Storing fruit and vegetables correctly
Fridge, cellar or fruit basket?
Fruit and vegetables taste best when fresh. But when we buy food, we usually buy it for a few days at a time. To ensure that our purchases stay fresh for as long as possible and that sensitive nutrients are preserved, it is important to store them correctly.
Not every type of fruit and vegetable can be stored in the same way. Temperature, humidity, light and the right "neighbours" play a decisive role. We have compiled all the facts about the correct storage of fruit and vegetables for you.
You need to be very strong now: From the moment fruit and vegetables are harvested, they go on a downhill slide in terms of freshness. Most varieties do not cope well with the separation of bush, tree or shrub. The ageing process sets in, water evaporates and nutrients are broken down. However, shrivelling, wilting and brown spots can be delayed if you keep a few things in mind during storage.
Always store in the fridge
If you're at home in the northern European climate, you'll feel right at home in the fridge. The simple rule is: Is it home here? Put it in the fridge! This is the case for broccoli, lamb's lettuce, fennel, cucumber, cabbage, beetroot, celery and spinach, for example.
<pIdeally, you should store these foods in the vegetable compartment of the fridge. If this is already full, you can temporarily put the remaining vegetables in one of the other compartments.Tip: Place the vegetables in a sealable box or wrap them in a bag beforehand. This prevents them from drying out.
Never store in the fridge
Depending on their country of origin, tropical fruits are used to more or less tropical temperatures. They don't like the cold at all, so you should never store them in the fridge.
Due to the unusually low temperatures, tropical fruits suffer a cold shock in the fridge. This can be seen in bananas, for example, in the form of brown spots on the skin. Despite the external damage, the fruit usually remains edible. However, you should not allow the fruit to fall below a comfortable temperature.
The ideal storage temperature for tropical fruit, such as mango, papaya, pineapple or banana, is 13°C. Incidentally, vegetables such as peppers, courgettes and tomatoes also feel most comfortable at around 13°C. This is due to their Mediterranean roots. This is due to their Mediterranean roots.
Ethylene: One man's joy, another man's sorrow
Relationship problems don't just exist among us humans. Things can get heated in the fruit basket too: Who likes whom? Who absolutely can't smell each other? And who can only develop into a mature personality with the right partner?
Ethylene plays a decisive role. Some fruits and vegetables emit the colourless, natural ripening gas ethylene, which causes a lot of trouble. It accelerates the ripening process in fruits that are close to it. Sensitive neighbours quickly become overripe and rotten. With other, not yet ripe fruit, you can use the effect to your advantage.
Fruit varieties that emit a lot of ethylene include apples, apricots, bananas, pears, nectarines and peaches. It is best to store these fruits separately so that they do not affect the ripening process of other fruits.
The same applies to tomatoes. Among vegetables, it is the one that releases large amounts of ethylene. It should be stored separately and not kept in the fridge.
All's well that ends well in the dark
Some people don't just go to the cellar to laugh. They also store fruit and vegetables there, which love the dark and like it cool. In general, you should avoid sunny places to store your fresh food.
However, while a place protected from light is sufficient for some, potatoes, for example, like to be kept in pitch darkness and no colder than 5°C. Chicory also needs darkness. Chicory also needs darkness and cold. However, it feels just as comfortable in the vegetable compartment of the fridge as it does in the dark cellar.
If you don't know what to do with your harvest after picking apples, put them in the cellar! Stored in a cool, dark place, they will keep for several months. But be careful: apples release large quantities of the ripening gas ethylene. Do not put them next to potatoes or other vegetables.
To wash or not to wash? That's the question here!
And the answer is: Don't wash! This results in too much moisture during storage. This causes the fruit and vegetables to spoil more quickly. Therefore, always wash fruit and vegetables just before eating or processing.
How to keep herbs fresh as dew
First remove the rubber band from bunched herbs and then moisten them with clear water. Important: The herbs must not float in the water, otherwise they will spoil. Store the herbs loose in a plastic container or bag in the fridge.
You can store all herbs in this way with one exception: basil. Remove the rubber band from basil too, but place it in a jar of water at room temperature and consume it within a very short time.
Evaporation is the enemy of freshness
Fruit and vegetables are still alive after harvesting. Ripening fruit even improves its quality. Other types of fruit and vegetables also "live" for some time: metabolic processes continue, moisture evaporates and nutrients are broken down. With the right storage, you can slow down this ageing process.
Most vegetables and many fruits are very well stored in the vegetable compartment of the fridge. If there is no room there, put them in another compartment temporarily. To protect fruit and vegetables from drying out, place them in a sealable tin or put them in a plastic bag.
Stay fresh for longer with these tips
- Always store fruit and vegetables separately
- Tropical fruit has no place in the fridge
- Store ethylene-releasing fruit separately (or use it to ripen other fruit)
- Carrots, beetroot, radishes and co. stay fresh longer if you remove the leaves
- Only wash fruit and vegetables immediately before eating or processing
- Never store fresh fruit and vegetables in a sunny place
- Pomaceous fruit (e.g. apples and pears) like room temperature, store larger quantities in the cellar
- Stone fruit (e.g. apricots and peaches) ripen at room temperature. It will keep for 1-2 days in the fridge
- Soft fruit (e.g. strawberries and raspberries) will keep for 1-3 days in the fridge. Wrap in foil - this protects them from drying out
- Store citrus fruits (e.g. mandarins and oranges) in a cool, dry place
- Exotic fruits (e.g. Pineapple and papaya) like it cool, but not below 13°C
- Do not store tomatoes in the fridge as their flavour suffers greatly - they also release the ripening gas ethylene
- Aubergines are sensitive to cold, the minimum storage temperature should not fall below 10°C
Who emits a lot of ethylene?
So that you know which fruits you can safely place next to each other in the fruit basket, we have compiled a small list of fruit varieties that emit a considerable amount of ethylene:
- Apples
- apricots
- avocados
- pears
- kiwis
- mangoes
- Nectarines
- peaches
- Pineapples
- bananas
- Soft fruit
- cherries
- Grapes
- Citrus fruits
And when it's already too late?
It is not uncommon for food to reach the end of its life despite being stored in the best conditions. If you want to avoid waste, you can dehydrate fruit and vegetables as well as herbs in a dehydrator and thus preserve them for a very long time.
In our shop you will find a wide range of dehydrators that are suitable for both beginners and advanced dehydrators.
Our products are free from animal ingredients. For the love of nature and your health.
We set the highest standards for our products. Genetic engineering and irradiation are just as taboo as drying temperatures above 45° C.
Nothing is as perfect as nature! Enjoy products of maximum naturalness, without synthetic vitamin additives, preservatives or fillers.
Keimling Naturkost decided many years ago in favour of a consistent renunciation of palm oil. Our range is 100% palm oil free.
Our suppliers practise controlled organic farming. This means no synthetic pesticides, no mineral fertilisers and certainly no genetic engineering.
Now also via WhatsApp!
