Make fruits and veggies last longer with these easy storage tips

This article was originally published September 19, 2017.

We've all been there — standing in front of the fridge, with bags of fresh groceries at our feet, and suddenly that smell hits and it seems like we'll need a hazmat suit to remove all the sad, rotting fruit and veg that's been festering in there for who knows how long. Aside from the strife that retrieving those improperly stored items brings, wasting food is just a waste of money. But luckily, it's avoidable, as long as you know a few tricks of the trade. Here are some quick and easy tips for properly storing produce, so you can avoid throwing your hard-earned cash straight into the compost.

Lemons and limes

While it might look pretty, don't leave your fresh lemons and limes on display on your countertop for long. After impressing your company with a brimming fruit bowl, place leftover lemons and limes in a zipper-sealed bag and pop them in the fridge. Lemons and limes stay fresh four times longer when refrigerated, which means money saved when a last-minute margarita strikes your fancy!

But, if you're already stuck with dried out lemons and limes there's way to give them new life: just place the dried-out citrus in water in the fridge overnight. The moisture will return through their porous peels, and you'll be able to use them close to their juicy prime.

Carrots

While leaving the greens on carrots might look pretty, the leafy tops absorb all available moisture from the carrot, leaving them dry and unpalatable. Instead, wrap carrots in a damp paper towel and then tin foil and store in the coldest part of your fridge. Don't worry about them getting too chilly — carrots are harvested in the cold when they're at their sweetest

Be sure not to try out this method with a plastic bag! Plastic keeps too much moisture near the carrots, causing them to rot. On the other hand, completely exposing them to air dries them out. This burrito method gives provides them with the ideal conditions they need, and also works for parsnips, radishes, and rutabaga!

Onions and cut onions

Onions should be stored in a cool, dark place with lots of air to prevent them from sprouting or rotting. Placing them in panty hose with a knot tied between each one will give them everything they need, creating space and air while preventing them from touching each other. Storing a few in a wire basket will also do the trick if you don't have any extra panty hose kicking around, but be careful not to overfill it.

But what can you do with all the half-cut onions you might currently have lying around in your fridge, drying out at this very moment? Pop them in the freezer (no need to blanch!), and they'll keep for an additional 3-6 months. You can ever freeze them in convenient one-cup portions so they're always ready for an on-the-fly recipe.

Bananas

Tomatoes and apples emit ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening process of other produce. This is great if you want to ripen an avocado, but it's bad news for bananas. Say goodbye to your fruit bowl: bananas should be stored by themselves.

If you find yourself with too many bananas at the peak of their ripeness (when they're slightly green), you can prevent them from over-ripening by placing them individually in the fridge. This will stop them from continuing to ripen for 2-3 days. This tip works because the stem of the banana is where most of the gas is released, so separating your bananas causes less gas to seep into them. But if you're really against refrigerating them, simply storing bananas separated on a plate at room temperature will prolong their life as well.

Now, start storing and get saving!