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Jul 10, 2023

Vegetable storage: How to store fruits and vegetables properly

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Plus, some helpful ways to organise your kitchen

If you want to get serious about reducing food waste in 2023, it has to start at home. According to sustainability charity WRAP, household food waste makes up 70% of the UK's total loss, and most of that is fresh produce like fruit and vegetables. The study by WRAP found that the value of perfectly edible food thrown away every year in the UK equates to £19 billion – a rather grim figure.

But it's not all doom and gloom – the amount of food we throw away is going down. There was a reduction of almost 6% between 2015 and 2018 and figures are now almost 18% lower than they were in 2007. This equates to almost £1.3 billion less in 2019 than in 2015 – a really encouraging trend.

To ensure you're making the most of your fresh produce, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite vegetable storage solutions for your kitchen. These will help you preserve items for longer, helping you save money, reduce food wastage – and keep your kitchen neat and tidy at the same time.

Not all fruit and vegetables need to stay in the fridge. Carrots, potatoes and other root vegetables can be kept at room temperature. Moisture speeds up spoiling, so storing these in the open provides better ventilation and keep them fresher for longer.

A vegetable rack will keep all produce together and free-up precious fridge space. It’ll also make it easier to see which fruits and vegetables you have to hand at first glance. Food that can be stored in a rack doesn't need to be kept in its packaging, but green leaves like lettuce and spinach should stay in a container in the fridge.

There are lots of easy solutions to help fruit and veg last longer in your fridge – even without buying anything new. Simply storing things effectively, so you can see easily what you have to hand, can help prevent wastage. It's easy to buy a duplicate of something when you can't see that you had one hidden behind a big block of cheese, which makes it harder to use everything up in time.

But there are also lots of handy buys that can make life easier. A silicone cover will keep tomato and onion halves fresh and stop pungent smells from escaping. I have this OXO one and it's very roomy; mine's currently keeping half an onion, some ginger and a lime safe until I need them.

You can also fit the base of your salad crisper drawer with a cushion. These are porous, allowing air to circulate effectively and stop fruit and veg from ‘sweating’. The spongy texture also prevents bruising, so they're also good for use in your fruit bowl.

Herbs last much longer when they’re kept in water. Keeping them in a bowl in the fridge is an option, but bumps and knocks could cause spillages. A herb saver is a better option. These airtight containers extend the lives of cut herbs for up to three weeks, so you won't have to throw away any more yellowing bunches.

For fresh herbs, a self-watering planter is a lifesaver. These release water as and when is needed, so you can just leave them on the windowsill without fear of neglecting them. This is great for times you're on holiday especially, but do remember to top up the planter every now and then.

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