It seems as though fresh produce doesn't last as long as it used to in the fridge these days. Within 2 days a carton of strawberries is mostly moldy, grapes will be firm and juicy but also covered in mold, zucchini and cukes get soft and slimy in record time, lettuce doesn't last. What's going on? When I buy local produce it's good for a week at least but stuff from the grocery store is a waste of money and fridge space. Makes me wonder...

Could it be that your fridge is not working the same way it used to, either because the thermostat has been changed or the fridge has become defective?

Sounds like the effects of "dog days" to me.

We haven't really had any problems yet, though. I have taken to spreading all of the produce out on the fridge trays so air circulates around it well.

If I leave the in those plastic bags in will start to mold up quick.

coconuts,

I agree with Prana--buy a cheap fridge thermometer and check that it's at 4 degrees Celcius or slightly lower.

That or the stuff from the grocery is already at the end of it freshness when you buy it. Like eggs...grocery store eggs are like 30-60 days old or older when you buy them. I bought farmers market eggs yesterday (yeah...I still eat eggs sometimes) there were laid on Friday. Huge difference in freshness.

I don't think it's the fridge if the local stuff I buy lasts and only the grocery store stuff rots quickly. I'll get a fridge thermometer and check it out but... seems fishy to me.

i dont throw anything away , if anything even seems remotely like its gonna go off by the next day , into the freezer it goes , its always good then for smoothies or soups

id check the fridge , my own fridge performs really bad in the summer it just cant keep upw with the ambiant temperature in the house when it gets hot

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I NEVER throw anything out!! I ALWAYS make sure it goes into the soil, under the bushes, into the compost bin etc..

Come on guys, by 'throw out' I meant into the compost bin. Food in the trash is just a big ole nasty stinky mess.

The freezer is already full of bananas and juice popsicles, wish there was some more room in there!

I don't know if it's because it's hot in the house, I usually only buy strawberries in the spring/summer. Grapes though, those go off so darn fast all year round it seems. Thermometer, I think I have one somewhere...

well one big secret to keeping things fresh is look how its stored at the grocery store, grapes are almost never in the refrigerated section, because they last longer at room temp usually, im sure if its REALLY hot then they might not... onions also do better at room temp... basically safest bet is to see how they are stored at the store, and store them at home in as similar an environment as possible... (my tomatoes last twice as long out on the counter than they do 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?

Curator,

Re: grapes: It's damp, especially, that they dislike, and a fridge is usually humid. Because they don't respond well to refrigeration for the humidity, and because they've been shipped in a humid refrigerated truck, they should probably be eaten as quickly as possible after purchasing. It's a race against time with grapes, in these muggy Great Lakes at this time of year . . .

coco,

How old is your fridgy-didgy? If it's more than ten years, and you haven't checked the compressor or cleaned out the drain pan recently, it could just need a tune-up. Alternately, stop buying produce from those people!

Yes I have noticed things like the prewashed and bagged salads you get from a grocery store go bad real quick.
I usually get fresh whole lettuces,wash them ,then SPIN dry.I then place in plastic bags .I can keep a head of romaine in my fridge for almost two weeks this way.
Vinny

Fridge came with the house, probably ancient. Gotta shop where the groceries are, not much choice in a small town... roadside stands are happening now though, got a pint of raspberries soaking at the moment. They won't last in the fridge but mostly 'cause they won't even make it into the fridge, heh. YUM!

Coco: I found that when I bought cukes from the local farmer's market, it was a revelation because they lasted so much longer. I realized that the other cukes I had bought were probably pretty old by the time I took them home. So if you have a farmstand or farmer's market near you, it makes sense to buy as much from there as your budget allows. It's even more economical because you are not throwing out stuff so often. It's actually good that our produce is able to rot, though. Think about stuff you've bought that never goes bad. Like Twinkies, they could survive a nuclear blast, God forbid...

Coco,

Handling things with bare fingers makes a huge difference as to how fast they decompose. Strawberries are particularly sensitive to being handled. Have you ever picked a strawberry or two up from a container and put it back in the fridge? It often decomposes much more quickly than the pieces that were not touched. This handling doesn't just happen in the home, it's done by the harvesters, packers, shelvers, stockers, and other consumers selecting their produce. Plus, not everyone is as cleanly as you might think. This as well as shorter travel time might explain the difference between local produce and grocery store produce. A couple of tips that might help are:

-Don't touch or wash fast decomposing produce like strawberries before refrigeration. Clean them off only immediately before consumption.

-Wilted lettuce can often be revived quite nicely by dampening a paper towel and wrapping the lettuce in it. It should have crisped up by the next day. I have used this method many times to revive lettuce that I thought was a goner.

-Cucumbers also do well with water. You can store the vine end in a bit of water or wrap the whole cuke in a moist paper towel.

Upgrading your old fridge would probably help, too, although that might be pricey.