Storage Tips
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Apples
Refrigerated apples last up to 10 times longer than those left at room temperature. Apples emit ethylene, a naturally occuring gas that speeds ripening. To prevent apples from speeding up the ripening process of other items in your produce drawer, store them in a plastic bag. Conversely, if you want to speed up the ripening of bananas, you can place an apple in a bag of green bananas. To maximize flavor, let apple warm to room temperature before eating.back to top
Arugula
Store arugula in a plastic bag in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for up to one week.back to top
Avocados
Hard avocados ripen at room temperature in three to six days. To speed up the process, place them in a paper bag, preferably with an apple. Never put hard avocados in the refrigerator because they will never ripen. Keep ripe avocados in the refrigerator and use within two to three days.back to top
Bananas
Keep bananas at room temperature until ripened. Once ripened, bananas can be refrigerated for 3-5 days. Over ripe bananas can be put in freezer in a plastic bag and used for smoothies (still frozen) or banana bread (thawed).back to top
Basil
Basil can be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for aproximately one week; make sure the basil is relatively dry before placing in plastic bag. Basil can also be frozen for later use. Although it loses its bright green color, frozen basil still has great flavor and works well in tomato sauces.back to top
BeanSprouts
Refrigerate your sprouts in a loose plastic bag perforated with a few holes so that water doesn't condense. Try to use as soon as possible; mung and soybeans can be stored for 3-5 days.
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Beets
To store, cut the leaves from the root, leaving an inch or two of
the stems attached, place in a plastic bag, and keep in the refrigerator
1-3 weeks. You don't need to peel or clean the root because the skin
will slip off easily during cooking. The beet greens will keep a few
days in a plastic bag put in the crisper section of the refrigerator,
but remove any damaged leaves first.
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Bell Peppers
Bell peppers like cool not cold temperatures,
ideally about 45°F to 50°F with good humidity. Peppers are
ethylene sensitive, so they should not be stored near ethylene-producing
food such as pears or apples. Put peppers in plastic bags and they
will keep up to five days in the refrigerator. Green peppers will
keep slightly longer than the other, more ripe, varieties.
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Bok Choy
Place unwashed heads of bok choy in a loosely closed plastic bag
and refrigerate for no more than a day or two. Bok choy is more
perishable than head cabbages.
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Broccoli
Refrigerate unwashed broccoli in plastic bag for up to 1 week in
crisper.
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Cabbage
Refrigerate entire head in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper.
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Cantaloupe
Whole ripe or cut melons can be stored in the refrigerator for about
three days. Cut melons should be wrapped tightly in plastic. Leave
the seeds inside a cut melon until you're ready to eat it to help
keep the melon moist.
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Carrots
If there are green tops remove them. Refrigerate the unwashed carrots
in a plastic bag and they will keep for 2-3 weeks.
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Cauliflower
Cauliflower should be placed in a plastic bag and stored in your
refrigerator crisper. When stored properly, cauliflower will last
up to five days; however, it is best when eaten within three days.
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Chard
Although chard can be stored in a polastic bag, in the coldest part
of the refrigerator for a day or two, it will wilt quickly and should
be cooked as soon as possible.
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Collard
Greens
Wrap unwashed greens in damp paper towels. Refrigerate in a plastic
bag, in the crisper, up to 5 days.
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Corn
Corn is best eaten immediately. However, it can be stored in the
refrigerator for a few days in plastic bags with the husk still
on.
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Eggplant
Eggplant
does not like severe cold, so the front part of the refrigerator
where the temperature is around 46°F to 54°F is ideal for
storage. Eggplant is ethylene sensitive, so store it away from
ethylene-producing produce such as apples. If kept in a plastic bag (to retain
moisture,)
eggplants will last up to five days.
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Garlic
Garlic stored under optimum conditions in a dark, cool, dry place with plenty of ventilation will last from several weeks to one year. Ideally, try to use fresh garlic within a few weeks and do not refrigerate unless the garlic has been peeled or chopped.
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Place unpealed ginger in a ziplock bag and store in crisper for up to two weeks.
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Grapefruit
Grapefruits can be left at room temperature for a week, and are
juiciest when slightly warm rather than chilled. For longer storage,
they should be held in the refrigerator crisper, where they will
keep for six to eight weeks. Leave grapefruits at room temperature
for a while before you juice them or eat them..
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Greenbeans
Place green beans in a perforated plastic bag or paperbag and store
them in the refrigerator crisper for up to five days.
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Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchoke)
Jerusalem Artichokes (sunchokes), should be kept in a cool, dark, and dry location or kept in a sealed bag in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.back to top
Kale
Like chard, kale should
be eaten as soon as possible. Otherwise place kale in a plastic
bag and refrigerate in vegetable drawer.
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Kiwis
It is best to store kiwis
in the refrigerator. To make them ripen faster you can keep them
in a closed plastic bag together with an apple or pear.
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Lettuce
Refrigerate unwashed leaves in a plastic bag in the vegetable drawer.
A plastic bag from the grocery store is sufficient. Lettuce will
keep for up to 5 days. Do not store lettuce with melons, apples,
pears, or other ethylene gas-emitting fruits as they will cause
the lettuce to turn brown.
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Mangoes
Leave underripe mangoes at cool room temperature for a few days to soften and sweeten--very warm temperatures can cause an off-flavor to develop. Place two mangoes in a paper bag to speed ripening (or, if you don't have two mangoes, put another fruit such as an apple or banana in with the mango). Ripe mangoes will keep for two to three days in the refrigerator.
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Mushrooms
Prepackaged mushrooms can be stored, unopened in the refrigerator
for 5 to 7 days. Once opened, mushrooms should be moved to a paper
bag and refrigerated.
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Onions
Store in a cool, dry, well ventilated place, in single layers. Choose and store pearl and boiler onions in a similar fashion. If the onions at home show signs of sprouting, cut away the sprouts and use them immediately. Don't store onions and potatoes together, as the gases they each give off, will cause the other to decay.
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Oranges
Oranges keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. But they keep
almost as well at room temperature, retaining nearly all of their
vitamin content even after two weeks. (They will also yield more
juice at room temperature).
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Pears
Pears actually ripen best off of the tree. Pears ripen best at room
temperature; to hasten the process, put pears in a brown paper bag.
If you want too keep them a few days longer, keep them in the refrigerator.
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Peas
Snow peas and snap peas can be stored for three to four days in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
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Potatoes should be stored in a paper bag, in a cool, dry place with good air circulation.
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Spinach
Untie and refrigerate in plastic bag for two to three days.
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Winter squash include Acorn, butternut, and spaghetti, as well as Banana, Turban, and Cushaw. They are often characterized by their hard skin and funky shapes and colors. Winter squash can be stored for several months in a cool, dry environment.
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Strawberries
Strawberries are extremely perishable and should be refrigerated immediately. Store unwashed strawberries in the refrigerator by stacking them on paper towels (between the layers as well), in a moisture-proof container. Eat them within 48-72 hours, or freeze them. Most berries freeze nicely, and will keep up to ten months in the freezer. To freeze berries, rinse gently and dry them in a colander or on paper towels. Then, put them on a sheet pan or tray in the freezer for one hour. Once frozen, store them in a freezer bag/container. This method will prevent them from sticking to one another and makes them easier to measure out for future needs.
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Sweet
Potatoes/Yams
Store sweet potatoes between 55°F and 65°F in a dark, dry,
cool place, for up to one month, or use within one week if stored
at room temperature. If refrigerated, their natural sugar will
turn
to starch and ruin the flavor.
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Tangerines
You can store tangerines for about one week at a cool room temperature,
then store them in the refrigerator crisper drawer away from vegetables
for up to two weeks.
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Tomatoes
Keep tomatoes at room temperature until ripened. Once ripened, tomatoes
will last for two to three days. If necessary, tomatoes can be refrigerated
in vegetable bin for aproximately one week. Try to avoid refrigerating
tomatoes whenever possible. Tomatoes will lose their flavor once
stored below 55°.
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Place zucchini in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 3-5 days.
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