Storage Hints
Organic produce is not pumped full of preservatives so it’s worth storing your food sensibly so that it will last longer. Here are a few tips:
Organic Fruits
- Apples are best kept in the fridge stored loose - they need to breathe to stay crisp. Use within a month.
- Apricots, peaches, pears, nectarines and melons should be ripened before refrigeration. Cut portions should be covered before refrigerating. Use all within 3-5 days except melons, which should be used as soon as possible after ripening.
- Bananas are best stored and eaten at room temperature, but can be refrigerated after ripening. To speed ripening of green bananas, place them in a paper bag in a drawer, cupboard or other dark place with a wrinkled apple.
- Berries and cherries are best kept covered in the fridge. Don't wash until you use them - too much moisture in the package speeds spoilage. Use within 2 - 3 days. Same for cranberries but they can be stored for a week.
- Citrus can be kept at a room temperature of 60-70 degrees if used within 7-10 days. If it is stored in the fridge, it should last about two weeks.
- A pineapple will get softer and juicier if it is left at room temperature
for a day or two before serving. After ripening, it can be refrigerated for three to
five days - no longer, or the fruit may be damaged by the cold. Refrigerate the
pineapple in a plastic bag to help conserve its water content.
Scent is the most important indicator of a ripe pineapple. Smell the bottom of a pineapple: if it has a mild, sweet aroma of a pineapple, you have a ripe fruit. The less scent, the less ripe, but it goes the other way, too: If the scent is overpowering, then the fruit may be overripe and won't keep long. Dark spots on the bottom of the pineapple also indicate overripening. - Papayas are harvested unripe and green, however they will ripen in 3-5 days at room temperature. To ripen a papaya, wrap the papaya in a newspaper and leave it on a counter (out of the sun) until desired ripeness is achieved. Ripe papayas range in colour from yellow-green to yellow-orange, so your papaya may be ripe even if there is still green in the papaya. Papayas are ripe when a faint sweet odor can be smelled from the stem and the fruit has a small amount of give to the touch. Store ripe papayas at 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10c); if papayas are stored at less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit, the fruit can become burned.
- To test an avocado for ripeness, cradle the fruit in your hand. Ripe fruit will be firm, yet yield to gentle pressure. To ripen an avocado faster, place in a brown paper bag and set in the oven with only the oven light on. Best served at room temperature.
- Ripe mangos can range from green or greend with red and/or orange in colour. Ripe mangos will yield to gentle pressure but should not be overly mushy. Fruit that feels heavy for its size will be most juicy. Mangos continue to ripen after picking. Store at room temperature for 2-5 days to ripen. Storage temperatures under 45 degrees F are not recommended because the mango is very susceptible to chilling damage and closer to 55 degrees F is indicated for some types. Preferred ripening temperature are between 70-75 F. Depending on variety, maturity and temperature, control of the relative humidity can greatly decrease spoilage.
- A ripe honeydew has a creamy yellow rind that's slightly soft. If your melon is completely ripe,
hold at room temperature for 2-4 days before cutting. Like the cantaloupe, ripe fruit will give off
a mild sweet melon aroma.
During storage, the temperature should never fall below 5c: this could lead to reddish spots, which become mushy when the melon returns to room temperature. - Watermelon should be stored whole in the refrigerator and kept no more than a week. If it's too large for your unit, keep in a cool, dark place. Cut watermelon should always be tightly wrapped, refrigerated and used within a day or so. It should be served cold. Watermelon contains a fair amount of vitamins A and C.
Organic Vegetables
- Asparagus is delicate and should be used within 2-3 days.
- Broccoli, brussel sprouts, scallions and summer squash will last 3 - 5 days in plastic bags in the crisper.
- Cabbage has a long fridge life of up to two weeks.
- Carrots, radishes, turnips, beets and parsnips should be stored in plastic once the leafy tops are removed. They'll last two weeks in the fridge.
- Cauliflower, celery and snap peas don't have to be washed - use within a week.
- Keep corn in its husk in the fridge. Eat as soon as possible because its sugar quickly turns to starch, causing it to lose its flavor.
- Eggplants, mature onions, winter squash, rutabagas and sweet potatoes are best kept moderately cool - no lower than 50 degrees.
- Lettuce, salad greens, peppers and cucumbers should be washed and stored in the crisper.
- Potatoes need a colder area of 45 - 50 degrees. A cool dry dark place is best. Use within a few weeks. However, they will keep longer.
- Spinach, kale, chard and collards have the same crisper life, but should be washed and drained thoroughly before packing in bags.
- Tomatoes can be ripened uncovered at room temperature and then stored in the fridge for up to a week.
- Green beans and lima beans should be kept in their pods, or, if not in their pods, in plastic. They'll last 3 - 5 days in the fridge.
- Mushrooms store best in a brown paper bag and not in plastic.
- Most other fresh vegetables store well in the crisper bin, but usually need plastic to avoid dehydration.