Summer Storage Tips for Fruits and Veggies

We get a lot of questions about how best to extend the shelf life of the produce you receive in your bins and how long different items are expected to last. Keeping fresh food fresh throughout the week can be especially challenging in these hot summer days. Here are a few tips on how best to store your produce this summer to make the most of what arrives in your bin.
Fruit

If you want to speed up the ripening on your peaches, plums, apricots, or nectarines, place them in a paper bag at room temperature. Cold makes stone fruit mealy, so skip the fridge and keep them on the counter instead. Be careful not to pile stone fruits on top of each other, as they bruise easily.

Berries are so hard to keep fresh -- and everyone's favourite treat this time of year. When you first get a basket of berries, pick through it to remove any moldy ones, as mold spreads incredibly quickly through berries, and then spread everything else on a baking sheet and cover gently with a towel. Store in the fridge.

It's always a guess as to whether tomatoes would be best included in the fruit or vegetable section, but either way you want to store these summer beauties stem side down in a single layer. They like room temperature best and prefer to be away from direct sunlight, which can cause bruising and softening.

Vegetables

If you have an overabundance of summer squash and zucchini (and who doesn't at this time of year?), the best way to keep it fresh is to store it at room temperature or in the fridge for up to a week. You may find sturdier varieties last longer in the fridge than that -- great! As long as it's still firm and fresh, eat it!

Bell Peppers do best kept in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week, while cucumbers can be kept either uncovered or in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week.

If you're eating good, sturdy greens like kale, swiss chard, or collard greens, wash them in lukewarm water to remove any dirt, then wrap in a damp paper towel and store in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week.

Who doesn't love corn in the summer? And who doesn't feel immensely disappointed when you peel back that husk to discover your cob is not as fresh as it could be? Store corn husked or unhusked in the fridge for up to a week and avoid that disappointment!

Fresh tender greens like arugula and baby spinach stay fresher longer if their roots are still attached. Store these guys in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to four days. If the roots are still on, wrap the roots in a damp paper towel.

Beets can be a double storage issue if they arrive with their greens intact -- cut their tops off and store the greens separately the same way you'd store heartier greens like kale and chard. Store the beets in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to three weeks.

Summer is the time of fresh herbs, so make the most of them by storing them correctly. Heartier herbs, like mint and parsley can be prewashed, wrapped in a damp paper towel and stored in a plastic bag in the fridge. Others, like cilantro, do well to be kept upright in a glass of water in the fridge. Only wash tender herbs like basil and chervil right before use.