We’ve all been there: making dinner when you reach for your fresh ingredients—only to find they’re not as fresh as when you brought them home.
So, what’s the issue?
It could be because you aren’t storing them properly.
Keeping Your Veggies Fresher Longer
Learning how to store your vegetables properly will help keep them fresher longer, and help maintain their delicious taste.
The first thing you should know about storing fruits and veggies: make sure you aren’t storing them together. Many fruits give off a gas that makes other produce spoil, so storing fruits and veggies in separate crisper drawers can help prevent your vegetables from ripening past their prime too quickly.
No two fruits and veggies are the same, and the same goes for storing them. So we’ve created this guide to help you keep your favorite NatureFresh Farms™ fruits and veggies—like Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Bell Peppers—fresh, so you always get the crisp, refreshing taste you love.
How To Store Tomatoes
Keep your Tomatoes on your kitchen counter, uncovered and away from direct sunlight. This will allow them to continue to ripen and develop their flavor. Tomatoes will last between 3-4 days stored on a countertop.
Should you store Tomatoes in the refrigerator?
You should only keep Tomatoes in your fridge once they have fully ripened. This will help extend their life—ripened Tomatoes will usually last between 5 and 7 days in the fridge.
Storing unripe Tomatoes in the fridge actually stops the ripening process, leading to a less vibrant flavor and a dry, mealy texture.
Keep in mind that storing even ripened Tomatoes in the fridge will affect the flavor, so it’s best to keep them out of the refrigerator and enjoy them while they’re fresh!
How to store cut Tomatoes
To reduce bacteria and spoilage, after Tomatoes have been cut they should be stored in the refrigerator. To keep them fresh, store them cut-side down on a paper towel in a storage container. Cut Tomatoes will only last a couple days in your fridge, so make sure you use them up!
How To Store Cucumbers
Unlike Tomatoes, Cucumbers should go straight into the refrigerator crisper drawer to keep them fresh and crisp. Cucumbers will last between 5 days and 1 week in the fridge as long as excess water and humidity is kept to a minimum, compared to just a day or two on the counter.
To help keep Cucumbers fresh longer, make sure they’re dry before you store them: excess water can lead to a spoilt Cucumber. Wrapping them in a paper towel and a loose plastic bag will help keep condensation and humidity at bay when you store them, preventing sogginess and deterioration.
How to store cut Cucumbers
If you use half of a Cucumber, cover the cut end with a piece of plastic wrap and loosely wrap it in paper towel and a loose plastic bag (keep it open at the top to encourage airflow!). This will help keep your Cucumbers dry as well as protecting them from ethylene gas produced by other fruits and veggies in your fridge.
How To Store Bell Peppers
To keep your Bell Peppers tasting great longer, store them in your refrigerator crisper drawer. In the fridge, raw Bell Peppers will last between 1 and 2 weeks. Cooked Bell Peppers will typically last 3-5 days.
Just like Cucumbers, make sure your Bell Peppers are dry before you pop them into the crisper drawer. A wet Bell Pepper will quickly become soft, slimy, and moldy—not something you want to snack on!
How to store cut Bell Peppers
Partially-eaten peppers will last longer by storing them in a sealed container with the seeds and stems still attached. For cut Bell Peppers, store them in a sealed container or plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Keep them in your crisper drawer—just don’t forget about them! Cut Bell Peppers will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Check out our graphic below to learn how to store your veggies so they stay fresher longer!
