to prevent fresh fruits from bruising on our table, I rotate them at least once a day. . . . I line my refrigerator bins with bubble wrap which cushions carrots and other raw vegetables . . . my husband buys a half pound of coffee beans at a time and grinds some himself each day at home because he claims his morning brew tastes best that way. . . I buy small batches of bananas every few days – unused ones are peeled and frozen with good results (mashed bananas taste great in my homemade frozen ices) … I never chill tomatoes because they turn rubbery . . . when I purchase lettuce, I immediately rinse it well, let it drip dry in the dish drainer, then wrap in a clean tea towel and store in a large closed plastic bag – after a few hours the lettuce is crisp and ready for use and it will keep for at least a week . . . I store white potatoes in a closed wicker basket in the c0olest darkest area of the pantry or in the fridge which sometimes improves their sweetness …. sweet potatoes ruin here in open air and spoil quickly even if refrigerated so I buy only a few at a time and cook them asap . . . onions keep well on a tray in the pantry with plenty of air around each bulb . . . raw gourmet mushrooms do fine in my fridge for 10+ days if I transfer them immediately after purchase from their market package into a brown paper bag (I wipe them with a damp towel just before using) . . . I freeze raw unpeeled ginger root and grate it into dishes – keeps for months, unlike any other storage method I’ve tried for ginger . . . I keep whole bulbs of garlic in a closed kitchen cabinet, but sometimes I peel and refrigerate individual cloves in dry containers … when I buy berries in clear plastic boxes I turn the containers upside down before refrigerating to relieve pressure on berries packed at the bottom – I discard spoiling berries before they contaminate their pals . . . I wash fruits and vegetables just before using, never sooner because moisture will quickly spoil them . . . in my climate, I must refrigerate baked goods or they will mold, even though our home is air conditioned . . . I keep all dry foods like flour in tightly sealed canisters and mark with the date and routinely discard anything past its prime . . . I avoid buying sprouts that look soggy because they are doomed to spoil . . . I avoid buying deli items like seafood salads unless they will be consumed within 24-48 hours and I never buy chopped raw greens such as lettuce and cabbage because they brown unless consumed immediately; once vegetables are cut they can’t be washed without losing nutrients, and they are so often recalled by manufacturers due to widespread contamination that I figure, why take a chance? As a friend of mine said, “I don’t care what the package says: it isn’t washed unless I wash it.”

to prevent fresh fruits from bruising, I rotate them at least once a day. . . . my husband buys 1/4 pound of coffee beans at a time (!) and grinds them himself each day at home because he claims his morning brew tastes best that way. . . I buy a few bananas every few days – I peel and freeze them in hot months, with surprisingly good results (mashed bananas are great in my homemade frozen ices) … I never chill tomatoes because they turn rubbery . . . for many years now, whenever I purchase lettuce, I immediately rinse it well, leave it to drip dry it in the dish drainer, then wrap it in an immaculate linen towel and store it in a large plastic bag – after a few hours the lettuce crisps beautifully and it keeps perfectly for at least a week or more, depending on the variety . . . I keep white potatoes in a closed wicker basket in the c0olest area of the pantry or in the fridge which sometimes improves their sweetness …. sweet potatoes ruin in open air and spoil quickly even if refrigerated . . . onions stay nice on a tray in the pantry with plenty of air around each one. . . gourmet mushrooms keep perfectly in my fridge for 10+ days if I transfer them immediately after purchase from their market package into a brown paper bag (I wipe them with a damp towel just before using them) . . . I freeze fresh ginger and grate it into dishes – keeps for months, unlike any other storage method I’ve tried for ginger . . . I always keep fresh garlic in a closed kitchen cabinet, but sometimes I peel and refrigerate individual cloves in a clean dry plastic container … when I buy plastic boxes of berries, I always turn the closed box upside down to relieve pressure on the fruits packed in the bottom . . . I wash fruits and vegetables just before using, never sooner because moisture spoils them . . . I always refrigerate breads and store-baked goods as they quickly mold in my air-conditioned southern kitchen . . . I keep all dry foods such as rice, flour, pasta, bread crumbs, cornmeal and sugar in tightly sealed metal, glass or plastic containers and mark with the date so I can detect oldies at a glance . . .