Who doesn’t know it: despite all the care, a piece of fruit or vegetable gets moldy. By storing fruit and vegetables correctly, households in Germany could save up to 200 euros a year – here’s how.
Store bananas hanging, store onions, lemons and potatoes in the cellar: These and more tips will help you keep fruit and vegetables fresh for as long as possible – and thus save up to 200 euros per year, as rbb reports. Because with proper storage, food stays edible for longer. Those who know their way around throw away less and get more out of their purchases. The most important basics for properly storing fresh food are presented below.
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Refrigerate and freeze: Limit the growth of microorganisms
When fruits and vegetables are stored at very low temperatures, the growth of microorganisms is restricted (at two to 15 degrees in the refrigerator) or interrupted (at -18 degrees in the freezer) and enzyme activity is reduced. You should exercise caution: not every fruit or vegetable is suitable for the refrigerator and freezer. This applies, for example, to cabbage vegetables. Of course, cabbage doesn’t go moldy on the first day in the refrigerator, but according to the Federal Ministry of Food and Economic Affairs, it lasts significantly longer – up to four months – in the cellar at one to four degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 90 to 95 percent. The same goes for root vegetables. Tropical fruits should also be stored cool, but do not belong in the refrigerator. Apples and pears can last up to five months in a dark room at a maximum of five degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 85 percent. It’s best not to let apples and pears touch other apples and pears directly: As the magazine “Mein Garten” reports, multi-layered newspaper is best suited here. In addition, the style should point downwards.
Beans, fennel, peppers etc.: put them in the fridge
On the contrary, other fruits and vegetables should definitely be stored in the refrigerator. Naturally very sensitive berries last for two to three days in the vegetable compartment. They should only be washed shortly before consumption so as not to prematurely destroy their natural protective film. Beans, peas and asparagus also do well in the refrigerator and stay fresh for a particularly long time if they are wrapped in a damp cloth for storage. All leafy and fruit vegetables (i.e. lettuce, peppers, zucchini, etc.) also keep for a comparatively long time, for several days to a week, in the vegetable compartment – the insider tip here is to remove the leafy greens from vegetables such as kohlrabi before storing, otherwise they will dry out more quickly. Salad should be wrapped in a damp cloth, similar to beans, peas and asparagus. Alternatively, the stem can be cut crosswise and placed in water so that the leaves do not become limp.
Preserve fruits and vegetables by boiling or drying them
With a little time, fruit and vegetables can be preserved for up to a year: when preserved (for example as a prepared vegetable sauce or as a compote), microorganisms are not only inhibited in their growth, but are also completely killed along with any mold spores. Sealed in an airtight jar, processed foods will last a long time in the pantry in this way – and the finished sauces will save time when cooking later. With a short preparation time, you can even freeze foods such as mushrooms or spinach: After briefly blanching, mushrooms can be kept frozen for up to six months, spinach can be kept this way for up to ten months.
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Like many sliced fruits, mushrooms can also be preserved by drying them. When drying in the oven or in a really dry room, care must be taken to ensure that the pieces do not touch each other and are completely dry before they end up in the bag or jar. Properly dried, food can last up to several months at room temperature.
By the way: Apples and pears should not be stored too close to other foods when stored due to the ripening gases they emit – otherwise the gases can accelerate the ripening process of the other foods, causing them to go bad more quickly.
Olga Rogler / editorial team finanzen.net
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