For items like whole watermelons or heads of lettuce? Do they lose any nutritional value if left at room temperature for several days? What about watermelon that is cut up? I assume that would deteriorate faster.

fridges can be a double edged sword for sure ... on one hand the cool temperature keeps warm loving nasties from flourishing quickly ... on the other hand it can be a very dehydrating environment

quite often i like to precut whole slew of veggies for juicing and keep them in the fridge ... once cut for sure oxidation can start

but i find if i use a ceramic knife and float the precut stuff in water (with lemon squeezed in it) and keep them in sealed glass containers im good for a few days of juicing

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

The more fragile a food, the more perishable. Watermelon should be stored at room temp until you are ready to eat it, and when cut up, in the fridge to limit flies if for no other reason. Lettuce must be stored in the fridge. Anything leafy, really. Anything with a tough outer skin or hull, no. Exceptions are fruit vegetables, like avocado and tomato.

I keep my watermelon out, but I tend to buy it in bulk, rather under ripe, and let it ripen up, then when sine if them start to get almost to ripe, I refrigerate to keep them fresh, as they stop ripening up, or at least it goes at a crawl in the fridge...

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Give it try! If you like the lettuce after several days then great.

There are lots of websites and books that list which foods need refrigerated. Some grocery stores even sell the books in the produce department. I have a great one that I bought at Albertsons but I'm too lazy to go upstairs and get the name of it right now. LOL!!

My basic rule of thumb... if it is cooled at the store then it is cooled at home.

hehe

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

are you sure, curator that watermelons ripen after being picked?

from an internet site:

"The problem is compounded by the fact that watermelons, unlike cantaloupes, will not ripen after they are picked from the vine."

Im sure, entirely so, as they do seem to get Allot sweeter after ive left them out for awhile, ive had batches of watermelons ive bought where when I buy them, I choose them from ripest to least ripe based on how they sound, with some I know are completely under ripe, and I eat them in the order, so they others have a chance to ripen... I have cut into ones to early that didnt sound ripe enough, and they where under ripe, and their sound changes more and more as they ripen up, turning to a dull mushy sound when over ripe... perfected my method awhile ago, and its been working perfect for me ever since...

(one thing I will mention, they still arent NEARLY as good as ones picked completely ripe!!! but they do get sweeter as they sit... so though it may not technically be "ripening" it does taste riper after awhile...)

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Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?