(With no mention of hokey produce-preserving storage containers.)
Key Takeaways
Fact: The United States throws away150,000 tons of fooddaily.
On average, each household wastes around $1,500 worth of food per year.
Daniel Grizelj/Getty Images
And fruits and vegetables account for 39 percent of this loss.
One of the most common mistakes that leads to food spoilage is storing fruits and vegetables too close together.
A build-up of ethylene gas will cause them to go bad.
Daria Yakovleva/Getty Images
Apples
Keepapplesin an uncovered fruit bowl on the countertop andstore them out of direct sunlight.
Asparagus
Storewhole asparagusin your refrigerator crisper drawer for a week or so.
Additionally, some home cooks also like tostore their asparagusin water, like fresh flowers.
Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images
If you notice the water getting cloudy, change it out, ideally every day or so.
Fresh asparagus stored in this manner can last over a week.
It will last for about a year.
Ilka & Franz/Getty Images
It will typically last on your countertop for four to five days.
However, sinceavocadoscan be tricky, it’s important to check for ripeness daily.
To freeze an avocado half, remove the pit and skin.
LOVE_LIFE/Getty Images
Consider using a banana tree to keep them separated and minimize bruising.
Discard the extra beet greens, or save them to saute ingarlicand olive oil for asimple side dish.
Its best to keep the skin on, which protects the interior and keeps the beet fresh for longer.
Brett Stevens/Getty Images
Store whole beets in the cool, dry environment of your crisper drawer.
No need to place them in a plastic bag or other container first, which would inhibit ventilation.
Stored like this in the refrigerator, beets can last for up to two months.
Poh Kim Yeoh/Getty Images
Mold travels fast, so it’s best to get ahead of the problem.
To avoidmold development, try not torinse the berriesuntil right before you’re ready to eat them.
When it comes to preserving fresh blueberries, moisture is the enemy.
Arkadiusz Fajer/Getty Images
Tostore blueberries, choose a container with good airflow (like the pint the berries came in!
), and line it with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
Add the berries, then place the container on a shelf in the refrigerator.
Istetiana/Getty Images
A shelf is better than the crisper drawer because there’s better air circulation.
Stored in this way, you might expect blueberries to last for about a week.
Once the carrots have cooled down, transfer them to an airtight bag, and return to the freezer.
Getty Images
Once in the fridge,cherries can lastfor about a week.
Stored this way, cilantro can last up to two weeks.
To freeze cilantro, we suggest blending it and freezing it in anice cube tray.
Nattawut Lakjit/EyeEm/Getty Images
(The same goes for tomatoes and avocados.)
Cucumbers
Washcucumbersas soon as you bring them home from the grocery store.
Garlic
Store heads of garlicin a cool, dry place with plenty of air circulation.
Getty Images
you might freeze garlic in pretty much every form: whole heads, peeled, and grated.
This will help keep it fresh for a month, or even longer.Got your eyes on the freezer?
This will allow them to last for up to three weeks.
the_burtons/Getty Images
When basil is needed for a dish, just pop in a ready-made ice cube.
If they look clean, store as you would other lettuce types.
Mangoes
Unripemangoesarebest stored at room temperature, and not in the refrigerator.
Larisa Davydova/Getty Images
To speed up the ripening process, place mangoes in a paper bag at room temperature.
Once the mango yields slightly to the touch, it’s ready to eat.
To freeze a ripe mango, peel it and cut it into cubes or slices.
Dmytro Lvivsky/Getty Images
Seal the bag tightly and label it with the date.
Mushrooms
Tanja Ivanova/Getty Images
If youve purchased pre-packagedmushrooms, store them as they are.
Their original packaging should already be ventilated to keep them dry in the fridge.
Westend61/Getty Images
Otherwise, thebest way to store whole mushroomsis in a brown paper bag lined with paper towels.
Theres no need to kill the bag tightly, as the airflow will help the mushrooms stay dry.
Store the mushrooms in the fridge to keep them fresher for longer.
Maksym Narodenko/Getty Images
Stored this way, whole mushrooms can last for up to one week.
Stored properly, mushrooms will last in the freezer for about two months.
Avoid storing these products in plastic bags, as this encourages spoilage.
Tanja Ivanova/Getty Images
The cool environment will slow down the ripening process and buy you a little time.
For details on the best way tofreeze peaches, clickhere.
terminate the lid and place the container in the refrigerator.
Richard Drury/Getty Images
When using this method,frozen strawberriesshould stay fresh for about 10 to 12 months.
A ripe tomato can stay fresh in the refrigerator for about two weeks.
If your watermelon is ripe and you don’t have time to eat it, don’t panic.
5second/Getty Images
But don’t slice either.
Slide that whole watermelon into the fridge, where it will stay fresh for two to three more weeks.
Tofreeze watermelon, cut it into small pieces and remove the seeds.
Anna Blazhuk/Getty Images
Claudia Totir/Getty Images
nerudol/Getty Images
