FRUIT & VEGETABLE TIPS

• Keep strawberries fresh for several days by refrigerating them, unwashed, in an airtight container between layers of paper towels. Tip courtesy of Butterflybuff.
• When adding whole cherry or grape tomatoes to a marinated salad, first carefully pierce them with the tines of a fork. They'll be more flavorful because they can absorb the marinade better. Tip courtesy of SassyGranny.
• Save those thin white plastic bags you brought ice cream home in! Once the bananas have reached the "perfect" ripeness, place them in one of those white plastic bags and store in the refrigerator. They will remain "firm textured" and retain their bright yellow color for up to a week.
• Banana's past their prime? Then peel, slice or leave whole and freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, place bananas in a plastic freezer zipper bag. Use thawed in any recipe calling for mashed bananas.
• Freeze whole strawberries, peach and banana slices on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, store in a plastic zipper bag in the freezer. Great for use in beverages such as fruit smoothies.
• You'll get superb flavor as well as protection from discoloration if you sprinkle avocado with fresh lime juice instead of lemon juice.
• To ripen green pears, place 2 or 3 in a brown bag, loosely closed, and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight.
• To ripen a tomato fast, put it with an apple in a perforated bag or a covered bowl. The apple gives off ethylene gas that speeds the ripening process.

Some tips provided courtesy of the US Food and Drug Administration.

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