A holiday tradition is to give gifts of fruits and nuts (along with other
products). Usually these are placed in an attractive basket, wrapped with
cellophane covering, and brought (or shipped) to your house. It is important
that the fruit contained inside is kept in cool conditions to maintain its
quality for as long as possible. Thus, it is wise to disassemble the fruit
basket as soon as you receive it and place the fruit in refrigerated
storage. If all the products in the basket are tree fruits (such as apples,
pears, oranges or grapefruit), you can place the entire basket in a cool
place- around 40 degrees F for best results. If the basket contains any
bananas or other tropical fruits (with the exception of citrus) remove those
fruits and store them separately. About 3-4 weeks is about as long as you
can expect to store these fruits without some shriveling and loss of
crispness.
By: Ward Upham
