Organic Produce Storage Tips

Sustainable Healthy Living, by Sheila Mullen – July 21, 2012

I finally found a picture of my dream kitchen. Can you imagine creating your gastronomic masterpieces in this luxurious, inviting and inspiring space?  I wish I could give the photographer credit, but this picture came from one of the 100's of emails my father passes on to the masses. (Really, he gives forwarding emails a bad name.) 

What I do appreciate is that, because of his over-forwarding tendencies, it occurred to me I had not written about how to store all your amazingly delicious organic produce you bring home from the farmer's markets to dazzle your family with. The blog is long, but I hope you will print it, store it in a handy place and use it when you need guidance on how to store your organic produce. 

Apples

Apples ripen quickly at room temperature, 10 times faster than when stored at at 32°F. Store apples in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, away from strong scented foods such as cabbage or onions to prevent flavor transfer.

Bananas

Do not refrigerate bananas until they are ripe. Once they are in the refrigerator they will turn black, but the insides will ripen more slowly. To ripen green bananas, put them in a plastic bag, seal it and place the bag in a warm place, such as the top of your refrigerator. This will cause the bananas to heat up, which will speed up the ripening process.

Broccoli

Store broccoli in the high-humidity vegetable-crisper of your refrigerator for up to three days. Refresh broccoli in ice water to maintain its bright green color if you're not using it right away or are making a cold presentation.

Cabbage

Head cabbage will last at least a week when stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator's humid vegetable bin. Savoy and Napa cabbage should be consumed within three or four days.

Carrots with tops

Before storing carrots, remove their green tops, rinse and drain, then put the carrots in plastic bags. Store them in the coldest part of the refrigerator with the highest humidity. They'll last several months this way.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower should be placed in a plastic bag and stored in your refrigerator crisper. When stored properly, cauliflower will last up to five days; however, it is best when eaten within three days.

Celery

To store celery, 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; this will last about two weeks.

Chard

Refrigerate in plastic wrap up to two days. Rainbow Chard is pretty colorful, with yellow, pink, orange, white and red veins.

Collards

Wrap unwashed greens in damp paper towels. Refrigerate in a plastic bag, in the crisper section of the refrigerator, for up to five days.

Corn

Corn is best eaten immediately. However, it can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days in plastic bags with the husk still on.

Grapes

Grapes are harvested only when fully ripe. Before storing, remove any spoiled grapes with broken skins or browning from the bunch and keep refrigerated; they should keep up to a week. During storage, continue to remove any and all spoiled fruit. Grapes can also be frozen, which will extend their storage life up to three months.

Green beans

Place green beans in a perforated plastic bag or paper bag and store them in the refrigerator crisper for up to five days.

Kiwis

Very firm kiwifruit (also known as “kiwi”) can be kept in the refrigerator for up to six months. Kiwis won't keep for nearly as long in the refrigerator after they begin to ripen outside the refrigerator. To ripen firm kiwis, keep them at room temperature but away from heat or direct sunlight for a few days to a week. Hasten ripening by placing them in a paper bag with an apple, pear or banana. Once a kiwi ripens, store it far from other fruits, as it is very sensitive to the ethylene gas other fruits emit, and tends to overripen even in the refrigerator. Ripe kiwis should keep for about one to two weeks.

Lettuce

Refrigerate unwashed leaves in a plastic bag in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. A plastic bag from the grocery store is sufficient. Lettuce will keep for up to five days. Do not store lettuce with melons, apples, pears or other ethylene gas-emitting fruits, as they will cause the lettuce to turn brown.

Mangoes

Leave under-ripe mangoes at a cool room temperature for a few days to soften and sweeten; very warm temperatures can cause an off-flavor to develop. Place two mangoes in a paper bag to speed ripening. If you don't have two mangoes, put another fruit such as an apple or banana in with the mango. Ripe mangoes will keep for two to three days in the refrigerator.

Melons

Ripe whole or cut melons can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days. Cut melons should be wrapped tightly in plastic. Leave the seeds inside a cut melon until you're ready to eat it to help keep the melon moist.

Onions

Store onions in a dry, dark, well-ventilated place other than the refrigerator.

Oranges

Store oranges in a cool place outside the refrigerator and try to eat them within a few days. If you need to keep them longer, refrigerate in a plastic bag or in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator.

Pears

To ripen pears, store them at room temperature in a sealed plastic bag with a couple of ripe bananas. When the pear is ripe, refrigerate until you are ready to eat it. Extremely hard pears will ripen best at room temperature.

Peppers

Peppers can be stored for at least a week, if placed in a plastic bag and kept in the refrigerator. The riper the pepper is when harvested, the less time it will maintain its freshness.

Potatoes

Potatoes like cool (45°F to 50°F) and humid (but not wet) surroundings, but refrigeration can turn the starch in potatoes to sugar and may tend to darken them when cooked.

Spinach

When you get bunched spinach home, untie it, remove any blemished leaves, trim off the stems and wash the leaves thoroughly in cold water. Repeat if necessary until you're sure all the grit is gone. Spin dry in a salad spinner or drain well. Then put into clean plastic bags, very loosely wrapped with paper towels. Spinach will last only two to three days, so plan on eating your rinsed spinach right away. Cold and moist surroundings, as low as 32°F and about 95% humidity, are the best for storing spinach.

Strawberries

Strawberries are extremely perishable and should be refrigerated immediately. To store unwashed strawberries in the refrigerator, stack them on paper towel – between the layers as well – in a moisture-proof container. Eat them within 48-72 hours, or freeze them. Wash them just before eating.

Summer squash

Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate for three to five days.

Tomatoes

Keep tomatoes at room temperature until ripened. Once ripened, tomatoes will last for two to three days. If necessary, tomatoes can be refrigerated in a vegetable bin for approximately one week. Try to avoid refrigerating tomatoes whenever possible, because tomatoes will lose their flavor once stored below 55°F.

Winter hard squashes

Store butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash in a cool, preferably dark, well-ventilated area for up to one month. Wrap cut pieces in plastic and refrigerate up to five days.

Adapted from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition

Be Well!

About Sheila Mullen – The founder of Continuous Motion Consulting, Sheila is passionate about engaging friends, family and community in improving their lives and the lives of those around them. Sheila spent more than 20 years in technology sales, marketing and development. She also has a background in organizational development, innovation and executive wellness coaching.