Storing and Washing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Vegetables in crates at a farmers' market.

May 29, 2025 Food Safety, Spoonful

— By Kate Yerxa, MS, RD, Extension Professor, University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Whether you grow your own fruits and vegetables or buy them at a local farm or grocery store, you don’t want your money to go to waste because they are stored improperly and rot (decompose) quickly. Understanding how to store and wash fresh fruits and vegetables properly is important for maintaining their quality and preventing foodborne illnesses. Fresh fruits and vegetables have different storage recommendations depending on the type of produce. How long they stay fresh depends on how you store them.

Storing Produce

All storage areas for fresh produce should be kept clean and dry. For produce that is stored in the refrigerator, keep the temperature at 40 degrees F or below. If your refrigerator has a designated fruit and vegetable bin or crisper, use it! Produce bins in your refrigerator have adjustable humidity levels to help preserve the quality of produce. Just be sure to store fresh produce away from raw meats, poultry, or fish to prevent cross-contamination. Check all stored produce regularly for signs of spoilage and throw out anything that looks bad. Any cut, peeled, or cooked fruits or vegetables should be stored in clean, covered containers in the refrigerator within two hours of cutting or peeling and be consumed within 3 to 4 days. For more information on the food safety of refrigerated foods, visit the USDA’s Refrigeration & Food Safety webpage.

Use the table below from the Garden to Table, Storing Fresh Garden Produce publication to store local Maine produce you may be growing in your home garden, or purchasing locally.

Fruit or Vegetable	Location and Time	Tips
Beans, green or yellow	Refrigerator crisper: up to 3 days	Store in plastic bags. Do not wash before storing. Wet beans will develop black spots and decay quickly. Wash just before preparation.
Broccoli	Refrigerator crisper: 3 to 5 days	Store in loose, perforated plastic bags. Wash just before using.
Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Radish, Turnips	Refrigerator crisper: 1 to 2 weeks	Remove green tops and store vegetables in plastic bags. Trim the taproots from radishes before storing. Wash just before using.
Berries (Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries)	Refrigerator crisper: 2-3 days	Before storing berries, remove any spoiled or crushed fruits. Store unwashed in plastic bags or containers. Do not remove green tops from strawberries before storing. Wash gently under cool running water just before using.
Chard	Refrigerator crisper: 2-3 days	Store leaves in plastic bags. The stalks can be stored longer if separated from the leaves. Wash just before using.
Collards	Refrigerator crisper: 4-5 days	Collards store better than most greens. Wrap leaves in moist paper towels and place in a sealed plastic bag. When ready to use, wash thoroughly. Greens tend to have dirt and grit clinging to the leaves.
Corn	Refrigerator crisper: 1 to 2 days	For best flavor, use corn immediately. Corn in husks can be stored in plastic bags for 1 to 2 days.
Cucumbers	Refrigerator crisper: up to 1 week	Wipe clean and store in plastic bags. Do not store with apples or tomatoes. Wash just before using.
Eggplant	Refrigerator: 1-2 days	Use them immediately for best flavor. If you must store them, put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Use while the stem and cap are greenish and fresh-looking.
Herbs	Refrigerator crisper: 2 to 3 days	Herbs may be stored in plastic bags or placed upright in a glass of water (stems down). Cover loosely with a plastic bag.
Lettuce, spinach, and other delicate greens	Refrigerator crisper: 5 to 7 days for lettuce; 1 to 2 days for greens	Discard outer or wilted leaves. Store in plastic bags in the refrigerator crisper. Wash just before using.
Melons: Watermelon, Honeydew, Cantaloupe	At room temperature until ripe; Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days for cut melon	For best flavor, store melons at room temperature until ripe. Store ripe, cut melon covered in the refrigerator. Wash by scrubbing the rind just before cutting.
Nectarines, Peaches, Pears	Refrigerator crisper: 5 days	Ripen the fruit at room temperature, and then refrigerate it in plastic bags. Wash just before eating.
Peas	Refrigerator: 2-3 days	Store peas in perforated plastic bags. Wash just before shelling.
Peppers	Refrigerator crisper: up to 2 weeks	Wipe clean and store in plastic bags. Wash just before using.
Summer squash, zucchini, patty pan	Refrigerator: 2-3 days	Wipe clean and store in plastic bags. Wash just before using.
Tomatoes	Room temperature; Once cut, refrigerator crisper: 2 to 3 days	Fresh ripe tomatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator. Wipe clean and store tomatoes at room temperature away from sunlight. Wash just before eating. (Refrigerate only extra-ripe tomatoes you want to keep from ripening any further.) Store cut tomatoes in the refrigerator.

Washing Produce

Before you prepare and eat fresh produce, it is important to wash produce. Below are recommendations from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Food Safety Specialist. For more details, read University of Maine Cooperative Extension Bulletin #4336, Best Ways to Wash Fruits and Vegetables, or watch the video Washing Fruits and Vegetables by UMaine Extension.

Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before and after preparing food.
Clean and sanitize your countertop, cutting boards, and utensils before and after peeling produce and before cutting and chopping. After preparing each food item, wash kitchen surfaces and utensils with hot, soapy water.
Use cool, clean, drinkable water to wash items. Do not wash produce with soaps or detergents.

- For produce with thick skin, use a vegetable brush to help wash away hard-to-remove microbes, even if you don’t eat the skin.
- Produce with a lot of nooks and crannies, like cauliflower and broccoli, should be soaked for 1 to 2 minutes in cool, drinkable water.
- Fragile produce, like raspberries, should not be soaked in water. Instead, put them in a clean colander and spray them with drinkable water.
- For leafy greens, wash them by separating leaves and soaking them in a bowl of cool water for a few minutes. Drain the greens using a strainer or colander and then dry with a clean towel or a salad spinner.
  - Another technique is to presoak leafy greens for five minutes in a mixture of vinegar and water (1/2 cup distilled white vinegar per two cups of water), which should be followed by a clean water rinse. This has been shown to REDUCE but NOT eliminate bacterial contamination, and it may slightly aﬀect texture and taste.

Cooperative Extension: Food & Health