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Made by a Kiwi company, ExtraFresh sachets absorb the ethylene gas naturally produced by fruit and veggies. The build-up of ethylene gas in enclosed spaces, such as the fridge veggie drawer, speeds up the ripening process which makes produce spoil faster.

How do you keep fruit and veggies fresh in the fridge? Leave your top tips in the comments and you'll go in the draw to win one of the prize packs pictured below ...

How does it work? The granules inside each ExtraFresh sachet attract and absorb ethylene to purify the air. The sachet is made out of a moisture resistant material and printed using vegetable-based inks. When the sticker on the front of the sachet is peeled off, this activates the granules, and can be used in vegetable crispers of fridges, chilly bins and other enclosed spaces where fresh produce is stored.

ExtraFresh sachets cost $5 each, last two months, are BioGro certified and safe to use with organic produce. They're available at the ExtraFresh website and Farro Fresh stores.

Comments

S Goodall

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 05:26 PM

Put them in sealed containers.

M Meade

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 05:26 PM

wrap them in goldwrap

Christine Dixon

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 05:30 PM

I glad wrap all my vegetables and they don't dry out. Lettuce definitely stays fresh this way.
but would love to try these ExtraFresh sachets that absorb ethylene gas that is naturally produced by fruit and veggies. : thanks

H McLaughlin

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 05:34 PM

I wash and store in recycled plastic bags which is not the ideal but works.

Lyn

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 05:35 PM

Only buy fresh what I need so I use them while fresh or keep them wrapped

Jasmine

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 05:38 PM

Seperate the leaves of greens, rinse in cold water, spin-dry in a salad spinner, and pat dry with paper towels. Then store in a plastic bag in the crisper.

Kay Young

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 05:45 PM

I like to wash and dry them well and then put in a sealed container with a folded cloth at the bottom to catch any moisture.

Leigh

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 05:55 PM

Just buy what it need as I don't like wrapping food in plastic :)

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 06:04 PM

depends what they are - apples, carrots etc just pop them in the bottom drawer, lettuce leaves, spinach etc I leave in bags.

gabrielle connor

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 06:16 PM

we try to eat as much fresh produce from the garden and road stalls (we are lucky to have many where we live) and buy in small doses, fresh food never tastes the same once its been refrigerated!

kim

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 06:22 PM

I definately keep the apple seperate as I've heard they make everything else speed up their aging. apples on shelf, then everything else in bottom drawer.

Gina

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 06:25 PM

I have used special bags which have holes in them to keep veges longer that I found in Australia (I have not seen them here) - but washing them after use when the veges have gone grotty is a real pain! These ExtraFresh sachets sound really easy!

carolyn abraham

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 06:30 PM

keep in the vegie drawer buy as u need or freeze if buying bulk

sarah

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 06:41 PM

We eat as quickly as possible, and as much as possible fresh from the garden.

Maria Boyd

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 07:10 PM

Buy or grow fresh and put them in the vegetable bin.

Aneta

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 07:10 PM

I bought special cloth fruit and vege bags from the Ecostore. I put my fruit and veges in these with a damp paper towel. The paper towels are then composted once the bag is empty and the bag is reused.

leah c

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 07:15 PM

I wrap some veggies in a damp towel (or moistened handy-towels to keep them fresh. Works well for beans, brocolli, carrots, rhubarb and cucumbers.

Gloria

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 07:17 PM

Keep fruits and vegetables separate to minimise spoilage.

Kim O

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 07:45 PM

I have a separate bin for veges and one for fruit. I line them with a liner that has holes through it and find that helps keep them longer. I also don't set the fridge too cold, only buy what we will eat so no wastage. I also only pick from the garden what we will need for that meal.

Lesley Burns

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 07:51 PM

I have a special container from tupperware called a salad keeper for lettuce and have found it will also keep a fewradishes,spring onions etc fresh as well.I actually take it on holiday without a fridge and it works well there too.Main thing is to use things regularly and also keep fruit in one container and vegetable sin another

Melanie Fisher

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 08:00 PM

I make sure to use up the older items by loading fresher veg in on the left and selecting from the right; try to grow my own so that I can move from garden to table; and make sure I keep that part of the fridge clean :)

Jessica Gabbie

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 08:03 PM

For celery i cut it in half so it fits in my fridge, and then leave in a airtight snaplock bag. Lasts waaay longer!

Karen

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 08:08 PM

Dismal efforts at keeping produce fresh I'm afraid, the trick for us is to buy small quantities and eat it up in a few days. If I try and buy a week's worth in one go it's usually a slimy mess before the week is up and only good for the chickens!

Vicky

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 08:17 PM

My elderly neighbour showed me the perfect eco-friendly way to keep things fresh when she gave me some beans from her garden. She washed them, dried them and wrapped them in newspaper. I put them in the vege drawer in my fridge and they stayed crisp until I was ready to use them a few days later.

Christina

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 08:23 PM

Trim the dry ends off asparagus spears and store the bunch upright in a container of water in the fridge. This also works well for herbs (bought or picked from the garden), and anything else which can 'drink' (e.g. celery)

Teresa

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 09:02 PM

I store fruit and veges in the bins in the fride, always with a paper towel lining which absorbs moisture and never with apples. Eat as much fresh as possible and buy small amounts.

Stepanka S.

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 10:30 PM

I don't buy too much at once and also keep everything separate, and check on vegies everyday.

Bonny

Mon December 10, 2012 @ 10:35 PM

keep the air in the bags of greens, and hardly any water but moist is the trick

Charlotte Phillips

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 02:08 AM

We tend to pick what we need fresh from the garden and only buy small amounts of the rest of our veges. When we do buy in bulk (when seasonal fruit & veges are cheap at the markets) we stew the fruit & freeze it to make it last longer. We also juice lemons (from a friends tree) and freeze in icecube trays - they last for ages and are great to add to drinks or stirfrys!

maryannev

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 08:10 AM

to keep asparagus fresh just wrap in a slightly damp teatowel. I use a dry teatowel for my lettuce because they usually have enough moisture on them. Thise granules will certainly add to shelf time....

Caro

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 08:46 AM

I try to eat everything as fast as I can, for salad I take it out of its plastic bag and store in an air tight container, seems to last longer. I freeze bananas for baking if they start to go past their best, the same for lemon zest.

Tin foil around celery seems to work well too.

Trina Emmerson

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 09:14 AM

With cheese,I crate my own and put into a seal plastic

bag,lot cheaper

joanne

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 10:12 AM

I store fragile leafy food in recycled ice cream containers so that they aren't squashed. carrots and other root vegetables are wrapped in recycled vege grocery bags. I have tea towels folded in the bottom of the vege bins to prevent moisture build up and these are change when I clean the vege bins out. fruit and tomatoes are stored in open bowls,not the fridge

Amy Mckay

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 10:38 AM

make sure my fridge at the right temp then put them in fridge drew

Angela White

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 11:22 AM

I rinse and dry them , then put in a baggie with a paper towel wrapped around them.

Ngarangi Chapman

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 11:33 AM

We eat straight out of the organic garden as required. Vege's and herbs rarely have time sitting as we munch on them often. However, home fruit, if not stewed or preserved in some way, would keep in the crisper in the fridge and then again they're barely there two days and then consumed. I pick every day and buy fruit as required (if i do not have any in season from our orchard) which is 4 times a week so that we're eating as fresh as possible. Fresh is best and if there's anything of an environmentally, sustainable, organic and good for the health, then I'm all for it.

Erena

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 12:26 PM

I keep some of them in the bags they came in (and re-use the bags of course). Mushrooms in brown paper bags are the only exception and things like celery, silverbeet, leeks, capsicum etc can just sit on the tray/in the bin

Kaz

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 01:24 PM

Eat as fresh as, store spuds and kumera in paper bags in a basket in cupboard. I prefer tomatoes and eggs out of fridge and used as soon as. Lettuce in a crisper after being washed, mushrooms in a paper bag in fridge, fruit eaten as soon as, and other veggies into the dew bins in the fridge. Avocadoes left out till ripe and then popped intof ridge if needed. Best if picking out of the garden - just what you need.

Frauke Meyer

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 03:04 PM

we get fresh produce from our ooby box and from the garden and store them in a clean and dry vege drawer in the fridge, making sure to eat the leafy things rather soon and not to have any moist in the bottom of the drawer...

Elizabeth Ferrell

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 03:59 PM

I wash off my lettace pat them to almost dry and I leave the damp towels in the bag with my lettace while storing

Karen Lee

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 04:33 PM

I use recycled plastic bags for carrots and lettuce and paper bags for mushrooms. I also keep bananas away from everything else because they speed up the ripening process.

Faith Saffioti

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 05:54 PM

I keep mine in the vegetable drawer or put in a plastic bag if I run out of room in the drawer.

Julie

Tue December 11, 2012 @ 08:38 PM

We wash and spin dry lettuce from the garden to make salads for lunches during the week. Then seal in reuseable ziplock plastic bags and put in chiller compartment in the fridge.

Sandra R

Wed December 12, 2012 @ 08:54 PM

I usually keep fruit and veges in the crisper in the fridge. Fruit doesn't last long in our house and I try to buy veges as fresh as I can. But occasionally I find cabbage or pumpkin curled up and very sad looking :-(. I also use ziploc baggies for many of the smaller items left over.

Millie

Wed December 12, 2012 @ 10:26 PM

Keep fruits and vegetables separate, in different drawers, because ethylene can build up in the fridge causing things to spoil!!

Kath

Wed December 12, 2012 @ 10:30 PM

I try my best to keep things seperate - I got my husband to make some plastic containers that fit inside our fruit and vegie drawer so that there are compartments.

Grant

Wed December 12, 2012 @ 10:37 PM

make it part of your weekly routine to give the fruit and vegetable bins in the fridge a good clean out. It helps keep things fresh and free from odours.

Eddie

Wed December 12, 2012 @ 10:40 PM

When storing your leafy greens, the best way to extend their life is to wrap the leaves in a paper towel so that the towel can absorb any excess moisture — if the leaves retain excess moisture, they will rot quickly. After wrapping in the paper towel put them in Ziplock bags and keep them in the fridge. Remember to toss any rotten leaves from the bunch before storing, and keep different varieties in separate bags.

billee

Thu December 13, 2012 @ 05:04 PM

Covered and sealed in fridge

Janine Lattimore

Fri December 14, 2012 @ 08:36 PM

Buy small lots. Store leafy greens in recycled plastic bags, more solid veges in a large, sealed plastic container in the fridge. Store fruit in a cool, dark cupboard if not being eaten straight away (Great reading others tips btw)

Vicki Olsen

Sat December 15, 2012 @ 06:46 PM

I use my fridge vegetable drawers and keep salad greens in sealed containers. I buy and pick fresh produce frequently to minimise spoilage and loss of nutrients.

Ann

Sat December 15, 2012 @ 10:32 PM

salad vegetables are rinsed in water then spun in salad spinner and left in this in the fridge. Works a treat. Celery and silverbeet are kept horizontal in a small amount of water in base of vessel and left in a cool space or in fridge in hot weather. Other veges in vege bin in fridge in bag.Fruit bought as needed thus no wasteage.

Laura

Sun December 16, 2012 @ 01:26 PM

I buy fruit and veggies regularly. I wrap things in recycled veggie bags. Best of all, I pick things fresh from the garden to use that night!

Sarah

Mon December 17, 2012 @ 06:59 PM

I pick what I need - buy to top up. Everything that goes in the fridge gets rinsed, dried and stored - veges in one drawer and fruit in the other. In our house, fruit and veges have little time to go off or to look curly at the edges!!!

Louise B

Tue December 18, 2012 @ 10:42 AM

Keeping veges wrapped is also beneficial as it stops the refrigerated air removing moisture from them so the best combo would be to wrap them up with an extra fresh sachet.

Keep apples away from any other stuff as they give off a lot of ethylene.

Alternatively to when you have green bananas or hard kiwifruit put them in a bag with an apple to quicken ripening.

Oliver Lightfoot

Tue December 18, 2012 @ 10:40 PM

The best way to keep food fresh is ensure it spends as little time in the produce cycle from vine, fridge, prep and tummy. So lose the middle man and eat the pees raw, delicious and instant from the vine.

ROBYN

Tue December 18, 2012 @ 11:42 PM

After cutting and using part of an avocado, cover with the cut skin and wrap in a paper kitchen towel to prevent the flesh of the avocado from going brown. Place in vege drawer.

Kyley

Wed December 19, 2012 @ 08:38 PM

Avocados

Little squeeze of lemon juice on cut surface, wrap in paper towel and place cut side own in a small bowl.

Kyley

Wed December 19, 2012 @ 08:39 PM

Avocados

Little squeeze of lemon juice on cut surface, wrap in paper towel and place cut side down in a small bowl.

bren

Mon December 24, 2012 @ 11:16 PM

try growing your own. You have at least an extra week keeping power than the bought stuff

Christy

Tue December 25, 2012 @ 04:57 PM

Wrap herbs etc in damp newspaper, then in a bag/container.

emma

Thu December 27, 2012 @ 03:27 PM

I never put fruit and veg in the fridge at all, we just buy what we need when we need it. Unwrapped, no packaging. Any fruit and veg which seem to be in need of eating up get made into smoothies, juices or soups. And buy your fruit and veg from fruit shops - veg bought from supermarkets seems to go off very quickly - buying unwashed potatoes and carrots makes them last a lot longer! Best way to store veg? In the garden - grow it and pick it when you need it!

Melanie Peters
www.meltnz.co.nz

Sat December 29, 2012 @ 11:25 PM

If I have veg that I can chop up i.e celery, then I chop, rinse with cold water (lightly drain, not dry) and then place in a sealed container. The water seems to keep them crisper & firmer longer.

Katherine

Wed January 02, 2013 @ 07:17 PM

Garden grown foods stay in the garden until I need them and then are only harvested a leaf, fruit or head at a time so they are always fresh. Anything leafy bought from the shop is kept in a vase-like arrangement once the ends have been freshly cut. Other items are removed from plastic where they tend to get slimy if they are left too long.

Catherine Renolds

Sat January 05, 2013 @ 11:48 PM

I buy lettuces with roots still attached. I also have a veggie patch and just pick as I need

Sandra Walker

Mon January 07, 2013 @ 04:39 PM

Separate compartments for the veges and the fruit works wonders, but grabbing fresh from the garden works even better! Use up leftovers to make delicious smoothies or juices.

Hannah

Tue January 08, 2013 @ 06:54 PM

I share fruit and veggies with my flatmates so that they get used faster.

Clare Ellison

Wed January 09, 2013 @ 03:33 PM

Some time ago I bought some vaccuum bags and the reverse pump at a Home Show. Bags have a Zip lock and a valve on the side and are great as you can suck out the air after you put washed and trimmed (or cut up) veges and fruit in. I have stored celery, asparagus, cut avocado etc in the fridge for up to 3 weeks (ok - but I was given a bulk supply and didn't want to waste anything) and have also frozen veg like celery etc cut into slices, and it's been like fresh when thawed. I do mixed bags too, ready for soup making or casseroles. Bags wash easily and last years!

SarahC

Wed January 09, 2013 @ 10:34 PM

I use my grandmother's method and wrap veg in damp newspaper and then in plastic bags and store in the fridge - the veges stay nice and crisp for at least a couple of weeks. I also chop veges for vege stock and freeze ziplock bags of the perfect amount to make soup or risotto. I can just put the contents of one bag in a pot, cover with water, bring to the boil, simmer and strain, it's ready in about half an hour.

Lucy Gordon
greengirlstuff.co.nz

Mon January 14, 2013 @ 01:14 AM

i read somewhere that you should treat lettuce like a cut flower, so i store it in the fridge with its stem in a bowl of water. it works well at keeping it fresh but you have to be careful the bowl doesn't tip over.
with mushrooms i keep them in a mesh cotton bag in the fridge - that way they can breathe so they never go slimey. they can dry out a bit that way but it's fine, you just rehydrate them.
tomatoes - i don't put them in the fridge as it causes them to lose their flavour (i suspect it's the same with strawberries too), so i store them in the fruit bowl or on a sunny windowsill.

Emma

Tue January 15, 2013 @ 05:09 PM

I chop and freeze veges if i am not going to use them quickly - we went strawberry picking for example and i not have a kg of strawbs waiting to be made into jam in a month of so when i have more time to do it.

Kay

Thu January 17, 2013 @ 08:18 PM

I rinse them and keep them in a plastic container with a folded piece of fabric at the bottom to absorb moisture

Carmen Mears

Sat January 19, 2013 @ 08:21 PM

It's a shame that 'Extra Fresh' won't ship to Australia. All these great finds and I can't seem to get access to them!! Is there any similar product available in Australia?

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