Where do you put your tomatoes/fruits on the counter?

[sedalbj]

Part of the visual clutter in my kitchen is bowls of apples/tomatoes/peaches, whatever doesn't go in the fridge (fruit stays out so we eat it, otherwise the apples get forgotten). Tomatoes sit on a plate, apples/stone fruit in a bowl. But the plates and bowls in the summertime get in the way! What do you do with yours? 6 apples and 6 peaches and 12 tomatoes from my fruit and veg csa shares is a lot!

[neverdoingitagain]

Can you get a hanging basket? I've seen some that were wire mesh with wicker inserts that have 3 baskets. Sort of like this one
http://www.kitchenniche.ca/hanging-f...et-p-1244.html
(Of course, I can't find any with inserts )
Otherwise, I have the same problem. Lord help us if I hit the farmers market

[Alyantavid]

Fruit goes in a pretty crystal bowl. All other veggies (except onions and potatoes) go in the fridge.

[BetsyS]

Tomatoes take over my life this time of year! My grandmother used to have a house with tile on all the floors. She stored her tomatoes in cardboard flats under the beds. LOL. I use a tray on top of my microwave (a normally clear surface), plus bowls for the cherry tomatoes. If there is overflow (which there often is), I store them in the window sill (another usually clear surface), as well as on plates on the counters. It definitely eats up my counter space. But, tomato season is so fleeting (today is day 51!), that I just enjoy it as art.

I store apples and bananas in a bowl in the middle of the table. Onions and potatoes go in the pantry, on the floor.

[Abarat]

I had the same problem, especially since we have a few gardens and we keep plenty of fruit around for snacks.

I looked online for hanging fruit baskets and most of them had reviews about being flimsy, etc. and were too expensive for me.

Here was my solution. I went to Lowe's and picked up a hook for the ceiling, then also purchased a $5 hanging basket for flowers, etc. (the kind with a coconut fiber type insert) and used that. It's huge and the hook we got will handle up to 35 pounds. I think I have about a dozen tangellos in there and maybe 8-10 apples. I'm thinking of getting another 1 or 2 since they're working so nicely.

I do still keep my bananas on the counter since they cause other things to spoil faster. And, like others, I keep my potatoes off the floor in my pantry.

[Sailor]

Get a bigger bowl?

This is what we do. We have a large bowl, and it sits as a centerpiece on our dining table (which is right in the kitchen). If everything won't fit into the bowl (we also do CSA, and get tons of stuff), then we put what will fit into the bowl, and then the rest goes in the fridge. We replace as the bowl becomes more empty.

The only thing we keep separate are apples as I read they can make other foods ripen faster. So we have a separate bowl for apples, which just goes onto the counter.

[cristeen]

Fruit goes in the fruit bowl which is actually in the dining room. Oranges, apples, pears, bananas, melons, etc. Tomatoes sit on the kitchen counter until I use them - they rarely last more than 2-3 days before going bad, so I have to use them fast.

All other fruit, especially stone fruit, goes in the fridge unless it's rock hard. I've had stone fruit go bad overnight on me, so it's automatically refrigerated now.

[Drummer's Wife]

I have several pretty baskets that hold apples, oranges, bananas, tomatoes, etc., in m kitchen. We have plenty of counter space, and so I place them in various spots. My fruit and veggie drawer also hold quit a bit - I tend to refill the baskets as they get low b/c I love how it looks to have colorful fruit out.

[kirstenb]

Fruit and tomatoes go in a large bowl on my counter. Bananas live on top of the microwave. I only get enough for one week at a time so they usually all fit in the bowl I have. If I have to put some in the fridge until it can fit in the bowl I will do that.

[wendyland]

I have one of those wire mesh hanging baskets like the one in the link. I've had it forever and use it a ton. I also have a bowl on the counter that usually has apples in it. I usually separate the apples from the other stuff because they're naughty and make the other stuff rot.

[hottmama]

I have a large bowl on the counter for fruit. Right now I think it has 2 avocados, a peach, garlic, ginger, an onion, a tomato, etc. Also, there is a big zucchini on the counter next to it, and a bag of pears from the farmer's market. So it's kind of leaking. It pretty much has it's own counter, just the fruit and our espresso machine (with the espresso and syrups hiding behind the machine).