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Keeping fruit fresher, for longer

(29 Posts)
fancythat Tue 18-Jul-23 12:22:56

Any tips please?

I dont know if it is me, but soft fruits especially, seem to take very little time before they are not so nice to eat.

I have bought myself a few kilner jars.
Is that the way to go with shop bought soft fruit?

I did have a look back at some threads about this, but could not find any recent ones. Thanks.

SueBdoo70 Thu 20-Jul-23 22:33:36

Yes, Fancythat, I completely wrap, say strawberries in kitchen roll , then put them back in the dried container. I find it extends their life. I put a couple of green stalks on top so that I know that box contains strawberries.

cc Thu 20-Jul-23 16:19:59

Sorry, mistype: Dates on fruit can "vary" by three days or so.

cc Thu 20-Jul-23 16:18:39

I certainly wouldn't wash soft fruit before storing it, I just leave it in the original packaging and store it in the fruit and veg drawers at the bottom of the fridge, washing just before use. I think my fridge drawers are particularly cold, only just above freezing, and most things keep really well.
But in general I agree with other posters, I eat soft fruit as soon as I can - and I always take care to choose the freshest packs in the supermarket. They can very by three days or so and obviously are not usually kept chilled there.
I do use the Lakeland bags for some vegetables as they work well, but most fruit doesn't need them.
I've found that bananas are a bit of a waste of time nowadays, if you buy them unripe they ripen far too fast, even if you hang them up as recommended. I'm guessing that the storage method in transit may have changed over the past couple of years.

Bijou Wed 19-Jul-23 17:27:36

Before the days of freezers and I grew All our fruit and veg I used Kilner jars and pressure cooker to preserve everything til the next year. Also jam and wine.
Now I have rely on n line deliveries. Everything in plastic trays necessitating use of knives and scissors (and swearing) dividing everything to single portions before freezing.
Also even when some things are in season in U.K. they are imported. For instance when asparagus is being harvested in a field near me it is sourced from Chile.

BlueBelle Wed 19-Jul-23 16:12:41

I grow my own strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and they only last a couple of days in the fridge If they last a week they have been sprayed or something to make them last longer

fancythat Wed 19-Jul-23 16:12:40

Cant say I fancy washing in vinegar. But I wont rule anything out.

fancythat Wed 19-Jul-23 16:10:57

I do want to do something different.
I will try the suggestions on here.

The fruit from the supermarket beginning with T now seems to have, soft and something, soft fruit. cant remember exact words. But that seems to have started deteriorating even by the next day.

I will try the kilner jars.
I will try the stay fresh bags that I happilt use on veg. But the veg can be peeled. I am more reluctant to use the bags on the soft fruit. But maybe that is just me being silly.

I may put the temperature of the fridge higher too.
See if that makes a difference.

My DH rarely eats soft fruit, so the longer the pummet can last for me, the better.

fancythat Wed 19-Jul-23 16:07:06

SueBdoo70

I had noticed that most fruit and vegetables were going off quicker than they should. They are already wet from sweating in the plastic wrapping. My solution for soft fruit and things like mushrooms and tomatoes is to tip them out of the container, dry the container, then cocoon the product in kitchen roll and refrigerate. It works for me, but you need a way to identify each box otherwise you open the fridge door to be met by mummified food !

kitchen roll directly around the fruit?

toscalily Wed 19-Jul-23 15:53:53

nanna8 Possibly the strawberries have been irradiated and that is why they keep such a long time. You never seem to hear anything about irradiation now but I remember lots about it in the press some years ago. It is still being used:
www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/irradiated-food

Batworthy Wed 19-Jul-23 15:23:25

Fresh fruit or food of any kind never goes off in my kitchen. In fact, it doesn't always get as far as the kitchen.
I have very hungry grandchildren! grin

SueBdoo70 Wed 19-Jul-23 14:29:58

I had noticed that most fruit and vegetables were going off quicker than they should. They are already wet from sweating in the plastic wrapping. My solution for soft fruit and things like mushrooms and tomatoes is to tip them out of the container, dry the container, then cocoon the product in kitchen roll and refrigerate. It works for me, but you need a way to identify each box otherwise you open the fridge door to be met by mummified food !

grandtanteJE65 Wed 19-Jul-23 14:10:07

Fruit, milk, and most vegetables should not stay fresh for more than a few days, even if kept in a fridge.

So if the fruit you formerly bought did stay fresh longer, it had presumably been treated in some way, which was not particularly good for those who ate it!

If you just put food into a Kilner jar it may keep fresh a day or so longer than if kept in an ordinary fridge dish

Kilner jars only preserve fruit and vegetables if you presevre them in them - older cookery books will have a description of the process, which is quite lengthy and has to be followed carefully if you are to succeed in actually preserving the food.

HannahLoisLuke Wed 19-Jul-23 13:57:45

I’ve read that gently washing strawberries in vinegar and water destroys the yeasts that cause rot. Then you must air dry them thoroughly on sheets of kitchen paper before storing in the fridge. It’s supposed to prolong their freshness by a few days but I haven’t actually tested it.
Apples keep for about a month in the fridge, if you haven’t eaten them by then

sharon103 Wed 19-Jul-23 13:49:02

I find that strawberries only last a couple of days in the fridge. Raspberries slightly longer.
Apples and grapes I keep in the fridge and they last quite a long time. Kiwis go in my fruit bowl with peaches if they're rock hard when I have them in my delivery.
Bananas I keep out but it's less than a week before they're going brown.

hicaz46 Wed 19-Jul-23 12:04:33

Yes the kilner jars are very useful for keeping small fruit fresher for longer eg cherries, raspberries, grapes.

Grantanow Wed 19-Jul-23 11:46:09

I pickle grapes in cheap brandy for winter treats.

62Granny Tue 18-Jul-23 14:30:33

TBH, I have no problem keeping things fresh I usually keep berries apricots and peaches in the fridge and they last for the best part a week if they are not eaten before I usually sort through the berries and if any are a little softer eat them first , if I transfer them to another container I make sure I put the bubble wrap piece underneath it seems to work . Apple's and bananas usually last 5 + days on the fruit dish

seadragon Tue 18-Jul-23 14:29:14

By coincidence, saw this on Facebook today!
www.facebook.com/660014704206833/posts/use-egg-cartons-in-your-fridge-drawer-to-keep-your-vegetables-fresh-the-carton-a/1405556729652623/ ....applies to fruit too apparently...

nanna8 Tue 18-Jul-23 14:12:15

Strawberries last for ages in the fridge here. I wonder what on earth they are spraying them with! I keep green veg at the bottom of the fridge in the vegetable crisper and they usually last at least a week or so.

toscalily Tue 18-Jul-23 14:08:02

Of course, other fruit last much longer, often have to ripen at room temperature for several days before being edible as they are often picked before being ripe now days.
Kilner jars are for preserved fruit, jam, pickles, Kimchi Sauerkraut or general storage of dry goods.

fancythat Tue 18-Jul-23 14:02:48

Thanks for the replies.

I use the Stay Fresh Longer bags for veg.
Dont somehow fancy using them for fruit.

I expect fresh fruit to last for about 5 days?
Sounds like I am being unrealistic!

I thought storing in jars was worth a go. Am confused what they must be used for if not soft fruit. Jam perhaps?

Jaxjacky Tue 18-Jul-23 13:59:17

I buy soft fruit to eat that day or the next. Veg to eat in the next 4/5 days, fresh vegetables and fruit start to lose their vitamin content as soon as they’re picked and continue to do so.

Georgesgran Tue 18-Jul-23 13:36:09

I’m a fan of the Stay Fresh bags too. I don’t eat fruit, but they keep vegetables fine for up to a fortnight - even longer for some things.

toscalily Tue 18-Jul-23 13:31:35

How long do you expect them to last? I would consider 2 or threes days at most for Strawberries or Raspberries, slightly longer for Blueberries. I keep mine in the container they are bought in and wash just before using, any leftovers stored covered and eaten next day. Soft fruit deteriorates quickly and storing in jars will not halt that process.

GrandmaSeaDragon Tue 18-Jul-23 13:14:32

I use the Stay Fresh Longer bags from Lakeland to store all fruit and vegetables in the fridge and find them good for keeping most things fresh and crisp for at least a week, sometimes longer depending on what it is and the supplier. Never used Kilner jars, just remember DMum using them in the 50s with gluts of home grown produce!