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Keep it fresh!
Storing vegetables and fruit properly keeps them safe, tasting their best, and reduces
spoiling to save you money. Follow these tips at the grocery store and in your kitchen
to get the most out of your produce dollar. Keep in mind when planning your meals
to use vegetables and fruit that spoil quickly soon after you grocery shop, and
meals with those that keep for longer later in the week.
When buying vegetables and fruit at the grocery store or market:
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Fresh
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Choose vegetables and fruit that are not damaged or wilted, and are free from bruises
and mould.
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Frozen
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Add frozen foods to your cart at the end of your grocery trip so they stay frozen.
Place them in your home freezer as soon as you get home.
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Canned
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Choose cans that are free of dents, cracks, and bulging lids. Do not buy anything
you cannot use before the “best before” date or vacuum-packed products that have
lost their seal (including a popped bottle lid).
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Proper Storage for Fresh Produce
After purchasing fresh vegetables and fruit, refrigerate those that need refrigeration
promptly. Use the following as a storage guide to keep fresh vegetables and fruit
at their best.
Store only in the refrigerator, never at room temperature to avoid spoilage:
apples, artichokes, asparagus, beans, beets, blueberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts,
cabbage, Belgian endive, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, sweet corn, cranberries,
cucumbers, eggplant, ginger root, grapes, fresh herbs, leeks, lettuce and other
greens, mushrooms, green onions, parsnips, peas, peppers, pineapple, new potatoes,
radishes, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, squash, citrus fruit, and turnips.
Store at room temperature until ripe and then in the refrigerator:
apricots, avocados, kiwifruit, mangoes, melons, nectarines, papaya, peaches, pears,
plums, and tomatoes.
Store only at room temperature and preferably not in the refrigerator:
bananas, garlic, globe onions, mature potatoes, pumpkins, rutabagas, and sweet potatoes.
(Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
For more information, see
A Guide to Storing Vegetables and Fruit.
Tip: Watch these videos from Eat Right Ontario for more information
on keeping your produce fresh.
Video: How to store
vegetables to keep them fresh
Video: How to store
fruit to keep them fresh
Tip: Store vegetables and fruit separately. Some fruit, like apples,
tomatoes and bananas, give off a gas called ethylene and continue to ripen after
they have been picked. If vegetables are stored with fruit that give off ethylene,
they may spoil faster.
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