Storing Fruits and Vegetables
Welcome to tips for living a healthier life: the Healthy for Good Program (HFG). This week's tip (#10) is to Add Color.
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Keep Produce Fresh
How to Keep Fruits and Vegetables Fresh
The American Heart Association recommends 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables per day. Stretch your produce and dollars by knowing how to store fresh fruits and vegetables. In general, always refrigerate cut or peeled produce. Store vegetables and fruits separately.
Follow these simple tips for storing produce in the pantry, countertop or refrigerator:
Pantry - Pack these items away in a cool, dark place like your pantry or cellar.
- Garlic, onions & shallots
- Hard squash (winter, acorn, spaghetti, butternut)
- Sweet potatoes, potatoes, & yams
- Watermelon
Countertop - Store loose and keep away from sunlight, heat and moisture.
- Bananas
- Citrus fruits (lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit)
- Stone fruit (avocados, apricots, nectarines, peaches and plums)
- Tomatoes
Refrigerator - Store in plastic bags with holes in your produce drawer.
- Apples & pears
- Beets & turnips (remove greens and keep loose in the crisper drawer)
- Berries, cherries & grapes (keep dry in covered container)
- Broccoli & cauliflower
- Carrots & parsnips (remove greens)
- Celery
- Corn (store inside their husks)
- Cucumbers, eggplant & peppers (store on upper shelf, which is warmest part of fridge)
- Fresh herbs (except basil, keep basil stems moist and wrapped loosely in plastic)
- Green beans
- Lettuce & leafy greens (wash, dry, wrap loosely in towel and place in a bag in vegetable drawer. Keep stems moist)
- Melon
- Mushrooms (keep dry and unwashed in store container or paper bag)
- Peas
- Zucchini & summer/yellow squash
HFG is a partnership with the American Heart Association.