have lower your self.

Ought to I wash my produce earlier than storing it? Other than leafy greens, most produce objects will keep recent for longer if they're saved unrinsed (4). It’s most likely greatest to clean your produce proper earlier than utilizing it.

What produce normally goes dangerous sooner? “Smooth fruits (like berries) in addition to recent leafy greens are likely to spoil extra rapidly than different heartier vegetables and fruit,” says Basbaum (8). You may need to eat these produce objects inside days of buy.

What sorts of containers are greatest for preserving freshness? “Containers made from glass, stainless-steel and ceramic are good decisions for storing produce as these supplies are non-reactive and non-toxic, could be simply sanitized, and maintain meals recent,” says Basbaum (9). Plastic containers are additionally alright, however Basbaum recommends checking that they're dishwasher protected and BPA-free.

The Backside Line

With so many sorts of produce and totally different storage strategies, it could really feel overwhelming to constantly eat recent, complete meals with out waste. However studying the best way to retailer your vegetables and fruit correctly doesn’t need to be sophisticated.

Begin small: select a couple of produce objects you purchase usually and apply the information outlined above. Over time, you’ll get extra snug with which meals must be refrigerated, which of them are higher off on the counter, and the best way to maintain ethylene-sensitive objects recent for longer.

In the end, making produce last more isn’t nearly stopping meals waste—it’s about getting probably the most dietary worth out of your meals and making wholesome consuming extra handy and sustainable. A bit of planning and care can go a good distance in serving to you stick with your well being objectives whereas saving time and money within the kitchen