I know I am not the only one this has happened to before… You spend the day out grocery shopping, come home, put it all away. A few days go by, maybe a week, you head to the fridge to grab the mushrooms to make your dinner, and they are soft, soggy and need to go in the trash. Please tell me I am not the only one guilty of this. Honestly, it only takes a few minutes of prep to extend the shelf life. I have gathered my favorite 10 Easy Ways To Make Your Produce Last Longer to get you started. If you have shortcuts or tips of your own, please feel free to share them in the comments below.
10 Easy Ways To Make Your Produce Last Longer – Pin it for later!
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- Never store fruits and vegetables in the same area. When fruit ripens, it produces ethylene gas which will cause rapid ripening of fruit, and cause some fruits and vegetables to ripen  prematurely.
- Wash and thoroughly dry leafy salad greens. Remove as much moisture as possible. Moisture will cause your greens to wilt very quickly. Use a salad spinner to dry them, and place a paper towel in the bottom of a plastic storage container under your greens to absorb moisture. Secure with an air tight lid or plastic wrap.
- Wrap the stems of your bananas with plastic wrap to keep them from browning. Wrapping the stems will extend the ripening process by 3 to 5 days. If you want them to last even longer, wrap each stem individually in plastic wrap. On a side note * If you want your bananas to ripen faster, wrap them tightly in a plastic grocery bag.
- Avoid cutting fruits and vegetables until you are ready to use them or freeze them. Cutting into any produce will cause browning, wilting, or spoiling.
- To keep fresh herbs fresher longer, snip the ends of the stem and place them in a glass of water, just like you would do to fresh flowers. To extend the shelf life even longer, cover the tops of the herbs with a plastic storage bag.
- Never rinse mushrooms under water. They soak up liquid just like a sponge. Wipe the mushroom caps with a lightly damp paper towel. Store them in a brown paper bag in your fridge. Plastic and glass will cause moisture and they will rot faster.
- Keep cut apples and avocado from turning brown by tossing them in or spraying them with a little lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Keep tomatoes at room temperature and away from the sunlight. One reader suggests keeping them stem side down. I haven’t tried this yet, but it is rumored to give them an extra couple days too.
- Wrapping veggies like celery, kale, lettuce and broccoli in aluminum foil will keep them from spoiling faster. You can also freeze fresh broccoli.
- Get 3 to 4 extra weeks out of a chunk of fresh ginger by storing it in the freezer. Storing nuts in the freezer will also keep them from going rancid quickly.
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Those are 10 of my favorite easy tips! As always be sure to wash and dry your  fresh fruits and vegetables before storing or eating them to remove any dirt, wax or pesticide build up. There are many great products available to remove those things. One of my favorites is FIT Fruit Wash. However, keep in mind that once you remove all the elements from your fruit and vegetables, the ripening process will speed up. A mixture of 10 parts water to 1 part white vinegar will also do the trick. Give them a quick soak then rinse thoroughly with just water.
Do you have any great produce saving tips of your own? I would love to learn about them. Give me a shout in the comments below!
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Grat tips! There were so many I didn’t know. Thx for sharing these! Pinning and sharing!
Great tips, and great tip about the bananas. I like to put mine in the fridge, they stay fresh for a few weeks but the skins turn completely brown which is a turn off for many people.
Someone else mentioned putting them in the fridge. What a great idea. I am trying that with the next bunch I buy! Thanks so much Toni.
Oh my! What great tips. My bananas will never be the same…LOL. I’m putting the plastic stem covers on tonight! I’m sure I’ll have to refer back to this post again. It’s chunked full of goodies. XO
Oh…and pinning and sharing…I always forget to say this….LOL
Did you know it’s actually recommended to not wash greens until you’re ready to use them? You want to keep them intact and just pat them dry before storing. You’ll do a better job of washing them if you wait till the day of use, when you’re free to separate the leaves and give them a really good soak without worrying about the excess moisture causing them to spoil.
You can keep lettuce, kale, chard, spinach and others fresh about two weeks if you store them unwashed in an airtight bag or rigid container, between layers of paper towel or clean kitchen towels.
I haven’t tried the foil wrapping with kale or lettuce, but we use it for celery. Works like a charm!
Thank you Kyla! You really do learn something new every day. Great tips!
Here’s my BANANA hint…
â–¬ take bunch apart – store in fridge [ put mine in door shelf ] â–¬
you’ll be surprised how long they last [ about a week when buying them with a little bit of green on – not totally yellow or green ]
don’t let the peeling fool you as it will turn brown/black — don’t throw away until you peel and check the firmness
awesome! I will definitely try that with the next bunch I buy. Thanks so much Sandy!