What Makes Vegetables Ripen?

As some fruits and vegetables ripen, they release ethylene, a gas that can cause other produce to become spotted, soft or mealy. To prevent this from happening, keep ethylene sensitive fruits and veggies separate from their counterparts that emit the gas. However, you can put Ethylene producing produce near your unripe produce to help the process along and make it ready to eat more quickly.

Ethylene Producing:

Apricots, Avocados, bananas, Cantaloupes, Honey Dew, Kiwis, Mangoes, Nectarines, Papayas, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Tomatoes

Ethylene Sensitive:

Apples, Asparagus, Broccoli, Carrots, Cucumbers, Eggplants, Green Beans, Letus and other greens, Potatoes, Summer Squash, Watermelon