How to Keep Fruits, Vegetables and Fish Fresh For Longer Periods

If you're one the millions of people who prefer to do a weekly supermarket shop rather than make the gas guzzling trip to the store every day, you've probably discovered the downside of stocking up on fresh fruits, vegetables. They never seem to last very long. Even fresh fish rarely makes it to the next day without starting to smell a bit "off". You can; however, get the most out of your fresh produce and fresh fish purchase if you know some of these lesser known tips for storing food. It also helps to make a smart purchase in the first place.

Most of us have the good sense to avoid bruised fruit, wilted asparagus and smelly fish, but fewer people are aware of some of these important rules for selecting the freshest items from your market. Here are some great tips I learned while writing for the food networks.

Tomatoes -
The first rule of thumb is to buy tomatoes when they're in season. Both quality and price are best before mid autumn. Remember out of season tomatoes are never really "fresh" if they have been shipped from another country. Even if the tomato meets the squeeze test you can't taste it until you get it home. The general rule is - the redder the tomato, the riper it is. If there's a soft spot, reject it as it will spread to the rest of the batch. You can buy unripe tomatoes and keep them on the counter until ripe. Refrigeration affects the flavor, so use tomatoes as soon as they are ripe.

Blueberries -
One of the anti-oxidant wonder fruits, the humble blueberry is easier to test. If it's not blueberry season (summer), open the box and taste one, otherwise you can easily pay $5.00 for a box of mushy bitter berries. If they taste good, buy them. If they're awful, tell the manager.

Mushrooms -
Mushrooms should be white, if that is their original color. They should have no blemishes. Take a close look at the ends of the stems. They should also be white, not brown.

Potatoes -
The skin should be firm and not wrinkled. Most people know that if the eyes are sprouting it's an old spud, but fewer people know that green skin on a potato is a sign of poisonous solanine. What's worse, cutting off the green doesn’t remove all of the solanine.

Fish and Seafood -

How do you know if the fish is fresh? There is a way to test this out at the store. Don't be intimidated by the man behind the counter. Ask to smell your selection before he wraps it up. Even it you think it smells ok, open the package and smell it again when you're on the laundry detergent aisle. Aside from the fact that fewer people will be watching you on that aisle, you'll get a more objective sniff away from the fish counter.

Before you buy unshelled shrimp, have a look at their legs. If they're red, they are fresh. If they have lost their color, they are not. Also, the shells should be firmly attached to the shrimp, not coming away. Here's another test. If you’re in an open market, make sure you do this while the clerk's back is turned; just like squeezing the tomatoes. Pick up one of the shrimp from the tail. If it remains firmly curled, keep it. If it goes limp and loses most of its curl, put it back on the ice.

When you get home, store the fish on ice in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

Always remove any tight bands from your vegetables or at least loosen them to allow them to breathe.

Modern kitchens often come equipped with storage bins and shelves that are often located behind cabinet doors. Even if the bins have an open weave designed to allow for air circulation, the temperature behind those cabinet doors may be too warm for some vegetables that normally store well without refrigeration. Make sure your cabinet is not located near an hvac vent. Your veggies will loose their freshness by their close proximity to heat.

Eggplant - This vegetable does fine left out in a cool room. Don’t wash it because eggplant doesn’t like any extra moisture around its leaves.

Carrots, Parsnips and Turnips ‐ Root vegetables remember their roots; they prefer a cool, dark, dry environment. If they still have their green tops, cut them off because the greenery continues to use the vegetable for nourishment, even after it is harvested. Don't crowd these veggies either or they'll bruise. If you don't have a really cool location for root vegetables, wrap them loosely with a paper towel and store them in the refrigerator.

Extra Tip: If you find that you have too many root vegetables that are sure to go bad before you are ready to eat them, why not peel and parboil them? Store them in a ziplock bag, or freeze them for final preparation at a later date.

Garlic and Onions ‐ Store in a cool, dark, place. If your dark place isn't cool enough, put them in a nice bowl on the counter. Don't ever stack them in one of those decorative hanging baskets as they don't like to be crowed. That only bruises them and it will attract fruit flies.

Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes ‐ Store in a cool, dark and dry place. You can even store them in a paper bag which will absorb moisture. Never refrigerate potatoes as they don’t like the cold.

Berries - Today most berries are sold in plastic containers. Because the berries are so congested, they get moldy quickly. If you can store them flat in the refrigerator they'll last longer, but that's not always practical. I've found that if you take them out of the container, then line the container with a paper towel, they will keep fresh a little longer.

Here's a tip from one of my favorite Hubbers, Winsome -

_{"When I buy lots of strawberries (who can resist fresh strawberries) I cut off the stem area and put them in a covered bowl in the fridge and they last almost forever. I guess the stem tells the fruit to overripen and when it's gone they just hang around waiting for someone to come back and tell them to get back to work. I think I've worked with some of them at previous jobs. =:)"}

Melons ‐ Uncut melons also like a cool dry place that gets no sun. If they start to smell ripe, cut them up and store the slices in the refrigerator in an open container.

Apples ‐ Store on a cool counter or shelf for up to two weeks. For longer storage, or if you enjoy a cold, crisp apple, put them in a cardboard box in the fridge or wrap them in a paper towel to prevent moisture damage.

Fruits with pits or stones such as Peaches also like cool, dry locations. Refrigerate them only when they are fully ripe.

Citrus ‐ These fruits prefer a cool place with good airflow. A fridge crisper is fine. Never store them in an air‐tight container.

Mushrooms - Mushrooms tend to sweat and get brown within a day or two. You can stretch their freshness by wrapping them in a paper towel and placing the little bundle back in the original container. Store it in the refrigerator or on a cool counter.

Supermarkets love to shower the fresh vegetables with automated misting systems. According to one supermarket supplier of "enhanced freshness" equipment, "reducing moisture loss means reducing weight loss and that provides fresher, more appealing products...and the results are higher profits."

Unfortunately, not all produce stays fresher when it is cold and wet. Those bagged parsnips certainly don't get any fresher. If you store all those veggies wet without much air circulation, they'll get moldy much sooner than if they were damp and uncrowded.

Asparagus ‐ Place them in a glass or upright bowl with water at room temperature. They can last for up to a week outside the fridge. You can also store them in the refrigerator wrapped in a moist cloth.

Bagged baby carrots that are ready to eat need to stay moist and cold. Store them in the refrigerator crisper.

Cucumber ‐ Some cucumbers come shrink-wrapped which keeps them fresher. Store them in the refrigerator in the crisper. If they are not pre-wrapped store them in a moist towel in the fridge. If you’re planning on eating them within a day or two after buying them they can be fine left out in a cool room.

Herbs- Place fresh herbs in a closed container in the fridge. Add a piece of dry paper toweling to kept deter mold.

Lettuce ‐ It looks fresh and crisp when it's wet, but too much moisture can actually over-hydrate it and damage the leaves. You can wash it before storage, but shake off the excess water and wrap it loosely in a paper towel. If it came in a plastic bag, put the wrapped lettuce back into it and store it in the crisper.  If you purchase a crowded bagful of romaine lettuce, separate it, or the trapped moisture will create brown spots.

Arugula ‐ Arugula, like lettuce, should not stay wet. Place dry arugula in an open container, wrapped with a dry towel to absorb any extra moisture.

Spinach ‐ Store it loose in an open container in the refrigerator crisper. Spinach loves to stay cold.

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