The Community Teaching Garden in Phelan is a place-based learning facility where nutrition is taught from the ground up in a garden and small orchard setting. Free classes are offered monthly to help promote nutrition, good ecology practices and sustainability.
October’s topic was storing vegetables and fruit. Whether you are growing your own vegetables and fruit or buying them at a local farmers market or grocery store, here are some easy tips to keep them fresh longer.
Tips for Storing Vegetables
Let’s start with veggies that should be stored in the refrigerator, like leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach and kale. Begin by washing them, then completely dry them. Next, wrap them in a paper towel and store them in the refrigerator in a breathable bag or container. Broccoli and cauliflower should be refrigerated as well; however, they should not be washed until you are ready to use them. Simply store them in a loose bag with a dry paper towel to control moisture. The best storage for carrots, celery and radishes is in a sealed container with water and placed in the refrigerator. This keeps them fresh and crisp.
Some veggies do best in cool, dark and dry storage, such as onions, garlic and shallots, which should be kept in a mesh bag or open basket because they need to stay dry and well ventilated.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes need a dark, cool place, not the refrigerator, and they should be kept away from onions. Winter squash and pumpkins should be kept whole in a dry, cool location as well.
Tips for Storing Fruit
As for fruits, room-temperature storage is best for bananas, avocados, peaches and nectarines. Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature until ripe, then moved to the refrigerator.
Apples and grapes should be refrigerated; however, they need to be kept away from strong-smelling veggies like onions because they absorb odors and taste bad, so separate drawers are a good idea.
By following these simple storage tips, you can cut down on food waste, keep your produce tasting fresh and get the most out of every grocery trip or harvest.
The Community Teaching Garden will be closed until further notice for the remainder of this year as the garden relocates to a new, upgraded area of the park. Please check online at the PPHCSD website for a new class schedule in 2026.
