Making Fruits and Veggies Last Longer

So I’ve tried all sorts of tricks to keep my fruits and veggies from spoiling before I can eat them. I now keep them on the top of my refrigerator rather than the bin. Every time I open the fridge I see them staring me in the face. This helps in two regards I am more likely to grab a piece of fruit as a snack and I am more likely to dice them up and throw them into the dinner pot.

Still I don’t always seem to eat all of the produce before it begins to break down. A friend recommended purchasing a Ethylene Gas Guardian and I noticed an article on Wise Bread also touting this technology. It’s a little egg looking device that’s supposed to absorb the ethylene emitted by fruits and veggies. With the gas absorbed the manufacturers say your produce will last longer.

I was wondering if anyone has ever purchased one of these and if so did it really help your food stay fresh longer? From what I can tell you need to purchase the product along with refill packs. Once refilled the product will absorb gas for up to three months.

If the product works it may be worth the money, but I really don’t want to purchase one if it won’t make a difference. I’ll just stick with my current system which also involves simply buying less fruits and vegetables to begin with. I find sometimes my eyes are bigger than my belly when it comes to the produce department.

7 thoughts on “Making Fruits and Veggies Last Longer”

  1. I haven’t tried this, but I have tried the ‘green bags’ which work on a similar concept. The bag is supposed to absorb the ethylene gas to keep produce from spoiling.

    I found the bags worked pretty well. I kept apples in them, and they stayed edible (not rotten, but not really fresh, got kinda mealy and only useable for cooking) for more than a year.

    I never tried them for anything else, and I think they kind of got hidden at the back of a drawer or something. I should probably pull them out and use them with this summer’s produce, maybe do some side by side tests.

    Reply
    • I wondered about those bags too. Doesn’t sound like they worked if they made your fruit all mealy. I think I’ll wait on buying anything special and just try to buy less fruits and veggies when I’m at the store.

      Reply
      • I don’t think I was clear in what I was trying to say. The bags actually worked well. The apples didn’t get mealy until after they would have gone bad in regular bags. They were good to eat fresh for about 8 months, and it was only after that they began to dry out. The bag did prevent them from rotting or getting overripe, but they did get old eventually (not caused early by the bag).

        Reply
        • Oh I see. Thanks for the clarification. In that case they definitely sound like they extended your produce. If you try any experiments let me know. Apples typically stay fresh for quite awhile. I think it would be interesting to try something like strawberries, which turn much more quickly.

          Reply
  2. I don’t know about the gas, but our family keeps a lot of veggies cut up and in a caddy for snacking. That way we eat a lot of good veggies raw, but in smaller quantities. We rarely throw anything away now.
    If you get bored with just plain veggies, try dipping it in salad dressing to add some zip!

    Reply
    • Thanks for the comment Juicer. I’ve been trying to wash and prepare produce so I’ll eat it. If I have to wash, peel and chop when I’m hungry things are much more likely to linger in the fridge and eventually spoil. I’m also a big fan of salad dressing as dip šŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. I have never heard of this before! If it works you are a rock star! Strawberries and raspberries always turn so quickly.

    Reply

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