Extend the Life of Your Fruits and Vegetables with These Storage Solutions

Buying fresh fruits and vegetables is a delicious way to maintain a healthy diet. Unfortunately, fresh produce doesn’t last as long as we all wish it did. You either have to eat it all fairly quickly or head to the market often. However, there are a few products that can help you keep your fruits and veggies fresher for much longer.

While there’s no way you can make your fresh fruits and veggies last as long as canned goods, these food storage items can at least help you extend the life of your produce for as long as possible.

Some Tips for Extending the Life of Produce

In addition to the storage products and containers we’ve included on our list, there are a few other things you can do to make your fruit and veg last longer. Try these tips to keep your produce as fresh as possible, for as long as possible:

• Don’t keep everything in one drawer: Some types of produce release ethylene gas as they ripen, which can cause ethylene-sensitive fruits and veggies to get over-ripe and go bad. Keep foods like apples, broccoli, carrots, leafy greens, and watermelon away from foods like avocados, bananas, mangoes, pears, and tomatoes. You also shouldn’t store onions and potatoes together, as the onions can cause potatoes to go bad.
• Keep some items out of the fridge: Not every piece of produce needs to be refrigerated! Potatoes, onions, and tomatoes will actually do better in a cool, dry spot, rather than in the fridge (just don’t store them near an oven or any other warm spot). Fruit that hasn’t ripened yet, like bananas, apples, and avocados, can sit on the counter until they’re ripe, and then be transferred to the fridge.
• Don’t prewash: Washing before sticking your produce in the fridge might be convenient, but, unfortunately, it can also cause mold and bacteria to grow faster. Berries, for example, might go bad more quickly if you wash, and then let them sit in a moist environment.
• Use wraps and containers that aren’t plastic: Those single-use plastic bags aren’t only bad for the environment, but for your produce, as well. Most produce will have a longer shelf life if it’s not stored in plastic, but glass containers. Celery does best when wrapped in aluminum foil, while leafy greens can be put in a bag but with a little bit of air.
• Add some lemon: This can prevent some produce, like avocados and apples, from spoiling as fast. Just squirt some lemon juice on them once they’ve been cut, and you’ll find they don’t go bad as quickly.

Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce Saver

Berries, fruits, or any produce you’ve started washing or cutting will stay fresh longer if it’s in a glass container, like the Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce Saver. It’s specifically made to—you guessed it—save your produce. Each container has FreshVent technology, which regulates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide to help the food last longer.

There’s also a CrispTray at the bottom to keep moisture away from the food and promote air circulation. The lid’s filter can also be reused, rather than replaced. It also comes in several sizes, so you can store everything from tiny blueberries to entire heads of lettuce. These containers will keep your fridge organized, and help your produce last longer, so, what’s not to love?

Food Huggers

Sometimes, you might only need half of a tomato or onion. When you don’t want to waste an entire container on half a veggie, a Food Hugger should do just fine. They’re basically exactly what they sound like: they “hug” and seal the cut, open end of your produce, to prevent it from going bad.

Food Huggers are 100% BPA- and phthalate-free, and made of food-safe silicone. The set includes five sizes that will basically fit anything, along with a mini size for bananas. Oh, and they don’t just work on produce—you can also wrap these around an opened can to keep everything inside fresh.

EQUIZERO Reusable Produce Bags

There are plenty of reasons to give up those single-use plastic bags you get at the grocery store to carry your produce home. A major reason is they’re bad for the environment, but another is they don’t protect your produce from going bad. In fact, in some cases, they could actually speed up the spoiling process.

That’s why using something like these mesh and muslin produce bags is the better option. They’re durable, but you can still see what’s inside. They’re also available in a few different sets and sizes, and they’ll hold any produce you want to throw in there. They also won’t rip easily, like flimsy plastic bags.

COLE & MASON Fresh Herb Keeper

Fresh herbs offer a lot more flavor than the dried kind, but if they’re not properly stored, they’ll go bad really quickly. Enter the COLE & MASON Fresh Herb Keeper, which can slow down that process. It allows the stems of the herbs to be in a little water, which helps keep them fresh. Plus, the lid offers plenty of ventilation and airflow.

It also has removable dividers that allow you to split up different herbs. Or, you can remove the dividers altogether and just put a whole bunch of one or two herbs inside. There’s a window that makes it easy to monitor how much water is in there, and the size is perfect for storing in the fridge.

Bee’s Wrap Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps

Chances are, produce isn’t the only thing you want to protect from spoiling—plenty of other things in your fridge can go bad. To save anything for longer, invest in some Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps. These sustainable alternatives to plastic wrap and foil are eco-friendly, and yes, they last for a long time.

Bee’s Wax holds its shape when it cools, which creates a seal to keep food safe and fresh. You can wrap it around sandwiches, place it over bowls of leftovers, put it over canned goods, or wrap cheese or produce in it. In the fridge, as it cools, it will also seal. Simply wash these with cool water and gentle soap, and you can use them again and again.

BluApple Produce Saver

How do you make sure your produce stays fresh even if you haven’t started cutting into it? You might want to try a BluApple Produce Saver, which claims to extend the lives of produce two or three times. Just put the BluApple in the crisper drawer with your produce.

It will then absorb the ethylene gas (as we discussed previously), instead of allowing your produce to absorb it. This will enable your fruits and veggies to last longer. It’s also organic and nontoxic, so no worries there.

Stasher Bags

While Stasher bags aren’t made specifically for produce, they’re handy to have around for storing fruits and veggies as well as many other things. Made of 100% pure, nontoxic platinum silicone. they’re free of BPAs, PVCs, and latex.

These are an excellent alternative to plastic sandwich bags. You can use them in the fridge or freezer, or for packing lunches, sandwiches, or dry snacks. The airtight, pinch-lock seal will keep your food fresh for longer, whether you’re storing sliced fruits and veggies, meats, or sandwiches.

You can even use these to sous vide, thanks to that airtight seal. They’re also available in lots of different sizes for storing basically any type of food.

Evriholder Avo Saver

It seems like avocados go bad so much faster than any other type of produce. You can slice one open and, seemingly minutes later, it’s gone brown (although, for the record, that browning is probably harmless and just a reaction to the air). If you want to make your avocados last longer, try Evriholder Avo Savers.

This patented design reduces air exposure and, therefore, slows down the oxidation process. This can also keep them from browning. The rubber strap secures the avocado in place, so you can store it in the fridge or throw it in a bag and take it on the go. Avo Savers are also dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning and durable enough to last for years.

Fresh Paper Food Saver Sheets

Similar to the BluApple, FreshPaper Food Saver Sheets are infused with organic spices to extend the life of your produce and keep it fresh two to four times longer. They’re also 100% BPA-, chemical-, and plastic-free, so they’re very safe.

These are nice to have because they’re so compact. You can just throw them in a bag, drawer, berry container, or anything else with perishables you want to keep fresh.