Very often, there is a lack of information in the household on how to keep vegetables and fruits fresh and tasty. When stored in the refrigerator, products can also deteriorate if you do not know special tricks that allow you to extend the shelf life of certain products. It is worth learning some secrets of proper storage so that only high-quality and fresh fruits and vegetables are always on the table.
Dry storage
If vegetables and fruits are purchased for long-term storage, they should not be washed immediately. Strong dirt should be removed from the products exclusively in a dry way, they can be wiped with soft napkins or paper towels, but in no case should they be washed with water. Water is able to destroy the protective invisible film of fresh products, resulting in rotting and mold formation. Thus, it is possible to preserve the freshness of fruits or vegetables for a long time. If a person did not know this rule and washed the products, it is important to wipe the vegetables and fruits very carefully until dry. Dryness prevents rotting. If the products have not been washed, but they have the property of releasing liquid (for example, very ripe fruits can release juice), before placing them in storage, it is necessary to line the bottom of the container where the fruits or vegetables will be placed with dry paper towels. The paper will absorb all the juices released and prevent subsequent rotting or mold.
Storage without refrigerator
How to keep fruits fresh for longer? It is important to know the storage rules of each type in order to avoid wasting money and time on purchases that will be thrown away as a result. For example, an unripe avocado should not be kept in the refrigerator, the fruit is better stored and ripens at room temperature, wrapped in paper. Only after the maturity of the fruit reaches the required level, the avocado should be transferred to a bag and sent for storage in the refrigerator.
It is important to know that some types of products should not be stored in the refrigerator at all. Room temperature is the main secret of how long to keep some types of vegetables intact and fresh for a long time. For example, bell peppers, tomatoes or cucumbers should not be kept in the refrigerator so that the vegetables do not lose their flavor and elasticity, and also do not become sticky and soft.
When storing tomatoes, it is important to take into account not only the basic principles of how to preserve vegetables, but also one nuance – the stalk of the vegetable and the place around it is the most vulnerable area of a mature tomato, therefore, all fruits should be laid out with the stalk up during storage so that they are preserved as long as possible.
The room temperature of their storage will also help to preserve fruits and vegetables that have yet to ripen. At low temperatures, products are subject to rapid rotting, which is why often vegetables or fruits, without even having time to ripen, end up in the trash. However, it is not worth keeping fruits and vegetables in closed boxes or bags at room temperature, products require air so that rot does not form. It would be optimal to store food in wooden or plastic boxes that have ventilation, placed in a pantry where air constantly circulates.
Storage in the refrigerator
But still, most products are best stored in the refrigerator and vegetables or fruits, in their total mass, are no exception. But even here there are secrets that will keep fruits fresh and vegetables full of vitamins. For example, to store bananas in the refrigerator, it is necessary to maintain moisture access to their cuttings, otherwise the fruits will become tasteless and turn black. To this end, you can wrap the base of the bunch in a food wrap, which will work as a small greenhouse and will allow bananas to remain delicious for a long time.
If you want to make a preparation of vegetables in advance, but it is not known how to preserve peeled and chopped carrots, celery or radishes, it is worth trying to put them in a container with water in which they can stay fresh in the refrigerator for a very long time.
If you are interested in how to keep vegetables and fruits fragrant, and not just fresh, you should put them in the area of the refrigerator where the temperature is highest. Most often, such zones in modern technology are a door or special containers for vegetables and fruits. At the same time, a very important point is the observance of the commodity neighborhood. When ripe, many fruits or vegetables begin to release ethylene. These products include plums, bananas, mangoes, apricots, tomatoes, melons and pears. But apples, carrots, eggplants, watermelons, cucumbers, potatoes and many other products are very sensitive to this substance and begin to deteriorate under its influence. Therefore, such groups of products must be laid out in the refrigerator on different shelves or drawers.
There is another secret, also based on the commodity neighborhood of vegetables. If you put onions and potatoes together in one box, the potatoes begin to sprout too quickly. This is due to the fact that onions, when stored even in a cold place, emit a lot of heat and moisture and serve as a kind of greenhouse for potatoes lying nearby.
You also need to know that celery is perfectly preserved in the refrigerator if you wrap it in foil beforehand. But in cellophane, this product very quickly loses its elasticity and its unforgettable taste.
A few more tricks
In order to preserve some vegetables for a long time, you need to know a few more secrets. Onions and garlic should not be stored in the light. This was known by previous generations, who always tried to keep onions in old stockings, and garlic in “braids”. Now there are various storage containers on sale that can be put in a dark, dry place and store garlic and onions there all winter. Also, such containers can be replaced with paper bags with air holes.
Potatoes are also distinguished by photophobia. It is not just impossible to store it in the sun, but it is even dangerous for health, since the decomposition products in this vegetable have carcinogenic properties. The most successful way to save potatoes is to pour them into wooden boxes and put them in a dry dark place with air access. By the way, for even better preservation, it is worth putting a couple of apples in boxes with potatoes. These fruits will help the root crop not only stay fresh, but also not lose any of its beneficial properties.
If asparagus lovers start storing it not in the refrigerator, but in a glass of water, putting it there like a bouquet, the juiciness and freshness of the product will remain for a long time. Broccoli is stored in the same way, only in addition to a glass of water for the stems, they still need a wet towel to cover the inflorescences. Both the water in the glass and the towel need to be constantly changed, then the broccoli will retain not only its taste, but also vitamins.
Cauliflower is also better preserved wrapped in a wet towel or food wrap with several air holes. By the way, a film or a plastic bag will perfectly preserve hard grapes from rot. Juicy bunches, divided into small parts by weight, are wrapped in these materials and stored in the refrigerator in the fruit compartment. Soft grapes are not subject to storage, it is better to eat them immediately so that the product does not have time to spoil.
Knowing all these simple tricks, every housewife will always be able to please herself and her family only with fresh vegetables and fruits, saving a lot of effort, time and money when buying a new batch of products.