8 Quick Hacks to Keep Fruits and Veggies from Spoiling

What’s worse is throwing away nutritious, healthy fruits and vegetables! 

Oh, the humanity! 

There is a mass destruction of fruits and veggies around the world, and it must stop! 

...Okay, while it might not be as dramatic as all that, we do have some hacks for keeping your beautiful F’s and V’s from going bad so fast. This will be better for your wallet, and for the environment. 

Hack 1: No choppy-choppy, you hear?

When you chop fruits and veggies, wait until right before you eat them. This will preserve them longer and help them retain their micronutrients for a more lengthy period of time. 

But, if you're like us, you may lack time during the week and so meal prep helps a lot. Don't worry too much about chopping fruits and veggies for meal prep, just try to wait to chop up produce when it is practical.

Hack 2: Lemon juice

Did you know that lemon juice can prevent browning and rot? It’s an awesome natural preservative! 

Why? Because the pH in lemon is acidic. This acid inactivates an enzyme in fruits and veggies called ‘polyphenol oxidase’. This prevents them from browning! 

Hack 3: Don’t keep all your produce in one basket

Just like we avoid keeping all of our “eggs in one basket”, did you know that you shouldn’t store all your fruits and veggies in one basket?

It turns out that produce gives off a natural hormone called “ethylene.” This hormone causes ripening. 

Some fruits and veggies are high producers of ethylene, whereas others produce less of it and are more sensitive to it. 

Bananas emit a lot of ethylene, so keep them separate from other fruits and veggies. 

When stored together, apples cause cherries and blueberries to go bad.

However, store apples with potatoes, and the potatoes will last longer than normal! 

Don’t put your potatoes with onions though. The onions will cause the potatoes to spoil and sprout quicker. 

Strange. It’s like the fruits and veggies are communicating with each other... 

Hack 4: Supplement your fruits & veggies

What’s another way to keep produce ‘fresh’? 

Ruvi, of course! 

Ruvi is made from freeze-dried fruits and veggies. 

This means that their flavor and nutrition is locked in! Whether you eat ‘em now, 3 months from now, or 3 years!

With Ruvi, you never regret wasting money on fruits or veggies that spoil. Just pour it, mix it, drink it! 

But we don’t mean to give fresh fruits and veggies a bad name. We love those too! Ruvi is just an awesome way of getting some more servings into your diet in a convenient and healthy way.

It only takes a couple of minutes to get 4 daily servings of fresh fruits and veg. No washing, chopping, or prep. 

Drink a Ruvi a day and reduce the amount of fruits and veggies you waste.

Hack 5: Fruits & veggies like a dry environment

It is a good call to avoid washing your fruits and veggies before storing them. Washing fruits and veggies creates more moisture. If you do prefer to wash your produce before storing it, then leave it out for a period of time to dry before putting it away in the fridge. 

Bonus tip: Store fruits or veggies in a container with a paper towel underneath. The paper towel will absorb some of the moisture! 

Hack 6: Freeze your fruits & veggies

Did you know that freezing your fruits or veggies can help to preserve the nutrients longer? Also, purchasing frozen fruits or veggies from the grocery store can be a good call, as they are typically picked when they are fully ripe, unlike produce that is sold fresh in the produce section. 

Freeze dried fruits and vegetables are even better and preserve nutrients far longer. This is one of the reasons that Ruvi is such a great choice when it comes to getting some of your daily fruits and veggies. 

Hack 7: Store chopped vegetables in water

Want an easy way to preserve your chopped veggies? Try storing chopped celery, carrots, potatoes, or radishes in water. This will help them last much longer!

Hack 8: Don't store produce in bags

When it comes to the fruits and veggies you leave out on the counter or in the pantry at room temp, be sure not to store them in bags. It is good for produce at room temp to have air. This is better for the produce, and they will last longer. 

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