By The Paula Deen Test Kitchen

How you store fruits and vegetables has a major impact on both their taste and their shelf life. How sad is it when you have to throw out a drawer full of sludge that you bought just a few days earlier? Follow these tips to keep your fruits and vegetables at their best.

Don’t Refrigerate Some fruits and vegetables are cold sensitive and will lose flavor and texture if kept in the fridge. These are best stored at room temperature.
Tomatoes
Avocados
Bananas
Peaches
Pears
Plums

Cool Dark Place These will keep up to one month if stored correctly.
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Shallots
Winter Squash

In the Fridge
Apples In the crisper drawer away from very strong smelling foods (they will absorb odors.)

Broccoli In the crisper drawer away, from apples or other fruits that emit ethylene. (Ethylene is a natural occurring gas that speeds up spoilage in certain produce).

Celery In the crisper drawer, in a tightly sealed plastic bag to retain their moisture.

Leafy greens Keep greens in a plastic bag lined with paper towels.

Green beans Store in tightly sealed bag to retain moisture.

Beets In the crisper drawer. Slice off the green tops and store them as you would other leafy greens.

Berries In a warmer spot in your refrigerator. Store unwashed.

Carrots In crisper. Slice off green tops before storing.

Mushrooms In a warmer spot in your refrigerator. Store unwashed in a paper bag or bowl. Always unwrap from plastic.

Asparagus In warmer spot of refrigerator. Ends trimmed, and stored upright in jar of water.

Peppers In crisper drawer. Store in perforated plastic bag.

Herbs In warmer spot of refrigerator. Ends trimmed, stored upright in jar of water, like a bouquet of flowers. Fresh basil actually prefers to be out in room temperature.

Plan your meals
Some fruits and vegetables naturally have a shorter shelf life than others. Plan on eating the most perishable first. Things like asparagus, broccoli, green beans, berries, figs, and apricots should be eaten within in a few days of purchasing.

Crisper Drawer
The crisper drawer traps moisture and humidity to create a friendly environment that keeps fresh produce from drying out. Generally home refrigerators have two crisper drawers that come in two settings (low and high). Most vegetables need more humidity than fruits so keep one drawer on high to store your crisper vegetables and the other one on low to store your fruits.

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