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All foods deteriorate to some extent during storage, with a diminishing flavor, color, aroma and weight. While a raspberry goes in hours, it takes years to lose a chickpea. To minimize deterioration, store foods in a closed, non-reactive container away from light, heat and moisture and at the temperature appropriate to them.
FRUIT
When fruits are not fully ripened, place them in a closed, roomy paper bag at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Turn the fruits daily to assure even ripening. Placing an apple or banana in the bag facilitates ripening.
Remove any fruit that shows signs of leaks, bruises, mold or spoilage, as one bad fruit quickly taints surrounding fruit. Wash fruit just prior to using. Once a fruit is cut or peeled, refrigerate it in a tightly covered container and use quickly.
Apples, Grapes, Mangos, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Pineapples, Plums, Pomegranates: Refrigerate in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper drawer. Apples and pears are excellent keepers and may also be held in a cold (32 to 40 degrees) dry place.
Berries, Cherries, Figs: Layer between paper towels, refrigerate and use as quickly as possible.
Kiwis: Refrigerate ripened kiwis, tightly covered in plastic and away from other fruits as the ethylene gas emitted by other fruits will over-soften kiwis.
Bananas, Citrus Fruit, Melons, Pineapples: These fruits are compromised by refrigeration; store them in a dark, cool (50-65 degrees) pantry. Use orange-fleshed melons within a few days. Whole, green-fleshed melons may be stored for a month. Once cut, wrap melons tightly in plastic or their aroma will taint other food, refrigerate and use within 3 days.
Watermelons: Store watermelon in a dark, dry cool (50-65 degrees) place for a week. Once cut, cover, refrigerate and use within 5 days.
DRIED FRUIT
To extend the shelf life of dried fruit, refrigerate it in a glass jar or tightly wrapped in plastic.
HERBS
To extend their life, immerse stem ends of fresh herbs in water, loosely cover with a plastic bag, and refrigerate. Every other day trim the stem ends.
MUSHROOMS
Mushrooms respire more actively after harvest than other vegetables and lose nearly half of their sugar and starch within a few days. Refrigerate and use as quickly as possible. Refrigeration in airtight wrapping will slow down respiration, which speeds spoilage.
Refrigerate mushrooms in the container they were purchased in, in a paper bag or towels or in a small cotton bag. Should they become dehydrated, place damp paper towels over paper- or cloth-wrapped mushrooms to keep them moist but to permit air circulation.
Store dried mushrooms in an airtight container in a cool cupboard.
NUTS
If you have refrigerator or freezer space, consider purchasing a year's supply of the unshelled new crop in the late fall. Shelled nuts keep in the freezer for up to a year. If rubbery, hollow, moldy or acrid tasting or smelling, they are rancid and should not be eaten.
Avoid dry-roasted nuts, which often contain sugar, salt, starch, MSG, vegetable gums, spices and preservatives. Also avoid packaged shelled nuts. They are often coated with a preservative, contain excessive salt and the packaging is typically chemically treated.
Nut and seed butters easily become rancid, so purchase small quantities and keep refrigerated. A stale, foul aroma and a sharp burning taste indicate rancidity.
VEGETABLES
Most vegetables should be stored in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. The 30-40 degree temperatures that other vegetables thrive in however, damage tomatoes, avocados, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Store these as follows:
Avocados: A ripe avocado holds best at 40-50 degrees. If storage at this temperature is not possible, refrigerate a ripe avocado for up to 3 days. Once cut, sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration, tightly wrap in plastic and store, refrigerated, for a day or two.
Garlic: Stored in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, garlic will keep for several months. Do not refrigerate, as garlic's flavor will taint other foods. If stored in a damp, warm environment, garlic will sprout or become moldy.
Onions: Onions are dormant after harvest and so can be stored without sprouting for, in the case of sharp, yellow onions, 2-3 months. Sweet, moist, and/or red onions have a shorter shelf life and may be stored from 2-4 weeks. Hang onions in an aerated basket or bag in a cool (ideally 30-40 degrees), dry, well-ventilated place. Do not store onions near potatoes, as onions absorb moisture, which causes potatoes to sprout and rot. Do not refrigerate onions. Once cut, onions oxidize and quickly lose their flavor.
Potatoes: Store new potatoes refrigerated for up to a week. Store mature potatoes and sweet potatoes in a cool (ideally between 41-48 degrees), dry, ventilated, dark area and they will keep up to 2 months. Store in an aerated basket, paper bag or recycled clean panty hose. The higher the temperature, the shorter their storage life. Do not store near strongly flavored foods, apples or onions, as they absorb moisture and flavor.
Roots: Refrigerate roots in a paper or plastic bag. They'll store for several weeks but are at their best within a few days of harvest. Packed in sand, roots hold in a root cellar for several months. Bright greens attached to a turnip or other root vegetables are a welcome sign of freshness. Home from the store, separate greens from roots at the leaf base, but do not cut into the root itself. Leaves left attached to a root draw moisture and flavor from it.
Tomatoes: Store tomatoes in a cool area (ideally, 50 degrees) for up to a week. Do not store in direct sun. If overripe, then refrigerate tomatoes for up to 3 days; however, refrigeration kills their flavor and makes their texture mealy.
Winter Squash: Squash harvested after the first frost keeps until March when stored in a dry, cool, dark, well ventilated place. Store each squash individually on a shelf; if in a box, wrap each in paper, as direct contact with another squash diminishes shelf life. Butternut is the best keeper, with kabocha, buttercup and hubbard lasting almost as long. If you do not have a cool storage area, hold the squash at room temperature, rather than refrigerate, and use within a few weeks. Once cut, the unused portion should be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, for up to five days.
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