How to Store Literally Every Dang Fruit & Vegetable

Welcome to Storage Wars, a new series about the best ways to store, well, everything. From how to keep produce orderly in the fridge (or not), to ways to get your oddball nooks and crannies shipshape; and yes, how to organize all those unwieldy containers once and for all—we've got you covered.

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I tend to do one big farmers market trip for all my weekly produce. I set out armed with as many reusable totes as I can shove into my trusty grocery cart (which once helped me lug the contents of an entire Thanksgiving dinner, including a frozen 17-pound turkey, by subway from Manhattan to Brooklyn). After unloading the produce haul and spending several minutes admiring the colorful bounty, panic sets in: Keeping everything fresh for the week can be challenging if not done properly.

Luckily, there are plenty of tricks to keep lettuce crisp, carrots crunchy, berries un-mushed, potatoes unsprouted, herbs perky...and that’s only the beginning. From the best places in the kitchen to store the produce to how to store everything, there are plenty of dos and don’ts. So you never have to wonder—or bite into a limp radish—ever again, here’s our ultimate guide to the best ways to store fruits and vegetables.

Garlic

Store garlic in a dry, dark place with plenty of room-temperature to cool air circulation, in a mesh or paper bag.

Leeks

Store leeks in the refrigerator, wrapped in a damp paper or cloth towel. For extra protection, put the damp cloth inside a plastic bag (easy to reuse!). Don’t forget to wash them really well.

Onions

Store onions in a dry, dark place with plenty of room-temperature to cool air circulation, in a mesh or paper bag.

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Carrots

Store carrots in a plastic, mesh, or open cloth bag in the refrigerator’s vegetable bin; if you don’t have room in the fridge, opt for a dry, dark place with plenty of room-temperature to cool air circulation, in a mesh or paper bag.

Celery

Store celery wrapped tightly in aluminum foil (weird, we know!) in the refrigerator’s vegetable bin; though you can reuse foil, for a more environmentally friendly option, wrap in a damp cloth towel.

Cucumbers

Store cucumbers in a dry, dark place with plenty of room-temperature to cool air circulation, or in the refrigerator on a high shelf—warmer than the crisper. (Store zucchini and summer squash this way, too.)

Eggplant

Store eggplant in a dry, dark place with plenty of room-temperature to cool air circulation.

Fennel

Store fennel in the refrigerator, wrapped in a damp paper or cloth towel with the stalks and bulb separated, in two plastic or mesh bags.

Greens

Store greens, unwashed until you’re ready to eat them, in the refrigerator in a container with a paper or tea towel draped over the top instead of a lid (or wrapped in a damp paper or cloth towel). For another idea, check out lettuce.

Herbs

Store herbs in the refrigerator, wrapped in a damp paper or cloth towel; alternatively, store them stems-down in a water-filled jar at room temperature (or in the refrigerator with the tops covered by a bag—store scallions and asparagus like this, too!). Basil is best left out of the fridge and used as quickly as possible, to avoid its turning brown.

Lettuce

Store lettuce directly in the salad spinner, post-wash and spin, in the fridge with the lid on (this also works for greens).

Mushrooms

Store mushrooms in the refrigerator (or somewhere very cool), in the perforated package they were purchased in, or in a paper bag.

Peppers

Store peppers in a cool spot in the kitchen, in a container covered with a cloth towel.

Potatoes

Store potatoes in a dry, dark place with plenty of room-temperature to cool air circulation, in a mesh or paper bag. (Store sweet potatoes and beets like this, too!)

Radishes

Store radishes (and their greens) in the refrigerator, wrapped in a damp paper or cloth towel. If they lose some of their crunch after a couple days in the fridge, soak them in ice water until they perk up.

Squash

Store squash (butternut, acorn, delicata, kabocha, etc.) in a dry, dark place with plenty of room-temperature to cool air circulation.

Tomatoes

Store tomatoes in a cool spot in the kitchen with plenty of air circulation; to keep super-ripe tomatoes for another day or so, store them in the refrigerator. (Store peaches the same way.)

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Apples

Store apples in the refrigerator’s vegetable bin—some suggest wrapping each apple in newspaper to prevent one rotting apple from spoiling the brunch.

Avocado

Store avocados in a cool spot in the kitchen with plenty of air circulation. If they’re at prime ripeness, but you’re not eating them today, transfer them to the refrigerator to preserve that ripeness level for a couple days. For cut avocados, read this article for a couple ideas to prevent the inevitable browning.

Bananas

Buy bananas slightly underripe, store them at room temperature until they hit ideal ripeness, then transfer them to the refrigerator to preserve that ripeness level for a couple days.

Berries

Store berries in a container lined with paper or cloth towels, with the lid slightly open. To extend their life, first wash berries in a solution of vinegar and water, then dry thoroughly and transfer to the container.

Citrus

Store citrus fruits (including lemons, limes, grapefruits, and oranges) in the refrigerator in a moist environment—some say to submerge them in a bowl of water; for those with less fridge real estate, store citrus in tightly sealed zip-top or silicone bags.

Mangoes

Store mangoes in a cool spot in the kitchen with plenty of air circulation. If they’re at prime ripeness, but you’re not eating them today, transfer them to the refrigerator to preserve that ripeness level for a couple days.

Need Even More Produce Advice?

For extra produce-storage tips, check out this article.

How do you store produce? Do you have a foolproof tip? Let us know in the comments!