From greens to fruits to onions to roots, we send a lot of different types of produce your way throughout a CSA season. It’s not always obvious what the best way to store something might be. The majority of items will be happiest hanging out in the crisper (or produce drawer) of your fridge but there are many exceptions. And often you’ll want to choose to keep those things that do go in the fridge under wraps, be it in a plastic bag, wrapped in towels, or stored in a container, to avoid things from wilting and spoiling too quickly. Check out the drop downs below for our suggestions for the best place to store your produce.
Where to store your produce:
In the Crisper (click to expand)
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant**
- Fresh Herbs
- Green Beans
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Peppers**
- Potatoes*
- Radishes
- Scallions
- Summer Squash**
- Winter Roots (ex. Celeriac, Rutabaga etc)
- Zucchini**
*We store potatoes in the fridge to avoid sprouting and greening.
**Cold temps can cause chilling injury to eggplant, peppers, and summer squash/zucchini. Peppers and squash can benefit from a plastic bag or container if stored in the fridge and they should be used quickly.
In the Fridge (click to expand)
- Apples
- Melons
- Peas
- Sweet Corn
In the Freezer (click to expand)
Storing fresh flours and grains in the freezer will help to prolong their freshness if you’re not going to get to them right away. Don’t forget you can always prep and freeze other produce for future use too.
- Corn Flour
- Polenta
On the Counter (click to expand)
Store fruits that need to ripen outside of the fridge. Fully ripe fruits can then be stored in the fridge but should be used quickly.
- Tomatoes (for ripening)
- Pears (that need to ripen)
In the Pantry (click to expand)
You’ll find it’s the drier items that want to stay out of the fridge. These are generally items that have been cured in one way or another to store without refrigeration and do best in cool, dry locations. Once you’ve begun cutting into them you’ll want to store them in the fridge and use them quickly.
*Sweet potatoes are best stored between 55-60F. If stored below 55F they may change in both texture and flavor due to chill damage.
Bonus Tips:
- Don’t forget to take the greens off your carrots and beets to avoid limp roots.
- Basil is sensitive to cold temps and will turn black if refrigerated. Strip the lower leaves of basil stems and put the stems in a glass of water on the counter to keep basil fresh. Wrap the stripped leaves (or all your basil if your fresh basil arrives w/o long stems) in a dry paper towel and keep in an airtight container at about 50 degrees or room temperature.
- Most produce stored in the fridge will benefit from a plastic bag, greens bag, or other container to slow respiration rate and avoid limp leaves.
- We give the bottom shelf of our home refrigerator over to a Rubbermaid bin to help keep vegetables fresh when the produce drawers are full.
- Green garlic and garlic scapes should be stored in the fridge but garlic bulbs belong in the cool, dark pantry.
