Found this utterly complete guide to store your fruits and vegetables, made by a couple whose experience on a organic CSA (community supported agriculture) farm, motivated them to list down these items and came up with this terrific tip list for us. Check it out


Understanding Ethylene

Before we start, a quick chemistry lesson. Ethylene is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced by some fruits and it helps them ripen (or age). Some produce a lot more of the chemical, like apples and pears, than others so a lot of tips revolve around segregating these producers. As an aside, ethylene is what commercial growers use to ripen some fruits after harvest.



Ethylene

You probably know this trick to help ripen bananas faster – put bananas in a paper bag. That’s because the bag traps the ethylene and that helps ripen the fruit. You can expand this strategy by taking fruits that produce more ethylene, like apples, and putting them in with those that don’t produce as much, like tomatoes and bananas. The apples help the tomatoes and bananas ripen. Also, that saying “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch” is in part caused by ethylene. When a plant or fruit is damaged, it releases more ethylene which, in turn, ripens the other fruits faster! (the damaged area also attracts bugs, which then discover the feast).

Which fruits produce the most ethylene? Apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupe, figs, honeydew, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, and tomatoes comprise the short list of produce that are a significant source of ethylene. You will want to keep these fruits away from other fruits and vegetables, and certainly not store them in the same enclosed space, unless you want them to ripen faster.

Where to Store Fruits & Vegetables

There are basically three places you should store your fruits and vegetables – in the refrigerator, on the countertop, or in a cool dry place (not as cold as the fridge, but certainly not someplace “warm”). When in the fridge, there are three ways to store something – exposed, in a plastic bag, or in a paper bag. In general, the stuff that you put inside bags will want a more humid environment while the exposed ones do better in dryer climates. Ever notice water condensation inside a plastic bag? You can avoid that by putting a few holes in it. That water isn’t good for the produce, it promotes mold.

If all else fails, I generally try to store the fruit or vegetable the same way the grocery store does it. Asparagus is stored in a tray of water. Bananas hang out on the counter. It’s not a perfect system but if you aren’t sure how to store them, it doesn’t hurt to copy the grocery store.


Store in Refrigerator


Leeks

In general, you do not want to wash fruits and vegetables until right before you use them. If you do wash them, make sure to dry them before storing. Water promotes mold and mold is bad. There’s a subset on this list that you absolutely cannot wash, like berries, simply because you can’t get it dry enough!

Here are the items you will want to store in a fridge:

Artichokes
Beets
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cantelopes
Celery
Cherries
Grapes
Green beans
Honeydew Melons
Lima beans
Leafy vegetables
Leeks
Mushrooms
Okra
Spinach
Sprouts
Summer squash
Yellow squash
Zucchini

Store After Ripening

Almost every one of these produce a lot of ethylene, so wait until they ripen before putting in the fridge:

Avocados
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Kiwi

Store in Water

Store in Paper Bag

Mushrooms and okra are best stored inside a paper bag, because a paper bag prevents light.


Do Not Wash, Store in Plastic Bag


Carrots

Definitely don’t wash these until right before you use them. When you store them, keep them in the plastic bag:

Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Chard
Corn
Cranberries
Green onions
Lettuce
Peas
Radishes

Do Not Wash, Store in Single Layer


Berries

Don’t wash these before you put them in a fridge and, if you can, store in a single layer. If you wash them, the skins will get soggy and it’ll accelerate spoilage. The argument for storing them in a single layer is because when they do start to go bad, the juice that leaks out can accelerate the decline of other berries. Storing in a single layer reduces the amount of damage while permitted air flow.

Blackberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Strawberries

Store on the Countertop


Bananas

When storing on the counter top, try to keep it at room temperature. Avoid sunlight and cooking surfaces, which can increase the ambient temperature. If you want it to ripen, then you can leave it in the sun. If you can, move them around every so often so they aren’t resting on the same point. This is especially important for tomatoes.

Apples
Bananas
Tomatoes
Basil
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Ginger
Grapefruit
Jicama
Lemons
Limes
Mangoes
Oranges
Papayas
Peppers
Persimmons
Pineapple
Plantains
Pomegranates
Watermelon

Store in Cool, Dry Dark Place



Potatoes

Many root vegetables are best stored in a cool dry dark place, which is why root cellars were so popular back in the days of yore. One thing to keep in mind is that air circulation is important because of ethylene buildup. You may have heard the advice that you shouldn’t store onions and potatoes, that’s because of ethylene.

Acorn squash
Butternut squash
Garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Pumpkins
Shallots
Spaghetti squash
Sweet potatoes
Winter squash

Alphabetized Master List

Organizing the list by “where,” as opposed to by “what” might not be the best approach if you have a fruit or vegetable and just want to know where you should put it. Here’s a list alphabetized by the fruit/veg (download as a PDF here):

Acorn squash – cool, dry place
Apples – on the countertop
Artichokes – in fridge
Avocados – in fridge after ripening
Bananas – on the countertop
Basil – on the countertop
Beets – in fridge
Blackberries – in fridge, single layer, do not wash
Blueberries – in fridge, single layer, do not wash
Broccoli – in fridge, in plastic bag
Brussels sprouts – in fridge
Butternut squash – cool, dry place
Cabbage – in fridge
Cantelopes – in fridge
Carrots – in fridge, in plastic bag
Cauliflower – in fridge, in plastic bag
Celery – in fridge
Chard – in fridge, in plastic bag
Cherries – in fridge
Corn – in fridge, in plastic bag
Cranberries – in fridge, in plastic bag
Cucumbers – on the countertop
Eggplant – on the countertop
Garlic – cool, dry place
Ginger – on the countertop
Grapefruit – on the countertop
Grapes – in fridge
Green beans – in fridge
Green onions – in fridge, in plastic bag
Honeydew Melons – in fridge
Jicama – on the countertop
Kiwi – in fridge after ripening
Leafy vegetables – in fridge
Leeks – in fridge
Lemons – on the countertop
Lettuce – in fridge, in plastic bag
Lima beans – in fridge
Limes – on the countertop
Mangoes – on the countertop
Mushrooms – in fridge
Nectarines – in fridge after ripening
Okra – in fridge
Oranges – on the countertop
Onions – cool, dry place
Papayas – on the countertop
Peaches – in fridge after ripening
Pears – in fridge after ripening
Peas – in fridge, in plastic bag
Peppers – on the countertop
Persimmons – on the countertop
Pineapple – on the countertop
Plantains – on the countertop
Plums – in fridge after ripening
Pomegranates – on the countertop
Potatoes – cool, dry place
Pumpkins – cool, dry place
Radishes – in fridge, in plastic bag
Raspberries – in fridge, single layer, do not wash
Shallots – cool, dry place
Spaghetti squash – cool, dry place
Spinach – in fridge
Sprouts – in fridge
Strawberries – in fridge, single layer, do not wash
Summer squash – in fridge
Sweet potatoes – cool, dry place
Tomatoes – on the countertop
Yellow squash – in fridge
Winter squash – cool, dry place
Watermelon – on the countertop
Zucchini – in fridge
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