Often when we buy produce items at the store it goes bad before we have a chance to use it for a meal. There are several things you can do to properly store your produce and have it last longer at home.
Don't Wash Before Storing
Once you bring your produce home don't wash it off before storing. Water droplets on your produce can help to speed up the decaying process. Only wash your items once you are ready to use them and them promptly store the unused portions for later use. The only exception would be lettuce that you wash off before storing
Plastic Containers
Use small plastic containers to store small portions of produce once it has been cut up. For example, you can cut up a pepper and store the remainder of it in a plastic container with a sealable lid. Your produce will last longer this way. The same would apply to onions, tomatoes, celery, and other produce items. You will find that you can get a longer shelf life out of produce that is stored in a container. If you are using lettuce get a separate plastic container and a salad spinner. Wash the lettuce and spin the pieces in the salad spinner so all the moisture is out of it. Place the leaves in the container and cover with paper towel. Wet lettuce will decompose at a very fast rate so make sure it is really dry.
Trim Off Excess Parts
When you buy produce trim off the parts that you won't be eating. For example if you buy carrots with green tops, remove the tops prior to storing them. These unwanted parts of your vegetables will decompose quickly and leave you with a mess in your refrigerator. The same can be applied to things such as radishes and anything else that has excess leaves that will rot quickly on you.
Use Quickly
Most produce will last for about a week with potatoes, squashes, carrots, and onions lasting a bit longer. Use vegetables with a lot of moisture such as cucumbers quickly because they will rot rapidly. Watch for odd smells and discoloration in your produce as an indication that it is time to throw it out.
Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, Squashes
Some vegetables should be kept out of the fridge such as potatoes, onions, garlic and squashes. Keep these items in a dark place. Once peeled pieces that are not used can be stored in the refrigerator. Potato pieces should be cooked or they will turn brown. You can purchase special jars for storing garlic. Squashes can take some time to ripen so leave them out of the refrigerator.
Fruit
Fruit will decompose quickly so it should be used as son as possible. Berries, grapes, and other small fruit will decay quickly if not used within a weeks time. Oranges, bananas, apples and melons may last considerably longer. Buy bananas when they are very green so they last longer in your home, especially in the summer when they may ripen quickly. Fruit that is still hard and not quite ripe can be left on the counter for a few days to ripen. Don't throw out fruit just because it has a brown spot cut around the spot and remove it. If the spot goes all the way through the fruit then it is rotting and should be thrown out. Fruit that is overly ripe may not be palatable to some people it is all a matter of taste. You can use this over-ripe fruit in smoothies.
Conclusion
Storing produce just takes some common sense. Keep containers for your produce once it has been cut up and use your vegetables and fruit promptly to avoid spoilage. Wash your produce only when you intend to use it.