How to store your Fruits and vegetables
14 years ago corn, herbs, peas, peppers, spinach, storing, tomato, vegetables
Whether it is to preserve your harvest from your garden or to help extend the life of the expensive produce you purchased from your local grocery store or farmers market, a little knowledge can help keep your veggies tasty and even stretch out a couple of extra days before becoming compost.
The basic idea is pretty simple, think about where your produce is stored in the grocery store and then do the same thing at home. For example they store carrots in a refrigerated display case…so you should store yours in your refrigerator. They store their onions at room temperature so you would think it would be best to do the same…reality is they are best to be stored between 55-65 degrees. During the winter time my room temperature is probably in the top part of that range but majority time my indoor temperatures will be much higher. Depending on the age of your house, you may have a root cellar which helps to create these ideal conditions for that pesky produce that is too cold in the refrigerator but too warm in a heated house. For the rest of us find a nice cool location in your house such as garage or spot next to a window (at least during the wintertime) otherwise you may be reducing the quality and viability of your produce.
Below is a list of the recommended storing temperatures for fruits and vegetables:
Vegetables
| Refrigerator (32-36°F) |
Root Cellar (55-65°F) |
Room Temp (55-70°) |
|
| Artichokes |  |
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| Arugula | |
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| Asparagus — submerged in water | |
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| Beets | |
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| Bok Choy | |
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| Broccoli | |
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| Brussel Sprouts | |
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| Cabbage | |
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| Carrots | |
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| Cauliflower | |
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| Celery | |
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| Corn | |
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| Cucumbers | |
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| Eggplant | |
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| Fava beans | |
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| Fennel | |
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| Garlic |  |
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| Greens (Kale, Chard, Collard Greens) | |
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| Green Beans | |
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| Green Onions (sealed bag) | |
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| Herbs (submerge in glass of water) | |
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| Leeks | |
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| Lettuce | |
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| Mushrooms (I know, not a vegetable) | |
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| Onions | |
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| Parsnips | |
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| Peppers | |
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| Potatoes | |
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| Radishes | |
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| Rutabaga | |
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| Snap Peas | |
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| Spinach | |
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| Summer Squash | |
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| Sweet Potatoes | |
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| Tomatoes | |
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| Turnips | |
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| Winter Squash | |
FRUIT
| Refrigerator (32-36°F) |
Cool Place (45-50°F) |
Room Temp (55-70°) |
|
| Apples | |
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| Avocadoes | |
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| Bananas | |
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| Cranberries | |
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| Figs | |
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| Grapefruit | |
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| Grapes | |
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| Kiwis | |
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| Lemons | |
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| Limes | |
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| Mangos | |
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| Melons | |
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| Nectarines | |
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| Oranges/Mandarins | |
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| Peaches | |
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| Pears | |
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| Plums | |
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| Pomegranates | |
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| Rhubarb | |
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| Strawberries | |
14 years ago
These are great tips thanks!
14 years ago
Thank you so much! We moved into our house this summer and there is a lovely (read: dirty and scary) crawlspace attached to the basement that my husband is looking to turn into more of a root/wine cellar. Thanks for the tip!
14 years ago
I have considered using my crawlspace though getting into mine is really inconvenient…Could add a quick access in the kitchen, but sure my wife wouldn’t appreciate me cutting a hole in our floor 🙂
I learned some while writing this post, I have been putting tomatoes, avocados, and citrus fruits in the refrigerator. Turns out for tomatoes in particular can have a negative effect of the taste as well as nutrients.