Fresh fruits and vegetables

Fresh fruits should be ripe when stored in the refrigerator. Some unripe fruits will ripen if left for a time at room temperature—preferably in a cool room between 60° and 70° F.

Keep bananas at room temperature. They will turn dull brown if refrigerated. Sort berries and cherries; then refrigerate, unwashed. Use promptly. Refrigerate ripe pineapples.

Sweet corn keeps best if refrigerated uncovered in husks; use it promptly. Removing tops from carrots, beets, and radishes reduces wilting. Storing potatoes in a cool, dark place prevents greening.

STORAGE GUIDE FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

Hold at room temperature until ripe; then refrigerate, uncovered:

Apples
Apricots
Avocados
Berries
Cherries
Grapes
Melons, except watermelons
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Tomatoes

Store in cool room or refrigerate, uncovered:

Grapefruit
Lemons
Limes
Oranges

Store in cool room, away from bright light:

Onions, mature
Potatoes
Rutabagas
Squash, winter
Sweetpotatoes

Refrigerate, covered:

Asparagus
Beans, snap or wax
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn, husked
Cucumbers
Greens
Onions, green
Parsnips
Peas, shelled
Peppers, green
Radishes
Squash, summer
Turnips

Refrigerate, uncovered:

Beans, lima, in pods
Corn, in husks
Peas, in pods
Pineapples
Watermelons