STORING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Purchase firm, unblemished fruit and veggies and do not store the two together. Best keepers are onions, potatoes, turnips, carrots, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, radishes, tomatoes, apples, citrus fruit and pears. Apples, pears, tomatoes, and peaches should be purchased rock-hard and unripe. Bananas should be purchased green, hard, and on the stalk. Before storing, soak each piece 30 minutes in a mold-killing solution of 1 Tbsp. Clorox bleach diluted in 2 gallons fresh water. Pat dry and let stand for 1 hour in the sun. Store fragile produce 1 layer deep in fruit boxes set in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place. Hardier produce such as apples, onions, potatoes can be stacked several layers deep. Apples, citrus, fruit, green tomatoes and pears should be individually wrapped in newspaper. Examine produce frequently for blemishes and signs of spoilage. To stagger the ripening of some fruits like bananas, which tend to ripen all at once, soak a few in (clean) salt water to hasten ripening.
