I did an experiment and put vegetables and fruits in the basement out of the light to see how long they’d last. My basement is around 55 F. I did this experiment because I wanted to find out what I really need the fridge for and what I do not. Storing things outside of the fridge reduces my energy dependence (and increases my energy independence). Then I can buy extra things and cut down on trips to the store.

• Apples lasted the shortest, about a week before they started spoiling from the inside out. I tested Red Delicious apples. However! The sweetness of these partially spoilt apples is lovely.
• Potatoes seem to last about two weeks in the basement, then they start to get soft with an unappealing texture. I can cook with them but touching them while they’re squishy isn’t interesting to me.
• Onions last a really long time. They are the storage champions.
• I had a watermelon last almost four months in the kitchen. I didn’t do anything. Once the indoor temp went up to around 70F because winter hit, then the melon started to decay. I thought I had to keep these in the fridge. The melon from my yard lasted a really long time. Melons from the supermarket don’t seem to have that lasting quality.
• I have a squash that’s been in storage and I have forgotten how long it’s been there.

Storing food outside the fridge (in the basement) by mehron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International