Where can I store vegetables to stop them going off?

[kevintheorangecarrot]

Absolutely no space in my fridge but if I store vegetables outside on the rack, they start going soft / mouldy :( any ideas? Fed up of them going off! I get my veg from Aldi.. could that be why?

I would say the basic rule of if it grows in the dark keep it in the dark is true.
So spuds , onions , carrots etc all benefit from a cool dark place to be stored .
I keep mine in stacked plastic baskets lined with paper and the keep well , but I also tend to buy most of my veg from tescos , I have nothing against Aldi but I live alone so I have no use for a huge bag of veggies

I do find that fruit and veg from Aldi goes off quicker than the stuff I get from other places....

What veggies do you tend to get?

I've found fruit/veg from aldi/Lidl goes off more quickly to be honest.

But also what are you storing them in? Plastic is the WORST Thing, paper/card is better.

My parents have always bought potatoes and carrots a sack at a time from farm shops. Paper or fabric sacks, stored in the downstairs hall cupboard and they keep for a month.

But yes it depends which fruit/veg you're storing

Also some fruits/veg make others ripen/go off quicker eg bananas is fhe most well known one but also onions/leeks/celery can have a similar effect.

Stayfresh bags. No idea how they work but they do. Parents bought me some when I moved to uni and they were amazing.

Store onions away from potatoes and bananas away from the rest of the fruit.

We shop at the dreaded Lidl where bad food goes to die apparent but we’ve never had a problem.

Non heated part of your home (I used to store mine in the garage). Take them out of plastic bags and let them breathe.

But also what are you storing them in? Plastic is the WORST Thing, paper/card is better.

Actually not true - depends on what it is. I'm there was something on yesterday about which fruits need single use plastic to prevent waste actually making plastic a good option for the environment.

I think it was pears, bananas and peppers

I've never kept fruit and veg in the plastic they come in since I learned better in my 20's.

The only thing that seems to do well in plastic is cucumber and even then once the seal is broken it doesn't last long.

Peppers sweat in plastic breaking down the skin and leading to rotting.

Bananas should be stored outside the fridge on a hook to last.

Pears I'm not a fan of but imagine not dissimilar to apples which last longest in a paper bag in the veg crisper in the fridge though don't do too badly in a fruit bowl outside the fridge in winter unless you have your house very warm.

I've got fabric bags from Poundland for storing spuds and onions, they work well.
My veg rack is in a cold, dark cupboard.
I've also found that Aldi veg goes off more quickly.