How Should You Store Fruit Properly?

In order to store fruit properly and to keep the delicious fruit fresh for a long time, it is important to know which types of fruit belong in the refrigerator and which do not. If stored incorrectly, not only the taste but also the vitamin content of the fruit can be affected.

Soft fruits such as strawberries, gooseberries, blueberries, and currants are very sensitive and should therefore be eaten as soon as possible. The berries are best kept in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. At room temperature, berries usually only last a day. Depending on the variety, they can be kept refrigerated for two to five days.

Exotic fruits such as avocados, bananas, kiwis, pineapples, and mangoes should be stored at room temperature. The fruit does not belong in the refrigerator. To keep a ready-made papaya salad fresher longer, you can sprinkle crushed ice around the fruit. Bananas, for example, will quickly turn brown and lose flavor if stored in a cool place. Exotic fruits will keep for about a week at room temperature. Ripe fruits can be recognized by the fact that they yield slightly under pressure. By the way: the greater the degree of ripeness, the higher the sugar content of the fruit.

Apples, pears, and quinces are pome fruits and can generally be stored for a very long time. You can keep them in a cool cellar or in the refrigerator for the longest time. However, the longer an apple is stored, the greater the loss of vitamins. Fruit also loses moisture, it becomes wrinkled and mealy. At room temperature, pome fruit can be kept for a good week, in the refrigerator or cellar, depending on the variety, longer.

Whole melons, such as watermelon, honeydew melon, and cantaloupe, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Cut fruit should be consumed within 2-3 days. The cut surfaces of the melon should be covered with cling film or – even more sustainable – with store-bought or homemade oilcloth so that they do not dry out.

Stone fruit (e.g. peaches, flat peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, damsons, plums, and mirabelle plums) can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week and are protected from fruit flies, but they quickly lose their flavor there. Stored in a cool place outside of the refrigerator, it will keep for about three days. Since unripe fruits hardly ever ripen, their flesh should be firm, but give slightly under pressure. Ripe stone fruit bruises easily and spoils quickly. Therefore do not stack on top of each other when storing.

It is best to store citrus fruits in a cool place or open in the fruit and vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. Oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes will keep in the fridge for about two weeks, and tangerines and clementines for about a week. Before consumption, the citrus fruits should be taken out of the refrigerator so that the full flavor can unfold. Untreated citrus fruits should be eaten as soon as possible because they cannot be stored for long.

When storing fruit, it should also be noted that not all types of fruit should be stored next to each other. For example, apples release large amounts of the ripening gas ethylene, which causes fruit in the vicinity to ripen faster or spoil. Just like tomatoes, apples should always be stored separately from other fruit or vegetables.

Tip: Ensure good ventilation in the cellar or pantry so that ethylene cannot accumulate in the first place.