As a health coach and keen home cook, I’m regularly asked for simple tips that make healthy living easy. One of the first suggestions that I give is to spend 30 minutes in the kitchen each weekend to prepare fresh produce.

Knowing how to store fruit and vegetables correctly will not only extend the shelf life of your produce, it also makes it a breeze to eat healthfully during the busy week.

Here are three reasons why I do this every weekend:

• I hate washing fruits and vegetables every time I cook. Having clean produce in the fridge makes it easy to munch my way to good health.
• These tips will keep food fresh for longer, saving you time and money.
• Spending time upfront will save you hours during the week. Interested in learning more meal plan tips? I wrote about how I do it here.

In today’s video, I’m sharing 6 storage tips that will keep your produce fresher for longer, and make it easier for you to eat more fruit and vegetables every day.

(Think you don’t have 30 minutes to spare on the weekend? Get my free audio training, Take Back Your Time To Create A Body & Life That You Love.)

How To Keep Food Fresh

Tip #1 Invest In Storage Containers & Ziploc Bags

Airtight glass storage containers come in handy for storing “crunchy” produce such as radishes and snap peas, as well as chopped vegetables and leftover meals. Plus it’s oh-so-satisfying to stack them neatly in the fridge. 

Tip #2 Store Leafy Greens & Herbs In A Punctured Ziploc Bag

Fruits and vegetables emit an odorless, colorless gas called Ethylene that triggers the ripening process of produce. Leafy greens are particularly sensitive to Ethylene gas and will quickly wilt when shoved in the refrigerator next to other produce.

Storing greens in bags protects them from the gas emitted by other produce, and the small holes allow the Ethylene emitted by the greens themselves to escape. Using this one trick allowed me to keep a head of bibb lettuce fresh for over two weeks!

I actually filmed a video exclusively on washing and storing leafy greens. You can watch it here.

Tip #3 Wash Thick-Skinned Produce

You might not think to wash the inedible skin on produce like lemons, avocado, pumpkins, and melons, but every time cut into these fruits and vegetables you are taking the dirt and chemicals from the peel and slicing them directly into the flesh. 

Tip #4 Store Asparagus In A Glass Jug

This tip goes for anything that has a tendency to wilt, including herbs, baby carrots, and scallions. Sticking the ends in a glass jug with an inch of water will keep this produce crisp and crunchy.

Tip #5 Keep Tomatoes & Stone Fruit On The Bench

I never refrigerating tomatoes or stone fruits. This isn’t to prolong their shelf life — they will continue to ripen on the bench — but it will make them taste a lot more vibrant.

Tip #6 Don’t store your potatoes and onions together.

Potatoes produce a LOT of Ethylene gas and onions are super sensitive to the stuff, so storing these two veggies side by side will quickly turn your onions brown and soft.

It’s been fun to be in the kitchen with you today! See you again soon.

With love,