With rising grocery costs, there’s nothing more frustrating that food spoiling before you get to enjoy it—and fruit is especially vulnerable to premature spoilage. Take these steps to help keep your fruit fresh for longer, reduce food waste and save money.

Allow fruit to ripen, as needed.
All fruits have different shelf lives and ripen at various speeds—and how they are stored makes all the difference. Some fruits, like avocados, stone fruits, pears, kiwi and mangoes continue to ripen once harvested. Let these fruits ripen in a bowl on the counter before moving them to the refrigerator. 

Store ripe fruit in the refrigerator.
Other fruits—like apples, grapes, berries, cherries and citrus fruits—are picked at peak ripeness and won’t continue to ripen. They can go directly into the refrigerator for storage. Leave them in their original packaging and only wash them right before eating. Store fruit that produces high levels of ethylene gas (like apples, ripe avocados, stone fruit and cantaloupe) separately, as exposure to ethylene gas can cause premature spoilage of other produce. 

Freeze, can or pickle fruit before it spoils.
If you can’t eat all your fresh fruit before it will spoil, preserve it! Freezing fruit is an easy way to make sure you can enjoy your fruit longer or in the off-season. For the best results, use frozen fruit within 8–12 months of freezing. Canned fruit and jam-making are more hands-on methods of preservation, but the results are consistently delicious, and canned fruit lasts up to one or two years in the pantry. If you’re short on time, fruit can even be quick-pickled! Pickled fruit (like peaches or cherries) makes a great addition to a cheese tray or salad, or as an unexpected side for grilled meat. A jar will last in the fridge for one to two months. —Faith Vue

Find instructions on how to safely preserve fruit on the University of Minnesota Extension website.