How to store your Fruits and vegetables

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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 check
Arugula check
Asparagus — submerged in water check
Beets check
Bok Choy check
Broccoli check
Brussel Sprouts check
Cabbage check
Carrots check
Cauliflower check
Celery check
Corn check
Cucumbers check
Eggplant check
Fava beans check
Fennel check
Garlic Green Check Mark Clip Art
Greens (Kale, Chard, Collard Greens) check
Green Beans check
Green Onions (sealed bag) check
Herbs (submerge in glass of water) check
Leeks check
Lettuce check
Mushrooms (I know, not a vegetable) check
Onions check
Parsnips check
Peppers check
Potatoes check
Radishes check
Rutabaga check
Snap Peas check
Spinach check
Summer Squash check
Sweet Potatoes check
Tomatoes check
Turnips check
Winter Squash check

 

FRUIT

Refrigerator
(32-36°F)
Cool Place
(45-50°F)
Room Temp
(55-70°)
Apples check
Avocadoes check
Bananas check
Cranberries check
Figs check
Grapefruit check
Grapes check
Kiwis check
Lemons check
Limes check
Mangos check
Melons check
Nectarines check
Oranges/Mandarins check
Peaches check
Pears check
Plums check
Pomegranates check
Rhubarb check
Strawberries check

3 Responses to “How to store your Fruits and vegetables”

  1. meemsnyc Says:

    These are great tips thanks!


  2. Jackie @ Crest Cottage Says:

    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!


  3. The Cheap Vegetable Gardener Says:

    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.


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