The most difficult aspect of fresh fruit is keeping it fresh. Preparing a mixed fruit bowl for breakfast on a summer morning is one of my favorites, but keeping it in the home is a delicate balance.

If you leave it on the counter for too long, you’ll end up with a fruit fly infestation. And you can’t simply toss everything in the fridge since some fruits may spoil soon.

I understand that some people forego the chance to eat healthily for the sake of convenience, but I assure that purchasing fruit and taking a little more effort to keep it fresh is well worth it.

So, how should fruit be stored on the counter? And which fruit lasts the longest in the fridge?

I wanted to provide you a list of how I store specific fruits for reference since I sometimes struggle with appropriate fruit preservation myself. Let’s get started!

Apples

A daily apple keeps the doctor away, and storing them in the refrigerator drawer (unwrapped, on a low humidity setting) keeps the mushiness away. Make sure they’re alone in there since they emit a lot of ethylene gas and will ruin everything around them.

Apricots

Refrigerate in a sealed plastic bag on a shelf.

Avocados

They simply keep ripening, making it difficult to know when to utilize them. I store mine in a dish in the darkest part of my kitchen, away from light. After they’re soft enough for me, I put them in the fridge until I’m ready to use them.

Bananas

Let your bananas to ripen on the counter at room temperature. If they’re just where you want them but you’re not ready to use them, put them in the fridge to keep them from ripening any more. Keep them apart from other fruits, since they will ripen everything around them. It’s their special ability.

To extend the life of your bananas, separate them and wrap the stems in plastic wrap. The tale behind the magic may be found on Lifehacker.

Blackberries

Put the berries in a basin with 3 cups of water and 1 cup of white vinegar, and gently whisk to destroy any germs that may be present. Place the berries in a colander and thoroughly rinse them.

Put berries on paper towels to dry thoroughly before storing in a sealable container coated with clean paper towels (if purchased at a shop, the container they arrived in is good).

Blueberries

Put the berries in a basin with 3 cups of water and 1 cup of white vinegar, and gently whisk to destroy any germs that may be present. Place the berries in a colander and thoroughly rinse them.

Put berries in a salad spinner to dry thoroughly before storing in a sealable container lined with clean paper towels (if purchased at a shop, the container they arrived in is good).

Cantaloupe

Put the melon in the refrigerator and don’t chop it until you’re ready to eat it. If you want to chop it up to enjoy during the week, simply keep it in an airtight jar in the fridge.

Tip: If you chop the melon, try to keep the seeds intact to prevent the flesh from drying out.

Cherries

If you purchased them at the shop, they most likely came in a perforated plastic bag that you can simply set on a shelf in your refrigerator.

Grapes

If your grapes come in a perforated plastic bag, just place them on a shelf in the refrigerator. Just before eating, wash your hands.

Honeydew

Cantaloupe is the same!

Put the melon in the refrigerator and don’t chop it until you’re ready to eat it. If you want to chop it up to enjoy during the week, simply keep it in an airtight jar in the fridge.

Tip: If you chop the melon, try to keep the seeds intact to prevent the flesh from drying out.

Kiwi

They may be stored in the refrigerator for many weeks; theyre little, so don’t forget about them!

Lemons & Limes

You may see lemons in bowls as home decorations, but it is the very worst thing you can do! In less than a week, they will become hard and lose their shine. Put them in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge and they’ll last you weeks (if not a month!).

Tip: To save time later, clean the outsides of your lemons and limes with a little dishwashing detergent and water before storing them, but make sure they dry fully before putting them in the bags.

Nectarines

Don’t put them in the fridge! They’ll lose their taste, and it’ll make you unhappy, believe me. Keep them at room temperature (out of direct sunlight) in a dish on the counter until ready to eat.

Oranges

These bright fruits may be kept on the counter at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Personally, I keep the ones I want to eat in the refrigerator since I like them cold, and the remainder in a bowl on the kitchen table to use as needed in recipes.

Peaches

Keep at room temperature on the counter until ripe, then store in a sealed plastic bag on a shelf in the fridge.

Pears

With them, you can go either way. You may keep them on the counter for up to a week or in the fridge for longer.

Pineapple

Refrigerate the pineapple until you’re ready to chop it up and eat it. I know, it’s a bit odd because of its spiky Marge Simpson-esque haircut. If you chop it up to eat later, it will become mushy and much less attractive.

Plums

Refrigerate in a sealed plastic bag on a shelf.

Pomegranates

Pomegranates, like Batman, like to remain hidden and only emerge when called upon. Put them in a dark area of the fridge in a paper bag on a shelf and they’ll last forever.

Raspberries

The same as with blackberries!

Put the berries in a basin with 3 cups of water and 1 cup of white vinegar, and gently whisk to destroy any germs that may be present. Place the berries in a colander and thoroughly rinse them.

Put berries on paper towels to dry thoroughly before storing in a sealable container coated with clean paper towels (if purchased at a shop, the container they arrived in is good).

Strawberries

Blueberries are the same!

Put the berries in a basin with 3 cups of water and 1 cup of white vinegar, and gently whisk to destroy any germs that may be present. Place the berries in a colander and thoroughly rinse them.

Put berries in a salad spinner to dry thoroughly before storing in a sealable container lined with clean paper towels (if purchased at a shop, the container they arrived in is good).

Watermelon

Watermelon may be stored at room temperature on the counter or in the refrigerator. If you want to chop it up to enjoy during the week, simply keep it in an airtight jar in the fridge.

Other tips for storing fresh fruit

• Store fruits and vegetables separately! Even though they want to be friends and hang out, many fruits emit significant quantities of ethylene, which may contaminate the foods surrounding them.
• Have a strategy to consume the most delicate and perishable products first (i.e.: finish off those raspberries before the lemons). Do you need assistance with this? Create a list of your fruits in order of perishability and tape it to the front of your fridge.

I hope this was helpful! Is there anything more I should have spoken regarding this topic? Please let me know in the comments section below.