If you can store veges and fruits in the crisper bins, do. They are designed to give perfect humidity for freshness.
If you have both veges and ethylene producers such as apples, pears, peaches and kiwifruit, keep them in seperate drawers – ethylene will make most veges spoil faster.
If you need to store leafy greens outside of the crisper bin, put them in a container with a damp cloth or paper towel at the bottom for better humidity.
Fruits stored outside of the crisper do well in a vented container, paper bag or cardboard box. They don't need much humidity, but they do like to breathe.
Too much condensation is never good. Crack the lid slightly to allow excess moisture to escape.
For longevity, store your citrus in the vegetable crisper – here they will keep for several weeks. If you find yourself with an abundance or can’t fit these ingredients into your crisper, juice the citrus before it turns. Strain the juice through a fine mesh sieve and pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, remove from ice cube trays and store in zip lock bags or sealed containers.
Keep apples cool – the crisper is the best place. However, note that apples and pears release ethylene gas that will speed up the decay of certain other fruits and vegetables. If the crisper is filled with vegetables – particularly leafy greens – you may want to find another home for your apples. Consider juicing them and freezing as ice cubes.
Wrap each apple in paper or keep in a vented container in it to pro-long their life.
Keep your bananas at 12°C if possible to get the best shelf life.
If you find yourself with an excess, banana bread is a good option along with purees and smoothies.
Add a few drops of citrus to banana puree to help prevent oxidisation. Purees will freeze reasonably well and frozen purees are good for smoothies or can even be added to a curry for a sweeter note.
Can also freeze peeled whole/chopped bananas for smoothies/banana cake etc.
If you have a dehydrator, banana chips make a great snack.
If washing before storing it’s essential for these fruits to be dry otherwise they will get water damaged and go mouldy. They also don’t like high humidity so store in a vented container or the original packaging which has holes for ventilation. Store in the vege crisper if there is a fruit setting available. If the crisper only has a high humidity setting then on the main shelf of most refrigerators should be fine. If worried about low humidity on main shelves then having a damp paper towel in the container will elevate humidity a bit.
Should you wish to freeze your berries, wash them well and ensure they are very dry. Remove the hull from strawberries or any greens from the berries. Place the berries standing up on a baking tray lined with baking paper so they are not touching each other. Once frozen, transfer to a zip lock bag.
For fruit that is not yet ripe, store it at room temperature. For ripe fruit, place it in vege crisper in the fridge for 3-5 days.
You can also cut, remove stones and freeze to use in smoothies, making jams or use in baking.
In general, fresh melons should not be kept for more than a week. Keep not yet ripe melons for two days at room temperature. Once ripe, store whole melons in the fridge in a perforated plastic bag for 3-4 days.
For cut melons (with the rind on) cover well with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
If you remove the flesh, dice the melon and store in an airtight container in the main section of the fridge for 2-3 days.
Keep grapes in a plastic bag on the stem in the fridge. Don’t wash grapes until you intend to eat them. Grapes will keep in the fridge for 8-12 days at least. Remove any grapes that are starting to rot to prevent spreading to the rest of the fruit. Grapes freeze extremely well and can be eaten like fresh once defrosted. Add frozen grapes to drinks in place of ice cubes.
Wash these vegetables in a bath of cold water and spin well in a salad spinner. Store in a container with paper towel in the base to collect excess moisture. Airflow is also key to keeping lettuces fresh, if storing in a plastic bag cut a corner off the bag to keep air flowing.
Spinach can be successfully frozen, blanch spinach leaves (or steam) in lots of salted boiling water for 30 seconds, transfer to an iced water bath to halt the cooking process. Strain very well and squeeze out excess water and pack blanched spinach into portions wrapped in baking paper in zip lock bags and freeze until required.
To store this group of vegetables cold and moist conditions are best, store in the vege crisper, if there is not enough room store in a container with a damp paper towel or cloth. Keep the stems damp for maximum life. Ideally use these vegetables as soon as purchased is best. Rather than attempting to freeze them create soups and braised dishes with these vegetables in them for best use and longevity.
You read it right, they are all part of the same vegetable family! But each requires different storage conditions.
Pumpkins are best kept in a cool dry dark place like a cupboard. Zucchini benefit from being stored in the fridge and will keep for up to two weeks. Cucumbers are best kept in the vege crisper.
Store potatoes, yams and the like in a well ventilated dark area for maximum life
Storing all these vegetables requires similar conditions but keep them separated from each other. Brown paper bags in a well-ventilated area is best for longevity.
