Simple hack keeps veggies 'crunchy for weeks' but berries 'rot quickly'

10 January 2024 , 10:00

536     0

A vegetable storage hack can help them stay 'crunchy for weeks' - but would make berries 'rot quickly' (stock image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

With the festive season putting pressure on wallets, many people are wondering how to make their weekly food shop last longer.

Families all-too-often think their bumper food shop of fruits and veggies will last the week, only to reach into the fridge and find that it's gone off. Fortunately, experts have shared their top tips for making fruits and veggies last longer, leading to less food waste, and pennies saved.

"With the massive price tag on fruits and veggies these days, we need them to last," TikToker explains. Larsen added that part of keeping fruits and veggies fresh is knowing how to store them, with some produce needing to stay moist, and some staying in the package you bought them in.

"To start, carrots and celery, always submerge them under water, it'll keep them crunchy and lasting for weeks on end… but don't leave them in for too long, or bacteria can form and that can be bad for you," he explains, adding that you can "get into the habit of washing your fruits and veggies before you put them in the fridge" to help them last longer.

He says this rule is different for berries, which he claims should stay in their original container in the fridge without being washed, only washing them when you're about to use them. "Otherwise they can rot really quickly," he says.

Martin Lewis issues 8-week warning to phone users ahead of huge price hikes

Larsen added that if you're not going to eat fruit right after you buy it, you can cut it up and freeze it, meaning you can quickly and easily make smoothies. If you'd like a separate hack just for your strawberries, a commenter on has the trick.

The Facebook user explained: "Does anyone put strawberries in a glass jar? Saw this post elsewhere, they last forever," adding that after you take the strawberries home, store them - unwashed - in an airtight glass jar or food container.

Sharing a photo of the strawberries, they said: "These ones, no word of a lie, are over three weeks old from the superstore. I'm lucky if I can get them to last five days before they start to turn when I buy them from there."

Emily Chudy