How to keep your fruits and vegetables fresher for longer

Tired of seeing your favourite fruits and veggies going bad? Extend the life of your produce using these freshness-enhancing tips.

Apples: Did you know apples give off a gas that makes other fruits and veggies ripen faster? Keep them in a plastic bag with holes in the fridge—away from other foods. Or, keep them in a dark place.

Avocados: There’s nothing more satisfying than buying a perfectly ripe avocado, but that rarely happens. Store your future guacamole in a paper bag on the counter—not in the fridge.

Bananas: You keep the black ones in the freezer convinced you’ll eventually make banana bread (you won’t). Bananas will ripen quickly on the counter, but here’s a fun tip...if they start to go brown, put them in the fridge. The skin will continue to turn colour, but the cold temperature keeps the fruit perfect inside.

Berries: You have two options here:

1. Keep them refrigerated in a dry container and wash them only when you're ready to eat them.
2. Dunk them in hot water (125 degrees) for 30 seconds, swishing them around in their baskets. Then spread the berries to dry on a paper towel before refrigerating them. This method kills the fungus that grows so quickly on berries.

Other fruit: Oranges, lemons, limes, and melons can live in the crisper drawer away from other produce. Fruit with stones (apricots, peaches, plums, etc.) can be kept in a paper bag on the counter until ripe. Then switch them to the fridge.

Broccoli and cauliflower: These guys like to stay together, but away from other produce. Keep them in a drawer in the fridge.

Carrots and parsnips:Keep these guys in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge, but remove any green tops to make them last longer.

Cucumbers: They last longest on the upper shelf of the fridge where it’s the warmest, away from other produce.

Leafy greens: Eat your greens one to two days after purchase to get the most out of the nutrients. When you first get them home, give them a wash and wrap the leaves in a paper towel to absorb extra moisture. Throw out any leaves that have already gone rotten or mushy.

Onions and garlic: These smelly fellas should be kept away from other foods because of their strong fragrance. Store them in a dry, dark place.

Mushrooms: Don’t wash these guys until you need them or they’ll get slimy. Store them in a brown paper bag in the fridge.

Peppers: These tasty treats prefer to live in a plastic bag on the top shelf of the fridge, where it’s not quite so chilly.

Potatoes and yams: These root vegetables prefer cool, dark, dry places like a pantry.

Tomatoes: Do not store tomatoes in the fridge as they will spoil quicker. Keep them at room temperature in a bowl lined with paper towel, away from the sun.

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