7 Tips to Keep Your Fruits Fresh Longer

Summer is a great time to take advantage of the fresh, juicy produce that’s in-season, such as peaches and berries. Get the most nutrition and taste out of your fruits with these tips for how to keep your fruits fresh longer:

1. Shop Frequently for Quality Fruit

The longer a piece of fruit sits cut from its growing source, the more the nutrients decrease. Keep this in mind when you’re shopping for fruit, and don’t buy too much fruit at one time. Instead, buy a smaller amount more frequently, so you are getting the freshest fruit possible.

Instead of buying produce at the grocery store, where it has traveled hundreds of miles and sat on a shelf for days before it gets into your hands, go to your local farmer’s market or co-op. Quality matters when it comes to keeping your fruit fresh longer. Make sure there are no dark spots, bruises, cuts, or mold when you’re shopping for fruit.

2. Take Fruit Out of the Bag

A trick to ripen up fruit is to keep it in a paper bag. So, to keep it fresher longer, refrain from storing fruit inside these bags. Your fruit needs to breathe, and it releases gas. Storing the fruit in a tight, closed space like a bag will trap its gases and cause it to ripen faster and lose freshness.

3. Know Which Fruits to Separate

As some fruits ripen, they release ethylene gas, which could make other fruits around it go bad. Keep ethylene-sensitive fruits and vegetables in a separate place than varieties that emit the gas. Consult this list to see which fruits to separate.

4. Keep Citrus and Larger Fruits Away From Direct Sunlight

Store larger fruits in a cool, dark place, away from direct heat or sunlight. This includes bananas, pears, peaches, and oranges.

5. Keep Berries in Bottom Drawer of the Fridge

Keep blueberries, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and other berries in the bottom drawer of your refrigerator.

6. Wash Berries Right Before You Eat Them

It can be tempting to wash and cut your fruits and vegetables when you bring them home, but hold off on that. Do not wash your berries until right before you are about to eat them. Moisture can cause mold growth. Yuck!

7. If you MUST Wash and Cut, Then Store in Glass

Maybe you’re chuckling at that last point, thinking “yeah right, well, I need to simplify and get prepared for my ridiculously busy week so pre-chopping and storing fruit for quick retrieval is a must.” If you really want to wash and cut your fruit, then store it in the fridge and choose a glass container. Put a paper towel at the bottom before placing the fruit in it, and make sure the lid is air-tight to keep out moisture.

Image source: Raw Fruit Tartlet