With everything getting more expensive and shortages happening around the country, the best thing we can do for ourselves (and our wallets) is make sure our groceries last as long as possible. One of the first items that usually go bad from the grocery haul is produce.
With some fruits, you can extend their shelf lives by a bit if you store them correctly. Otherwise, it’ll eventually change color, develop mold, and rot. And these instances call for immediate disposal, or you’ll be faced with pest problems like fruit flies—at best.
Aside from wasting money over spoilt produce, it also contributes to the very real problem of food waste. An average of 1.3 billion tons of food waste is produced globally, with 1,717 tons going to waste daily in the country.
To help fight food waste (and save ourselves some money), here’s a handy guide to how long common fruits actually last.
Fruits that must go first
No matter what fruit you pick up, it’s good to go as soon as it ripens. Fruits like fresh berries (including strawberries), peaches, and cut up avocados can sit out of the fridge for a few days to allow it to further ripen. Once the ripening process is done, you’ll have at most three days to store it in the fridge to either cook or directly eat before things take a bad turn.
If the avocados you purchase are still whole and green, you’ll have to wait a few days for them to ripen. Once they ripen, you can relocate the whole fruit to the fridge where they can stay for another week or two without getting bad.
The banana is a fruit most people have at home. We all know that the window of perfectly good bananas is short—like four days maximum. This means that aside from storing them correctly (out on the table where everyone can access it), you’ll also have to buy just enough to last you for a specific period of time. If you’re the only one eating bananas, maybe buy half a hand. The basic rule of food shopping comes in handy here: Only buy what you can consume.
Fruits that last longer
While it’s best to eat fresh fruits ASAP when they’re ripe, it’s also nice to have fresh, ready-to-eat, fruit waiting for you in the fridge. I mean, you never know when the cravings can kick in, right? For such a delicate fruit, mangoes actually have a pretty good shelf life.
Once ripe, you can store mangoes in the fridge for up to a week—or even 14 days for some varieties. Well, that is if they last that long in your home.
Apples are also quite a sturdy fruit. If stored correctly (away from sunlight, in a cool, dry, and dark place) it can go for up to two weeks without refrigeration. If you’re storing an apple in the fridge, they can last for up to a month.
When in season, rambutan usually makes its way to all of our tables. You can keep these spiky fruits in the fruit basket for three to five days (you know, display purposes), but they can last for 10 to 15 days in the fridge if you keep them unpeeled.
While grapes seem a little on the delicate side, the fruit can actually last longer than you may think. If you’re keeping grapes out on the table for easy access (or decorative purposes), they can last up to three days. Keeping it in the fridge will definitely make them last longer—about 10 days if you store them in your crisper drawer.
You can also store them in the freezer, which is one of my personal favorite ways to store them. Frozen grapes will last up to five months if the conditions in your freezer are right. Frozen grapes also make for a refreshing snack and a healthier ice cream alternative.
Whole, uncut papayas are usually bought ripe from the grocery store. You can keep them for up to three days outside without worrying about it going bad. Once the three days are up, though, you’ll have to move the fruit to the fridge. This will give it an extra five days to a week for you to enjoy.
Most citrus fruits (like oranges, lemons, and calamansi) can last a while on your kitchen counter. Unpeeled citrus fruits can last up to one week outside the fridge, and up to two weeks (or even more) if you store it in the refrigerator.
Melons like honeydews and cantaloupes last for up to a week without needing refrigeration—that is if you leave it whole and unpeeled. After cutting and preparing, they’ll last about a week to ten days in the refrigerator.
Fruits with lasting power
With fruits, the rule of thumb is the thicker the skin, the longer it will last. A good example of this would be the king of fruits—durian. With its thick and spiky skin intact, it can last a few weeks at room temperature. After cutting it open, though, you’ll only have four days to store it in the fridge. For more long-term storage, you can also opt to store it in the freezer when it’ll keep for a few months.
Jackfruits also have thick skin, which means they can survive for up to months if they’re left unopened. After opening, you’ll have one week to store the edible parts of the fruit in an airtight container and enjoy.
The santol is another fruit with relatively thick skin. If your santol makes it past a few days on the kitchen table, you can opt to store it in the fridge. Once in the fridge, they’ll keep for two to three weeks.
Like other citrus fruits, pomelo can take a good while before it goes bad. You can keep it in an airy place to ripen to its peak for up to a month. After you’ve decided that the fruit is ripe enough, you can cut it up and store it in the fridge where it’ll last for an additional week or two.
The ever-popular watermelon also has a relatively long shelf life. You can keep the summertime fruit out of the fridge for two to three weeks before you have to move it to a cooler place. Once in the fridge, the fruit will likely last you a week before it needs to be consumed either cut up or in other forms.
What about canned fruit?
Unlike its fresh counterparts, canned and bottled fruit has been processed to become shelf stable. This means that it’ll last a very long time. Canned everything has an expiration date, of course, but how long does it last after you’ve opened it and realized this is too much canned fruit for a single batch of fruit salad?
After transferring it to another container (preferably glass), you can keep the canned or bottled fruit in the fridge for five days up to a week. If you don’t think you’ll use it for a while, you can also opt to keep it in an airtight container and freeze it. It’ll keep its quality for up to two months, but still be shelf stable and usable beyond that.
If a month has passed and you’ve finally decided to make another batch of fruit salad, you can thaw it, but you’ll have to use it immediately.