Fruits |
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| Apples |
Store on counter, or in plastic bag in refrigerator to avoid taste transfer from strong smelling foods like onions and garlic. Rub cut apples with lemon juice to keep from yellowing. |
| Apricots |
Handle gently. Can be stored at room temp. if not too hot, or in refrigerator. To ripen, store in plastic or paper bag on counter. |
| Asian Pears |
Unlike other pears that yield to pressure when ripe, Asian pears remain extremely firm when ripe. They are usually chosen by smell, which should be at least slightly sweet. |
| Bananas |
Store on counter. Can be stored in refrigerator to slow ripening, but skins will turn black. Can be frozen; after peeling, place in plastic bag in freezer until ready to use. Keep in plastic or paper bag in warm place to encourage faster ripening. |
| Berries |
Do not wash strawberries before storage. Moisture encourages Botritus Cinerea, the harmless, but not exactly appealing, white fuzzy mold that strawberries grow. If desired, rinse just prior to use. |
| Cherries |
Store in refrigerator, unwashed. Stems left intact will prolong shelf life. Wash just before use if desired. Let warm to room temp. before eating for fullest flavor. |
| Citrus |
Store on counter or refrigerator depending on desired eating temperature. |
| Figs |
Store on counter or refrigerator depending on desired eating temperature. Let warm to room temp before eating for fullest flavor. |
| Grapes |
Store in refrigerator with ventilation. Can also spread on tray and freeze for little popsicle like treats. |
| Kiwis |
Store on counter or refrigerator depending on desired eating temperature and ripeness. |
| Mangoes |
Store on counter until quite soft. |
| Melons |
Ripen on counter, then refrigerate when ripe. Blossom end will smell sweet when ripe. |
| Peaches/Nectarines |
Store on counter or refrigerator depending on desired eating temperature and ripeness. |
| Pears |
Ripen on counter then refrigerate, unwashed. |
| Plums |
Store on counter or refrigerator depending on desired eating temperature and ripeness. |
| Pluots/Apriums |
Store on counter or refrigerator depending on desired eating temperature and ripeness. |
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| Veggies |
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| Artichokes |
Store unwashed in plastic bag in refrigerator. Best if used within 2-4 days. |
Asparagus |
Do not wash before storing. Cut ends and stand upright in a container with 1" of water in the bottom. Cover with plastic bag and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. |
| Avocado |
Avocados ripen off the tree, not on. To speed ripening, store in paper or plastic bag with an apple or a banana and keep at room temp. Do not store unripened avocados in refrigerator. Ripe ones may be stored for a few days in refrigerator. |
| Beans, Fava |
Keep fresh, unshelled beans in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Once shelled, blanched and skinned, favas can be frozen in plastic containers for longer storage. |
| Beans, Green |
Green beans are best used immediately, but can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag, for up to five days. If there is any moisture on beans, use a ventilated plastic bag. |
| Beets |
Beets: Remove the tops 1 to 2 inches above the beet. Keep refrigerated in the vegetable crisper or in plastic bags or containers to prevent wilting due to to loss of moisture. Use beets within 1 to 2 weeks.
Greens: Wash greens thoroughly in cold water and drain well. Refrigerate them in the vegetable crisper or in plastic bags or containers to prevent wilting and loss of nutrients. Use within 3 to 5 days. |
| Bok Choy |
Rinse and wrap in damp paper towel, and place in a loosely closed plastic bag and refrigerate for no more than a day or two. Bok choy is more perishable than head cabbages. It will wilt very quickly if allowed to dry out. |
| Broccoli |
Refrigerate, unwashed, in crisper for up to a week. |
| Cabbage |
Store, unwashed in the crisper in refrigerator. |
| Carrots |
Before storing them remove their green tops (to keep them from absorbing all of the vegetable's moisture), rinse, drain, and put the carrots in plastic bags and store them in the coldest part of the refrigerator with the highest humidity. To keep the carrots crisp and colorful add a little bit of water in the bottom of the plastic storage bag; this will keep the carrots hydrated. Carrots should be stored away from fruits such as apples and pears, which release the ethylene gas that cause carrots to become bitter. |
| Cauliflower |
Place in a plastic bag, unwashed, in the crisper. Will keep up to 5 days but will be at it's peak condition for 2-3 days. |
| Celery |
To store, trim the base and remove any leaves or ribs that are damaged or bruised. Rinse, place in a plastic bag, and keep in the refrigerator's humid vegetable bin, and it will last about two weeks. Be sure to keep celery away from the coldest sections of your refrigerator (the back and side walls), since celery freezes easily. Frozen celery stalks will be limp and watery when thawed. As with carrots, sprinkle or add water to the plastic bag to maintain the freshness of the celery. Cut celery (unwashed), stored in well-sealed plastic bags, will last about three days. Celery can be stored refrigerated in a plastic bag for 7 days. |
| Corn |
Should be refrigerated in the high humidity storage bin as soon as possible. It is best to refrigerate corn with the husks attached to keep it moist, but if the corn has already been husked, partially or fully, refrigerate it in a perforated plastic bag. |
| Cucumber |
Store in plastic bag in refrigerator without washing first. |
| Eggplant |
Eggplant doesn't do well in severe cold, so the front part of the refrigerator where the temperature is the best place to store it. It is also ethylene sensitive, so store it away from ethylene-producing produce such as apples and pears. Will last up to 5 days if stored in a plastic bag to retain moisture. |
| Fennel |
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| Greens |
Discard any bruised or yellow leaves and remove any bands or ties that hold bunches together. Wash greens in plenty of cool water, drain, and wrap in slightly damp paper towel. Store loosely in plastic bags (preferably perforated). Keep moist (but not wet or they will rot) and cool in the lower part of the refrigerator in the high-humidity bin. Dandelions, beet, and turnip greens should be used within two days. Other greens will usually last up to four days. |
| Kohl Rabi |
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| Leeks |
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| Lettuce |
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| Mushrooms |
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| Onions |
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| Peppers |
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| Potatoes |
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Spinach |
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Squash, Summer
Zucchini, Sunburst etc. |
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Squash, Winter
Acorn, Butternut, Kabocha etc. |
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| Tomatoes |
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| Yams / Sweet Potatoes |
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