What to do with Veggies?!?

Our #FarmFactFriday on our Facebook Page this week is about picking out ripe and ready fruit and veggies. But what happens when you get home and aren’t ready to eat them? Where do they go? What tricks will keep them tasting freshest longest?

We wanted to explain the best ways to store your produce to maximize freshness.

1.     Corn—Sweet Corn is best kept in the refrigerator with the husk on. This allows the corn to maintain its moisture without losing its sweetness. If you’ve already shucked the corn, your best bet is to wrap the ears in saran wrap. But always keep it refrigerated. And for fresh tasting corn that is still sweet, keep it in the husk and eat within a couple days.

2.     Tomatoes—Unlike corn, you want to keep your tomatoes out of the fridge. (Unless they’re already cut up.) Store them at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. And to keep them fresh for longer, store them stem side down.

3.     Watermelons—Keep these beauties in the fridge! They don’t really ripen further once you’ve brought them home. So it’s best to keep them cold.

4.     Cantaloupes—On the other hand, these melons will continue to ripen. So if you’ve brought home a cantaloupe still showing a little green, go ahead and keep it on the counter for a couple days to ensure it’s as sweet as it can get when you finally cut into it.

5.     Cucumbers—We always keep cucumbers in the fridge! You can even keep them fresh up to a week if you wrap them in paper towels, and seal them in a Ziploc. As long as they’re cold, they should hold their freshness pretty well.

6.     Zucchinis—These delicious squash can also be kept up to a week in the fridge! Just put them unwashed, in an open-ended paper bag, and pop them into the vegetable crisper drawer for best results.

7.     Peppers—Also fridge bound, but make sure you wash them before you store them.