Examine your produce before you buy it.
Examine fruits and vegetables for bruises, blemishes, mold or a shriveled appearance. Beyond simply looking at the fruits and vegetables, make sure to smell them too. Produce should not smell off or feel slimy. If you come across some that does, keep looking at other ones. When packing your grocery bags, make sure that the product is placed at the top of your grocery bags to prevent bruising and encourage air circulation. More fragile produce should be placed so that no other items are above it.
Buy only what you can use in a short period of time.
Produce has a short shelf life, so only buy what you need in the near future. There is no point in buying 40 pounds of strawberries on sale if most of it is just going to go bad before you can eat it.
Store produce correctly.
Do not leave produce sitting on the counter. Put your fruits and vegetables and in your refrigerator crisper (normally found at the bottom of your refrigerator). Also make sure that your crisper settings are set correctly, many refrigerators allow you to specify whether the crisper will contain fruits or vegetables.
For maximum safety, ensure that your refrigerator is no warmer than 40 degrees F. If you are going to prepare produce ahead of time, or need to store leftovers, then store them in plastic wrap, zip-lock bags, or sealed containers in your refrigerator to avoid possible cross-contamination with other items in your refrigerator. Take them out of the refrigerator just before serving. Produce is something that tastes best cold, do not worry about bringing it to room temperature.
Handle gently.
Wash your produce with lukewarm water before eating. Some exceptions to this rule include salad greens and fresh herbs, which can be rinsed just before storing them in the refrigerator. For items such as cabbage, lettuce, onions, peel and toss the outer leaves as these will be where any bacteria would be found. For potatoes, carrots, apples and the such, wash them under lukewarm water taking care to clean them with a soft-bristled produce brush.
Do not forget the rest of the places that bacteria can thrive.
All the care in the world in terms of keeping your produce clean will do nothing if you proceed to cut it on a dirty cutting board. Remember that germs and bacteria do not thrive on clean surfaces. Wash your hands, cooking surfaces, utensils, and serving dishes before handling and preparing fruits and vegetables.
