7. Stone Fruits
Stone fruits, such as plums, peaches, apricots, and dates are one type of fruit that should never see the inside of your refrigerator, as this can quickly cause them to lose their flavour. They get their name from the large pit that’s located in the middle of the fruit and are sometimes called drupes – but did you know this pit actually contains the stone fruit’s seeds?
Stone fruits have a variety of delicious uses, as you can bake them into a pie, eat them raw, turn them into jam, or even make smoothies with them. According to researchers, stone fruits are also powerhouses of nutrition, as they contain large amounts of beneficial phytochemicals that nourish our bodies and help us stay healthy. If you are going to consume stone fruits raw, then they’re best eaten when they are at the peak of ripeness, so that the flesh is firm – but not too mushy.
So what’s the reason why you should never refrigerate stone fruits? Well, the inside of your fridge is cool and damp and this can cause the flesh of stone fruits to dry out and become bland and flavourless. As you want them to taste juicy and fresh when you bite into them, it’s better to keep pitted fruits such as peaches, mangoes, dates and plums on the countertop.
The only stone fruit that actually lasts longer when kept in the refrigerator is the cherry – but take care to wash your cherries when you take them out of the fridge before you eat them, to remove pesticides and preserve their taste.
If your stone fruits are becoming mushy but you still want to make use of them, all is not lost, as you can turn them into a delicious preserve instead. How about a tempting apricot jam, a delicious peach jelly, or a lush plum or date conserve?
