How to Make Produce Last Longer

[ad_1] <img width="800" height="534" src="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Hand placing bag of frozen mixed vegetables in organized freezer with meal prep containers" srcset="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/shutterstock_2003016905-scaled.jpg 1800w" /> Maintaining a healthy diet is not at all a straightforward feat, however it's utterly potential with a bit of little bit of know-how and energy. One subject that always arises for people who find themselves beginning to eat extra complete meals is produce going dangerous. After a couple of days, or perhaps a few hours for some grocery gadgets, your meals may spoil.

So, how do you repair this? Fruit and veggies are confirmed to be good sources of power, vitamins, dietary fiber, nutritional vitamins, and minerals (1). Produce is important for a nutritious diet—and with a view to eat it, that you must know what to do with it to maintain it contemporary. Right here’s tips on how to make produce last more.

The place Ought to I Retailer My Produce?

The primary subject in the case of maintaining produce contemporary is the place you select to retailer it: fridge, countertop, or elsewhere. Location can actually make all of the distinction in the case of how lengthy your meals lasts.

Meals that must be saved in your countertop are those who nonetheless must ripen. Sure produce (normally fruits) could also be bought earlier than they’re ripe, so that you’ll need to put them in your countertop till they’re able to be eaten. From then on, it’s a good suggestion to eat them instantly, or retailer them within the fridge for a pair extra days. Examples of some produce that you could be need to pass over of the fridge are (2):

Tomatoes

Avocados

Bananas

Pears

There are additionally sure greens that it is best to retailer in a cool, dry house equivalent to a pantry—these embody (2):

Onions

Garlic

Potatoes

Winter squash

Some of these produce can't be saved within the fridge as a result of when uncovered to moisture, their texture and taste can change for the more serious.

Every other produce must be put in your fridge. This particularly consists of vegatables and fruits which might be already ripe or reduce up into items.

<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips-1024x683.jpg" alt="someone putting food away while practicing food organization for optimal freshness" class="wp-image-63640 size-full" srcset="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/fridge-organization-tips.jpg 1504w" /> You may additionally like

How To Manage Your Fridge So Nothing Will get Misplaced Or Wasted

Don’t Retailer These Meals Collectively

Ethylene is a fuel launched by most vegatables and fruits that causes produce to ripen (3).

“The extra ripe an ethylene-producing fruit or vegetable is, the extra fuel it produces. So if different produce gadgets are close by, the fuel will cause them to ripen extra shortly as effectively,” says MyFitnessPal dietitian Katherine Basbaum.

Most tree fruits put out massive quantities of ethylene, amongst a bunch of different produce. Listed here are some ethylene-producing vegatables and fruits (3):

Apples

Pears

Apricots

Avocados

Cantaloupe

Nectarines

Papayas

Peaches

Bananas (when totally ripe)

Peppers (when totally ripe)

Tomatoes (when totally ripe)

The above produce gadgets shouldn't be saved with vegatables and fruits which might be delicate to ethylene, which embody (3):

Carrots

Parsnips

Broccoli

Cucumbers

Asparagus

Iceberg lettuce

Squash

Herbs

Apples

Decrease temperatures assist cut back sensitivity to ethylene (3). You’ll need to retailer these ethylene-sensitive meals within the fridge, in a crisper drawer. Ethylene-producing vegatables and fruits must be bagged and saved in a unique crisper drawer.

In regards to the Skilled

Katherine Basbaum, MS, RD is Meals Information Curator at MyFitnessPal. She acquired her Masters in Diet Communication from the Friedman College of Diet Science & Coverage at Tufts College and accomplished her Dietetic Internship at UVA Well being, the place she additionally works as a vitamin counselor for cardiology sufferers.

4 Tricks to Make Produce Final Longer

Now that we’ve lined the place to place sure produce and what varieties of produce to not retailer collectively, let’s dive into extra particular suggestions and methods on tips on how to make produce last more.

#1: Take away Tops Off Root Veggies

Root greens like carrots, beets, and radishes all have leafy tops that are likely to rot shortly, so if you're not planning on consuming the leafy tops, it’s a good suggestion to chop them off instantly after buying (4). Go forward and retailer the destemmed root greens within the fridge after that.

#2: Use Your Crisper Drawer

Don’t put produce on fridge cabinets—crisper drawers are there for a motive! Placing produce in crisper drawers helps shield it and preserve moisture in for longer (5). This in the end maintains freshness for longer intervals of time. Guarantee that if you use crisper drawers, although, it is best to separate fruits from greens, in addition to ethylene-producing gadgets from ethylene-sensitive gadgets.

#3: Preserve Recent Herbs Upright

If you happen to purchase contemporary herbs, don’t go away them within the produce bag that you simply purchased it in. As an alternative, deal with the herbs like flowers: snip off a little bit of the ends and put them in a mug, then cowl them with a produce bag (5). This may preserve the herb stalks alive, so that you've got the freshest components to make use of.

#4: Wash Leafy Greens

Basbaum recommends rinsing leafy greens below cool water, patting them dry with a paper or dish towel, wrapping them in a clear towel to soak up extra water, and storing them in a sealed container (6). This results in optimum freshness for the leafy greens—excellent for salads, stirfrys, and anything.

Regularly Requested Questions (FAQs): The way to Make Produce Final Longer

How ought to I retailer reduce vegatables and fruits? It’s finest to retailer pre-cut or packaged produce within the fridge (7). This additionally applies to vegatables and fruits that you'll have reduce your self.

Ought to I wash my produce earlier than storing it? Except for leafy greens, most produce gadgets will keep contemporary for longer if they're saved unrinsed (4). It’s in all probability finest to scrub your produce proper earlier than utilizing it.

What produce normally goes dangerous sooner? “Smooth fruits (like berries) in addition to contemporary leafy greens are likely to spoil extra shortly than different heartier vegatables and fruits,” says Basbaum (8). You may need to eat these produce gadgets inside days of buy.

What varieties of containers are finest for preserving freshness? “Containers made from glass, stainless-steel and ceramic are good selections for storing produce as these supplies are non-reactive and non-toxic, may be simply sanitized, and preserve meals contemporary,” says Basbaum (9). Plastic containers are additionally alright, however Basbaum recommends checking that they're dishwasher protected and BPA-free.

The Backside Line

With so many varieties of produce and completely different storage strategies, it might really feel overwhelming to constantly eat contemporary, complete meals with out waste. However studying tips on how to retailer your vegatables and fruits correctly doesn’t need to be sophisticated.

Begin small: select a couple of produce gadgets you purchase usually and apply the information outlined above. Over time, you’ll get extra comfy with which meals should be refrigerated, which of them are higher off on the counter, and tips on how to preserve ethylene-sensitive gadgets contemporary for longer.

In the end, making produce last more isn’t nearly stopping meals waste—it’s about getting probably the most dietary worth out of your meals and making wholesome consuming extra handy and sustainable. Just a little planning and care can go a good distance in serving to you follow your well being objectives whereas saving time and money within the kitchen