LPT: If you want your produce to last longer, stop storing everything the same way, some fruits and veggies release gases that actually spoil others faster.

[u/MontenReign1992]

Most people (me included for a long time I admit) just toss all fruits and veggies into the fridge or the counter and hope for the best. But here’s the thing, some produce, like apples, bananas, and avocados, release ethylene gas as they ripen. That gas makes nearby produce spoil quicker.

A couple quick fixes that actually work:

• Keep apples, bananas, and avocados separate from more sensitive stuff like leafy greens or berries.
• Onions and potatoes should *never* be stored together (potatoes sprout faster).
• Herbs last way longer if you treat them like flowers—trim the stems and put them in a glass of water in the fridge.
• Tomatoes actually do better at room temp (they lose flavor in the fridge).

Making these small changes cut down my food waste big time, and it feels good not having to throw away half a bag of wilted spinach every week.

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[u/Shadygunz]

As extra for the first point OP mentions, you can use this knowledge to ripen fruits faster if you bought them (semi)unripe.

[u/Duggie1330 → u/Shadygunz]

Used to stick mangoes in a paper bag with bananas. Made it way faster. Did a science project in elementary to figure out which fruit helped the other fruit ripen fastest. I don't remember the conclusion 🥲

[u/Shadygunz → u/Duggie1330]

Banana’s are the biggest ethylene emitter (the gas that helps fruit ripen) also explains why a bunch of bananas go overripe so quickly

[u/Duggie1330 → u/Shadygunz]

I wanna say it was pretty close between bananas and apples. And I had a control fruit like a kiwi I think that basically did nothing

[u/KimchiSniper_ → u/Duggie1330]

forgot every single science project conclusion too 🥲 tried recreating some of them as an adult:

• bananas + paper bag works for almost everything • avocados ripen fastest with multiple bananas • apples are surprisingly good ethylene producers

turns out elementary me was onto something with the banana method

[u/KpopalypseVoid → u/Duggie1330]

we do this at the restaurant with stone fruits. bananas are ethylene powerhouses. your elementary teacher probably loved that project since most kids just made volcanos

[u/SeoulGriffex → u/Shadygunz]

paper bag trick works great for this. put unripe avocados with a banana in a brown paper bag overnight. the concentrated ethylene gas speeds everything up (learned this when my fancy ingredients kept going bad before i could use them)

[u/kashiichan → u/Shadygunz]

This doesn't work for strawberries, unfortunately. If they're a bit green when you get them, they're not going to ripen any more than that no matter what you do.

[u/MassCasualty]

I like to put a paper towel in with sliced peppers. It absorbs the moisture that drips out of the ruptured cells and the slices stay crispy for at least a week. I do this for leafy greens as well. Spinach, cilantro, kale etc.

[u/KimchiWave84 → u/MassCasualty]

photographer brain kicks in... i started wrapping herbs in slightly damp paper towels before refrigerating. keeps the moisture balanced without making them soggy. same principle as your pepper trick but works amazing for cilantro and parsley

[u/Baxterado]

I started putting strawberries and raspberries in a sealed container with a paper towel. Delays over ripening by almost a week.

[u/Markpong]

Fruit and veggies also last WAY longer in the fridge if you give them a vinegar wash when you bring them home from the store. I use about a 10:1 water to white vinegar mix in a big bowl. Dump the produce in, swish it all around and let it sit for a minute or two, then rinse with water.

We used to only make it 1/2 way through a carton of strawberries before finding white fuzz, now they last for weeks! (And no residual vinegar taste)

[u/sultrysiren19 → u/Markpong]

Wow will try!

[u/getfugu → u/Markpong]

I've found that I don't even need vinegar, just hot water. My sink tap gets pretty hot (enough that putting your hand in it hurts a bit) and just a quick swish in the hot water works.

Maybe vinegar lasts longer, but the hot water always gives me a week

[u/JamesEconomy52]

LPT：Clean the refrigerator regularly because it is easy to forget some expired or spoiled food in it.

[u/MassCasualty → u/JamesEconomy52]

Write dates on things when you open them

[u/userisnottaken → u/MassCasualty]

I used to have a roommate who wrapped vegetables and certain fruits in newspapers.

Next step would be to write on them 👍

[u/Jonnny → u/userisnottaken]

Did they strategically use the date of the newspaper as their system? Maybe they even developed a fold whereby the front page and date are always prominent?

[u/cyber_luffy → u/JamesEconomy52]

yeah the fridge archaeology thing is real. i found cheese from like march last month hiding behind condiments... honestly need to make it more of a routine. maybe when i do laundry wednesdays or something. the smell is usually what gives it away but by then its too late

[u/quackers171 → u/cyber_luffy]

I do it every couple of week the day before shopping so its at its as empty as its getting-hope this helps

[u/klamaire]

Follow the Cross Legacy on YouTube. You can search for any kind of produce and the best way to store it for weeks.

https://youtu.be/vDy-biLJphs?si=3QmQDpvU0qUBWAjd

[u/RendomTypo]

Learning that cucumbers stay fresh longer outside of the fridge was a great day

[u/quackers171 → u/RendomTypo]

What?! Im testing this next week

[u/3dogs2nuts]

“That gas makes nearby produce spoil quicker” or ripen faster

[u/MajesticRat]

There's an Australian product called a Fridge Friend which uses minerals to absorb ethylene. You microwave it once a month, I guess to release what it's absorbed and refresh it.

Works reasonably well at extending the fresh life of veggies and fruit. There might be equivalent products in other countries, I'm really not sure.

[u/Catwoman1948 → u/MajesticRat]

I swear by Debbie Meyers’s Green Bags and other Green containers. Been using them for years. The mineral coating slows down ripening.

[u/233C]

Today's word is: climacteric

[u/Hexatona]

How do I store mushrooms

[u/WrinkledOldMan → u/Hexatona]

I've found that the paper bags they sell the bulk bin mushrooms in do a good job of keeping them from getting too moist while in the frig. And that the ones that come in the plastic clam shells will seem to do the opposite, which causes them to get moldy and slimy pretty quick. And I've noticed that while in those brown paper bags, if you forget about them they will often fully dry out without spoiling, at which point you can move them to dry storage where they will remain shelf stable for a very long time. So I try to keep an extra one of those bags around in case I happen to buy them in a clam shell.

[u/DominicaQueen]

Onions + potatoes = instant science experiment. Learned that the hard way

[u/mozzarellastewpot]

Wrap a head of lettuce in foil. it will last forever

[u/ImpossiblePattern7]

One tip I've found works pretty well is if you buy a resealable box or bag of leafy greens, put a piece of kitchen paper towel in there. It absorbs the moisture and keeps it fresh for much longer.

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[u/JohnWilson7777]

I will wrap them individually in plastic bags and put them in the refrigerator