Whole Foods Lifestyle - Storing Fruits and Veggies

Anyone know of a good source for learning how to store fruits and veggies? I know some stuff goes in the fridge, some doesn't, some doesn't go together, some wash first, some wash as you use, etc. Just not sure which is what. :dizzy:

Anyone have a suggestion?

Thanks!

Gosh that's weird! I was just going to post this same question!!!

An all-purpose cookbook like The Joy of Cooking will have this information. I'm sure other people will have lots of other good ideas and I look forward to hearing them :).

The main one hint I can think of is don't wash berries until right before you use them. I keep potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, shallots.. etc out of the fridge. Fresh herbs. - wash them when you bring them home, wrap in paper towels and store in a ziplock in the fridge. They'll last a week. Tomatoes I keep on the counter for a few days when I bring them home. Avocados I leave out until I cut into them or they get soft and then I put them in the fridge. Most other veggies I keep cold. Fruit I mostly do too, just because I like the taste better.

http://www.5aday.gov has lots of information on vegetables and fruit

http://www.aboutproduce.com is a site they link to that has storage tips, but my browser at work keeps freezing on the site.

Here's another good article I found:

http://aginfo.psu.edu/PSA/fw98/chill.html

Thanks much! :)

Never put tomatoes in the fridge. I keep mine on the counter. I will chill them for maybe half an hour before serving them, but that's about it. I think refrigeration kills the flavor. I can't remember if mushrooms are the same, but I've heard that you shouldn't wash a mushroom--just brush off the dirt before you eat it. That's weird.

:lol: Allison - I'm just the opposite, I don't like fruit or raw veggies cold. I'd never chill my tomatos! In fact, I let my salad warm to room temp when I can.

Never put tomatoes in the fridge.

Heh, this is the only one that I really knew. You would think with all the Alton Brown shows I watch (pretty much every evening if we're home) that something would have sunk in at some point. I guess I just don't internalize all that stuff too much cause I don't do much of the cooking. :o