How to store fruit and vegetables so they last longer

Fresh produce is one of the most commonly wasted foods at home. Often it isn't that we bought too much, but that we stored it in the wrong place. A few simple rules can add days to the life of your fruit and vegetables.

Keep these out of the fridge

• Tomatoes: the cold dulls their flavour and texture
• Bananas: they ripen best on the counter
• Potatoes and onions: store them in a cool, dark, dry place, and keep them apart
• Garlic: a dry, airy spot is best
• Avocados and stone fruit: ripen them on the counter, then move them to the fridge to slow things down

Keep these in the fridge

• Leafy greens: in a container lined with a paper towel to absorb moisture
• Berries: unwashed, in a single layer if you can. Wash just before eating
• Broccoli, carrots, peppers, cucumbers and courgettes
• Apples: they last much longer cold than in a fruit bowl
• Mushrooms: in a paper bag rather than plastic

Know your ethylene producers

Some fruits release ethylene, a natural gas that speeds up ripening. Apples, bananas, avocados, pears, tomatoes and stone fruit all give off plenty of it. Keep them away from ethylene-sensitive produce like leafy greens, broccoli and cucumbers, or those will wilt and yellow faster.

Fresh herbs

Treat soft herbs like parsley, coriander and mint like a bunch of flowers: trim the stems, stand them in a glass of water and loosely cover the leaves. Basil prefers to stay at room temperature. Hardy herbs like rosemary and thyme keep well wrapped in a damp paper towel in the fridge.

Buy for when you'll eat it

Even perfectly stored produce has a limit. Plan to eat delicate things like berries, salad leaves and herbs early in the week, and save hardier produce for later. Mealful's grocery list shows when you'll need each ingredient, which makes it easy to buy fresh produce at the right time.