Storing fruit and vegetables for maximum shelf life

Maximise the shelf life of your fruit and vegetables and minimise wastage with these helpful tips:

• IMPORTANT: Remove fruit and vegetables from the cardboard carton as soon as possible. Cardboard retains moisture, which encourages the growth of mould and mildew.
• It's best to store fruit and vegetables separately. Storing them together can cause vegetables to spoil faster.
• General rule of thumb, consider the origin of each item and where it grows, and then store it in similar conditions. 

Fruit

Tropical Fruits

In general tropical fruit, such as bananas and mangoes, don't like the cold and should be stored at room temperature.

If you store bananas and avocados together, be careful -- bananas will help avocados ripen quickly, but will cause them to spoil quickly too if left together too long.

Stone Fruits

Stone fruits like peaches, plums, and apricots should be stored at room temperature until they ripen, and then in the crisper to prolong their life. They will taste best if eaten at room temperature, however.

Vegetables

Root Vegetables

Potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, parsnips are usually best stored out of the fridge in a cool dark place.

Carrots and radish will do better in the fridge, but try to keep the humidity low.

Greens

Hardy greens like cabbage, kale, gai choy and silverbeet are best stored in the fridge and stay fresh longer if the fridge is a bit humid (moist air).

Delicate greens go slimy quickly if there is too much moisture, so are best stored in the fridge wrapped up in a clean, dry cloth.

If you have any other suggestions about how to store fruit and vegetables for a better shelf life, please let us know in the comment section below.