To store carrots in the refrigerator for a long period of time (say, more than three days), I've found that keeping them in an airtight and zip-top or vacuum-sealed bag is the most efficient. The bag's seal helps control the humidity (refrigerators tend to create dry conditions, which causes food to dehydrate).
Store fresh berries in the refrigerator, but don't rinse them until you're ready to use them. The same goes for carrots. If you buy your carrots in a plastic bag without the greens, leave them in the packaging until ready to use. If the carrots came with their green tops, remove the tops before storing.
Carrots. First, trim off any green tops; they draw out moisture and cause carrots to go limp pretty quickly. Trimmed, unpeeled carrots can be refrigerated in an unsealed zip-top bag in the crisper drawer for about two weeks.
Whether you use them or not, carrot greens suck moisture from the roots (the part we eat) and cause wilting. Wrap the carrots in a paper towel and store in an airtight container. Keep carrots in the coolest part of your fridge, and away from fruits that product ethylene gas, such as apples, to prevent spoiling.
You'll have to store your carrots in the refrigerator, but how you store them can actually make a difference. Raw carrots, when properly stored will usually stay fresh for around 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge. If your carrots are sliced or chopped, you can store them in the fridge and they'll last for about 2 to 3 weeks.
Once the greens are trimmed off, all you have to do to keep the carrots crisp and fresh is put them in a container of water and store in the refrigerator! Whole carrots stay nice and crunchy in their cold water bath, and this is also a great way to store packaged baby carrots.
Plastic bags equal premature spoilage. Even if the bananas, potatoes, or onions you bought came in a perforated plastic bag, they'll last longer if you take them out and let them breathe.
Carrots will keep for several weeks in crisper of refrigerator at 41 °F or lower in perforated plastic bags. Keep carrots away from raw meat and meat juices to prevent cross-contamination. For best quality and nutritive value, preserve only what your family can consume in 12 months.
Specifically, if carrots lose too much water, they tend to turn from crisp and crunchy to limp and rubbery. This moisture loss can result from the carrot tops absorbing too much water, which leaves the root dehydrated, or simply from storing them in too dry an environment.
The best way to store carrots for a short period of time is in a cool, dark part of your refrigerator or on the countertop for 1-3 months. If you'd like to store carrots for longer periods of time, simply blanch and then freeze them and they will keep for up to three months.
Do not wash your carrots before storage. Many vegetables have a waxy layer that protects them and if you scrub this off by with washing you'll compromise their storage life. If you're only storing a small amount of carrots for a short period of time you can feel free to wash them clean.
It depends on where you left them. If left in a cool dry area, away from other fruit and vegetables, they should be A-OK. Carrots can last 3-5 days unrefrigerated. Leaving them inside a plastic bag will increase the chance of mold growing on them as moisture collects inside this.
The wetness in the bag is normal. It's actually filtered tap water that helps keep the vegetable hydrated.
Prep your Ziplock
Now simply fill each bag with about 2lbs of carrots each and seal them up. And that's it! Stored in the fridge ( around 4C or 40F) carrots stored like this should last for months.
Darkness isn't as vital for carrots as it is for potatoes, but they will keep better for longer in the dark. A brown paper or hessian sack is ideal.
If you don't have access to a root cellar, you can keep carrots fresh by placing unpeeled, unwashed carrots in a jar, large glass or plastic container, or sealed plastic bag, completely submerged under cold water.
Packaging protects the contents from external sources of heat, moisture, odours and in some cases light. A thin layer of plastic also protects against the multiple hands and vehicles that produce passes through and ensures that no nasty bacteria or germs infect the produce.
Plastic food storage bags are flimsy and easily torn when adding or removing other items into the fridge, which further increases the likelihood of bacteria spreading. Plastic containers and bags also cling to bacteria, even after they're put through a dishwasher which can cause serious illness in humans.
Use water to bring them back to life and keep them crunchy. Bring limp carrots back to life by placing them in ice water until crisp. Better yet, store carrots in water in the fridge to keep them crisp. Change the water regularly and trim off the tops first, if necessary.
As a rule, root vegetables should be stored in wire mesh or natural fiber baskets at room temperature. Store potatoes in ventilated baskets or metal bins, or even a sturdy cardboard box holes poked in the sides. Make sure the container is covered with newspaper or cardboard so no light can penetrate.
Once roots for storage are harvested, the tops should be removed. Cut the tops off, about ¼–½" above the root shoulders, and shake or rub off excess soil.
Carrots should be stored with their tops removed in a cold (32°F) and humid (98-100% relative humidity) storage condition. In order to achieve high humidity, you will probably need to store your carrots in a plastic bag.