If you overestimated how quickly you could consume your purchases, don’t get down on their eventual demise. In part two of our How to Keep Food Fresh Series, we look at even more ways to keep that fruit fresh!
One of the biggest culprits when it comes to your produce going bad is actually a natural and necessary thing. It’s call Ethylene gas. It’s claimed to be produced naturally by fruits and vegetables in the ripening process, but too much of it leads to excess spoilage. The first step in this battle is reducing the amount of this gas, let’s look at this and other things that you can do.
5 Things to Do Right Now
1. Keep your fridge clean! I know it’s not fun, but it is a necessary evil if you want food to last longer. Leftover residue or mold spores can increase the spoilage of all your food that is in the fridge.
2. Don’t store fruits (or vegetables) near a gas stove. Natural gas has been shown to increase ripening just like Ethylene gas.
3. Don’t add tomatoes (yes, it’s a fruit!) to your stored salad greens. The tomatoes contain the moisture that will wilt and rot your greens quickly.
4. Clean your berries, fruits, and greens in a mixture of 10 parts water and 1 part white vinegar. Not only will this remove excess dirt and even pesticides, but it will also help them last longer by preventing mold.
5. Remove rotten apples immediately, because one rotten apple WILL spoil the entire bunch.
6. Keep bananas away from your other produce, as they produce some of the highest amounts of Ethylene gas. (6.2) Place plastic wrap around the crown of your banana bunch to keep them lasting longer. Side note: If you want them to ripen super fast, place them in a closed plastic bag. Since they emit so much Ethylene gas, they’ll ripen quickly when the gas is trapped by the bag.
7. Use glassware for fridge storage of fruits (and veggies). Many plastics may contain harmful chemicals that can increase spoilage. This is just another reason to have more fun Mason jars! You can even use a Food Saver vacuum sealer on Mason jars.
8. To keep cut apples, avocados, or guacamole from turning brown, spritz with a little lemon juice and then cover with plastic.
Have you got your own fresh tips to add to our list? Share away…
