1 day Ago By Sophie Harris
Grapes , whether you purchase red or green, often have a short life span, especially if you like to eat them whilst still crunchy. This can make getting through a whole punnet quite challenging if you don’t have anyone else in the house who eats them. I typically store my grapes in the crisper drawer located at the bottom of the fridge and then take them out an hour or two before I want to eat them.
However, I’ve recently been storing them in a different fridge location, and they’ve been staying super crunchy for at least 14 days. There are many reasons why grapes spoil, including pre-washing them or storing them in airtight containers. Both of these can lead to excess moisture, which speeds up spoilage, making them soggy and eventually mouldy.
I’ve tried many storage solutions for grapes over the years, and have found that keeping them in their punnet is the best option, with the plastic film carefully resting on the top. Like many fruits, grapes need ventilation to maintain their crispness and freshness, and this is the best way to allow them to get air within the fridge. Good ventilation helps to dry the grapes, which is crucial for preventing mould and bacterial growth.
However, it is important to keep the punnet away from strong-smelling foods such as onions as they may end up tasting unpleasant. To maximise freshness, I store my grapes on the second shelf in the fridge, avoiding the crisper drawer, despite this often being the recommended location. I have found this location to keep the fruit crunchy and as good as the day I purchased them for more than a week.
In fact, my recent punnet is on day 14, and they are still firm and crispy. I’ve tried different locations around the fridge, including the top shelf, the crisper drawer, and a middle one, but the second from the top I have found to be the most successful in keeping fruits fresh. It’s important to note that the grapes should also stay on the stem to help maintain their texture and quality.
It’s also not just grapes that benefit from ventilation; strawberries and blueberries also last longer when kept in their original packaging and have access to ventilation. Bananas can also last longer when kept in the fridge, bringing them to room temperature an hour or two before consumption..
