How to Maintain the Post-Harvest Quality of Fruits & Vegetables
The secret to preserving fresh produce lies in understanding the chemistry of a particular fruit or vegetable. Most vegetables and fruits, including leafy vegetables, corn, peppers, berries, beans and peas, are filled with water. As soon as they are picked, they begin losing water and may become shriveled or dry without proper storage. These vegetables need cold, humid conditions. Refrigerators provide cold, dry conditions, but you can increase moisture levels by storing refrigerated produce in perforated plastic bags. Storing most produce loose in the refrigerator produce bin will cause the produce to dry out, while storing it in nonperforated plastic bags leads to rot. A few exceptions to this rule include potatoes, pumpkins, onions and garlic. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Sort through berries and cherries immediately after picking, removing debris and any damaged or rotten fruit. Place the fruit in a perforated plastic bag and store it in the produce bin of the refrigerator. Use within two to five days.
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Harvest lettuce, broccoli and other leafy greens on a cool, damp morning if possible. Store the greens unwashed in perforated plastic bags in the produce bin of the refrigerator. Use them within five days to 10 days.
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Leave root vegetables, such as carrots, turnips and rutabagas, in the ground until after the first frost to sweeten them. Then wash the dirt off, remove the tops and store them in perforated bags in the produce bin of the refrigerator. Root vegetables maintain their quality for as much as six to eight months.
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Harvest warm-season vegetables, such as corn, beans, tomatoes and peppers, before the first frost and when they are fully mature. Refrigerate beans, corn and peppers in perforated plastic bags. Use corn within a day or two because the sugars in it quickly become starchy. Use beans and peppers within one week. Store tomatoes in a cool, dry location, if possible, or on the kitchen counter. Refrigerating tomatoes causes loss of flavor.
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Store potatoes in a dry, dark location at 40 degrees Fahrenheit, such as in an unheated basement or attached garage, or store them in a cool pantry. Do not refrigerate them because they will develop an overly sweet taste.
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Store dry onions and garlic loose in the refrigerator produce bin where they will keep for up to six months. Store green onions in perforated plastic bags in the produce bin for up to 10 days.
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Pick pumpkins and winter squash before the first heavy freeze. Cure pumpkins and squash by storing them in a warm place where temperatures range between 70 and 80 F. Then store them in a cool, dry place similar to potatoes. Use acorn squash within six to eight weeks and butternut squash within three months. Pumpkins and larger squash store for up to six months.
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Store large quantities of apples and pears in boxes lined with perforated plastic in an attached garage with temperatures between 32 and 38 F. Move pears to a warm indoor location, such as a kitchen counter, two or three days before serving to allow them to ripen. Store a few apples or pears in the refrigerator in perforated bags. Apples and pears stored this way may last two to three months. Late-maturing apples, such as Fuji, gala and Jonathan varieties, store better than late-summer types.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't store onions with potatoes or apples because the onions will cause an off-taste.
Store apples and pears away from other produce. These fruits produce high amounts of ethylene, which accelerates the ripening process of other fruits and vegetables.
Freeze or can fruits and vegetables to preserve them for longer periods.
References
Resources
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