Avoid Premature Spoiling of Fruits and Vegetables

The secret to keeping your produce fresh longer: Keep them separated.

By Michele Bender
Bowl of fruit Andrew McCaul
Ever wonder why your fruit bowl looks like a sixth-grade science project only days after you set it out? As some fruits and vegetables ripen, they release ethylene, a gas that can cause other produce to become spotted, soft, or mealy. To prevent this, keep ethylene-sensitive fruits and vegetables separate from varieties that emit the gas.

Ethylene-producing
  • Apricots
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Cantaloupes
  • Honeydew melons
  • Kiwis
  • Mangoes
  • Nectarines
  • Papayas
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Plums
  • Tomatoes
     
Ethylene-sensitive
  • Apples
  • Asparagus
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplants
  • Green beans
  • Lettuce and other greens
  • Potatoes 
  • Summer squash
  • Watermelons

 

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