Produce: Fresh Vegetables

Fresh vegetables vary widely in how they keep, with leafy greens wilting within days while root vegetables like potatoes and onions last for weeks in the right conditions. Moisture is usually the enemy of storage life, whether there is too much of it or too little.

Food	Pantry	Fridge	Freezer
Artichokes, whole	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 weeks	Not recommended
Arugula		3 to 7 days
Asparagus		3 to 4 days	5 months
Baby carrots	4 days	4 weeks	3 months
Bagged greens		3 to 5 days	Not recommended
Bamboo shoots		2 weeks
Basil(2 kinds)	12 months
Bean sprouts		5 to 10 days
Beans and peas		3 to 5 days	8 months
Beets(2 kinds)	1 day	1 to 2 weeks	6 to 8 months
Bok choy		2 to 3 days	10 to 12 months
Broccoli and broccoli raab (rapini)		3 to 5 days	10 to 12 months
Brussels sprouts		3 to 5 days	10 to 12 months
Cabbage		1 to 2 weeks	10 to 12 months
Carrots, parsnips		2 to 3 weeks	10 to 12 months
Cauliflower		3 to 5 days	10 to 12 months
Celery		1 to 2 weeks	10 to 12 months
Celery root		1 week
Cherry tomatoes	10 days	5 days
Chives	1 to 2 weeks	2 to 3 weeks
Cilantro	1 to 2 weeks	2 to 3 weeks
Corn on the cob		1 to 2 days	8 months
Cucumbers		4 to 6 days	Not recommended
Edamame(3 kinds)		4 to 5 days
Eggplant	1 day	4 to 7 days	6 to 8 months
Garlic(2 kinds)	1 month	3 to 14 days	1 month
Ginger root	2 to 5 days	2 to 3 weeks	6 months
Greens		1 to 4 days	10 to 12 months
Herbs(2 kinds)		7 to 10 days	1 to 2 months
Hot peppers		1 week	9 months
Jicama	4 months	2 to 3 weeks
Kale		3 to 5 days	8 to 12 months
Kimchi		6 to 12 months
Kohlrabi		1 week	8 to 12 months
Leeks		1 to 2 weeks	10 to 12 months
Lemongrass		7 to 9 days	6 months
Lettuce(2 kinds)		1 to 2 weeks	Not recommended
Marinated vegetables		3 to 4 days
Mint	1 to 2 weeks	2 to 3 weeks
Mushrooms(2 kinds)		3 to 7 days	10 to 12 months
Okra	1 day	2 to 3 days	10 to 12 months
Onions(2 kinds)	1 month	2 months	10 to 12 months
Oregano	1 to 2 weeks	2 to 3 weeks
Parsley		2 to 3 days	3 to 4 months
Peppers		4 to 14 days	6 to 8 months
Potatoes(2 kinds)	1 to 2 months	1 to 2 weeks	10 to 12 months
Pumpkins	2 to 3 months	3 to 5 months
Radicchio		2 to 3 weeks
Radishes		10 to 14 days	Not recommended
Rhubarb		3 to 7 days
Rosemary	1 to 2 weeks	2 to 3 weeks
Rutabagas	1 week	2 to 3 weeks	8 to 10 months
Spaghetti squash(2 kinds)	2 months	1 to 2 weeks
Squash(2 kinds)	1 to 5 days	4 to 5 days	10 to 12 months
Swiss chard		1 to 2 weeks
Tamarind	1 to 3 weeks	6 months	1 year
Taro	7 days	2 to 3 days
Thyme	1 to 2 weeks	2 to 3 weeks
Tomatoes	Until ripe		2 months
Turnips		2 weeks	8 to 10 months
Yams/sweet potatoes	2 to 3 weeks
Yuca/cassava	7 days	3 days	1 to 2 months
Zucchini		1 week	10 months

Signs produce: fresh vegetables have gone bad

Slimy, wet leaves on greens that were crisp before
Soft or mushy spots on vegetables that were firm
Sprouting or wrinkled skin on potatoes and onions
Mould, often white or fuzzy, near the stem or cut end
Sour or off smell replacing a vegetable's usual earthy scent

Storage habits

Store leafy greens loosely wrapped in the crisper drawer, ideally with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture. Keep potatoes, onions and garlic in a cool, dark, dry place outside the fridge, and store potatoes away from onions since they spoil each other faster. Trim and wash vegetables just before cooking.

Signs produce: fresh vegetables have gone bad

Storage habits

Questions people ask