FROM the infamous durian to the unassuming mangosteen, Malaysia is blessed with a variety of tropical fruits. While some fruits stick around for the entire year, others are only available during certain seasons.
Here are some quick tips on how to store your fruits throughout the year:
- If the fruit is bought when ripe, it’s best to eat them as soon as possible before they spoil.
- If the fruit has yet to ripen, store them at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. If you’d like to speed up the ripening process, make sure to store them next to a ripe banana. Ripe bananas produce ethylene gas that helps some fruits ripen at a faster rate.
- Do not store fruits with your vegetables. Some fruits produce ethylene gas which will cause the vegetables to speed up the ripening process and ultimately, spoil.
- This goes without saying, but keep your fruits away from durian, unless you’d like the odor to spread to your other fruits and food.
Bananas
For bananas, one way to slow down the ripening process is by wrapping the stem.
Rather than laying your bananas flat, try hanging them from a banana hanger. This will help to prevent bruises from forming on the side that the banana is resting on.
You can also opt to keep the bananas in the fridge to help them last longer. Although the peel will turn black, the banana itself is actually still good to eat.
Mangosteen
Once opened and if you’re not eating them immediately, it’s best to store them in the fridge, but make sure to eat them within a day or two.
Rambutan
If you’re storing rambutans in the fridge, they’ll last up to a week.
Guava
Once ripe, the guavas can be refrigerated for up to four days.
If you’re planning to store the guavas for longer, slice them up, seal them in plastic bags and put them in the freezer. They’ll last up to eight months when frozen.
Papaya
Store ripe papayas in the fridge, but it’s highly recommended to eat it within two to three days.
