How to store fruits and vegetables properly so they last as long as possible.

We all know that we cannot use all fruits from our garden right away. For example, we all store apples and pears in boxes under the best possible conditions to make sure that these goodies last. But we also store vegetables. Is there any difference? Are there any rules applicable to each type of fruit? And can we store different types of fruit and vegetables next to each other? We shall answer these questions in the following lines.

Apples and pears

Store apples and pears in crates and do not put too many apples/pears on top of each other. Only store undamaged and healthy fruits that do not show any signs of disease or any other suspicious signs. You need to check the stored fruit at least once a week and discard any fruits that start to show signs of rot or mould. You can put bad fruit in your composter. The storage temperature should be below 3°C. Apples must be stacked with stems up, pears, on the other hand, with the stems down. Yes, go figure.

Photo: Pixabay

Vegetables

If possible, store vegetables in a cellar, where the humidity is around 70 to 80%. If the humidity is within this ratio, your veggies should not spoil or dry out. If you can,always put potatoes in the darkest corner – they will last much longer in a dark environment. Carrots and other root vegetables are usually stored in a sand and carrots should not be stored near tomatoes, because carrots may turn bitter (fortunately, tomatoes are not suitable for long-term storage), but just an interesting information.

Veggies and fruits that should not be stored next to each other

Apples are prone to absorb various odours so, do not store apples near other vegetables such as onions or potatoes, but also close to other vegetables. Even certain vegetables should not be stored close to each other. For example, tomatoes, as mentioned above should not be close to any vegetables such as carrots or onions because they can lose their “sharpness” and even cucumbers, cabbage and parsley should not be close to tomatoes because they will turn yellow quickly. Do not mix onions with cruciferous vegetables for example, because onions tend to acquire their flavour. And do not place cucumbers, cabbage, or parsley close to apples. Apples will make them turn yellow quickly.

Preview photo: Pixabay