Keep Produce Fresh Longer With These 10 Tricks
Stop throwing away so much food and money. It’s time to learn how to make your fruits and veggies stay fresh longer. You can keep produce fresh longer with these ten tricks!
Keep Produce Fresh Longer With These 10 Tricks
I love to stock up on produce whenever I’m at Costco. But I get so mad at myself when I throw half of it away because it goes bad before I have a chance to eat it!
So I’ve been trying to figure out different ways to keep produce fresh longer so I’m not wasting so much money and food!
If you want to learn how to make your produce last as long as possible, keep reading!
(This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure statement here.)
How to Make Produce Last Longer
1 | Use Liners in your Produce Drawers
These drawer liners are made with special anti-mold material that protects the fruits and vegetables from spoiling, and they also absorb moisture.
They allow air to circulate throughout the drawer, preventing produce from rotting or spoiling. You can buy a pack of 4 on Amazon for pretty cheap!
2 | Avoid Washing Berries Until You’re Ready to Eat Them
Excess moisture can cause premature spoilage. So don’t bother washing your berries until right before you plan to eat them.
3 | Learn Which Foods Should Never Be Stored Together
There are some fruits and vegetables that should never be stored together. Certain kinds of produce create high amounts of ethylene gas. Ethylene gas causes fruits and veggies to ripen faster.
Foods that produce high amounts of ethylene gas should be stored separately from ethylene-sensitive foods. You can click here to learn which fruits and vegetables produce high amounts of ethylene gas.
4 | Reduce Ethylene Gas
You can actually reduce the amount of ethylene gas in your produce drawers by using activated carbon. You can buy the product above on Amazon.
It’s a blue plastic apple with activated carbon packets inside. You place these in your produce drawers, which will reduce odors and keep produce fresher longer by slowing down the spoilage rate by absorbing ethylene gas.
5 | Wrap Celery in Aluminum Foil
I’m not too fond of soft, floppy celery. Celery is best when it’s crispy and crunchy. When celery loses water, it becomes wilted and limp.
Wrapping celery in aluminum foil will keep it hydrated. Make sure to wrap the foil tight so moisture can not get out. But don’t crimp the edges shut. That way, the ethylene gas can still escape.
6 | Store Produce in the Freezer
If you want your produce to last a really long time, store it in the freezer. Not all fruits and veggies keep well in the freezer, but many do – broccoli, green beans, brussel sprouts, berries, peaches, etc.
If you know you won’t be able to eat something before it goes bad, toss it in the freezer. Easy peasy!
7 | Squeeze Lemon Juice on Avocados
Cutting an avocado in half and throwing away the other half because it turned brown is an absolute tragedy, mainly because it can be easily prevented.
Just squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on the half you intend to save for later, and it will prevent it from turning brown.
8 | Use Storage Containers
These storage containers are fantastic. Especially for storing leafy greens! They have a crisp tray at the bottom to elevate produce away from moisture and promote airflow to help prevent spoilage.
They also have a built-in lid filter that never needs replacing. You can check these containers out on Amazon.
9 | Examine Produce Carefully Before Purchasing
Make sure your produce is as fresh as possible when you buy it. Examine it carefully and ensure there are no obvious signs of rotting or spoiling.
Especially if it’s a prepackaged item like lettuce, look for browning and always check the dates on the package when available. The fresher the produce is when you buy it, the longer it will last!
10 | Use Produce Storage Bags
I love these storage bags! They remove ethylene gas, which helps preserve your fruit and veggies. The bags are BPA-free and are made from a natural mineral.
They claim to keep produce fresh for 30 days. I haven’t tried storing produce in these bags for that length of time, so unfortunately, I can’t share my experience with that. But I’m always impressed at how fresh the produce stays whenever I use these.
If you have any secrets you would like to share about how you keep your produce from going bad fast, please let me know in the comments below!
