Here’s Where You Should Be Keeping Your Fruit

3 things you shouldn’t wash in your dishwasher, what to know about delivery schemes, and more. December 6, 2021 [View Online]( Good morning! I used to get very frustrated by the way the fruit I kept in a bowl on my counter would go bad seemingly overnight. But after doing some research, I made a few simple changes that made all the difference. I’m sharing important tips for keeping fruit and other produce fresh in Today’s Good Thing. Also in today’s newsletter, I’ll tell you about a scheme related to package deliveries that targeted a member of OGT Team, and tell you what to look out for so you can avoid getting taken advantage of. Jillee DAYS UNTIL 🎄 Christmas: 19 🎊 New Year's Day: 26 TODAY'S GOOD THING 3 Reasons You Need A Fruit Basket & Other Produce Tips [Photos of pears and apples in a fruit basket.]( If you want your fresh produce to last longer, understanding where and how to store it is key. If it seems like your citrus, apples, potatoes, and other produce items are always wilting or spoiling before you have a chance to use them, you might be storing them in the wrong place. Most produce is best stored in a fruit basket at room temperature, and here are 3 reasons why: 1. Air Circulation. An open basket allows the gases emitted by the fruits to escape into the air. That way, the gases don’t get trapped around the fruit where it can cause them to decay more rapidly. 2. Visibility. A basket gives you a good view of what fruits you have on hand, so you can easily know what you need to stock up on the next time you go to the store. Also, you’re much more likely to eat the fruit you have if you can see it sitting there on your countertop. 3. Room Temperature. Most fruits can sit out on the countertop with no need for refrigeration. The only fruits that need to be refrigerated are berries and fruits that have been cut. More storage tips that will help keep your produce fresh: • Beware Of Ethylene. Keep foods that emit a lot of ethylene gas away from foods that are sensitive to it. High ethylene producers include apples, avocados, stone fruits, pears, bananas, and tomatoes, while cabbage, leafy greens, lettuce, and broccoli are highly susceptible to ethylene and can spoil easily. • Store Onions Alone. Store onions either by themselves or with garlic to prevent them from affecting the taste and smell of your other produce items. Potatoes in particular are at risk, as they sprout more quickly when stored with onions. • Avoid Hot Potatoes. Potatoes keep best in cool, dark locations, so you may want to keep them in a pantry or cupboard if your fruit bowl resides in a sunny kitchen. • Get Rid Of Plastic Bags. Produce stored at room temperature needs proper air circulation, and plastic bags or containers can limit airflow and promote spoilage. Even if your bananas, potatoes, or onions came in a perforated plastic bag, they’ll last longer if you take them out. [7 Of The Best Fruit Baskets And Bags ➜]( Related • [How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies (And Keep Your Sanity!)]( • [The Easy DIY Produce Wash That Will Save You Money Now & Later]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • If you’ve experienced the tragedy of ruining new clothes in the wash, these 9 laundry habits may have been to blame. [Read more ➜]( • No one looks forward to scrubbing grout, but these tips will help you brighten up dingy grout lines in no time. [Read more ➜]( • The next time you break spaghetti noodles in half before cooking them, use this simple secret to make a clean break. [Read more ➜]( CLEANING 3 Things You Shouldn’t Wash In Your Dishwasher [Photos of dishes being washed by hand.]( Spending a few minutes hand washing these items is the easiest way to avoid damaging them. 1. Fine China And Crystal. You should always take the time to wash fragile items like fine china and crystal by hand to avoid damaging them, especially if they’re heirlooms or have sentimental value. After washing and drying them, buff them with a microfiber cloth for a lint-free shine. 2. Kitchen Knives. Go ahead and toss your butter knives and steak knives in with the rest of your cutlery in the dishwasher, but take an extra minute to wash your good kitchen knives by hand. A good, sharp knife is your most valuable tool in the kitchen, and taking good care of it will help keep it that way. 3. Rubber Parts. Dishwasher detergents can cause any rubber parts to degrade and crack over time. Double-check your dishes for less obvious rubber parts like gaskets, seals, and bases. Taking a few minutes to wash those items by hand will extend their lifespan considerably. STAY SAFE OUT THERE What You Should Know About Delivery Scams [A photo of Jillee picking up a package.]( If you get suspicious text or email about a package delivery, it could be an attempt to rip you off. Today’s consumer safety "heads up" was inspired by a text that our production manager Brittany received recently about an upcoming package delivery. What appeared to her to be a legitimate text alert about her delivery turned out to be nothing more than a veiled attempt to collect her credit card information. Thankfully, Brittany was able to spot the red flags before she gave up any information or money, but not everyone is so lucky! So in today’s segment, I wanted to share some of the red flags that can help you figure out which delivery notifications are legitimate, and which may be an attempt to con you out of money. In delivery schemes like these, fraudsters send out emails or texts with notifications of incoming or missed deliveries from UPS, FedEx, or the US Postal Service. The message usually includes a link, either to a phony sign-in page asking for personal or credit card information, or to a site infected with malware. To avoid becoming a victim of one of these schemes, be wary of unsolicited emails or texts that tell you to visit a link for information regarding a missed delivery. And as always, pay attention to spelling and grammar in emails and texts—numerous typos or grammatical errors should always raise red flags! JILLEE'S PICK A Better Cutter For Wrapping Paper [A photo of the Little ELF Gift Wrap Cutter.]( If you watch Shark Tank, you might already be familiar with this handy substitute for scissors that I only learned about recently: the [Little ELF Gift Wrap Cutter](. As someone who regularly struggles to cut wrapping paper cleanly using standard scissors, I was game to try this cutter as soon as I stumbled across it at Target. While this cutter doesn’t seem like it would be very useful for cutting anything that’s not on a roll, it cuts wrapping paper and other rolls so well that I don’t need it to be good at anything else. For me, the fact that it really does make cutting wrapping paper quick and easy is more than enough! The best review I can give is this—using the Little ELF cutter is like that moment when the stars align and your scissors start gliding across the wrapping paper with ease, except that it happens every time with no extra effort. (Dreams really can come true!) [See the Little ELF Gift Wrap Cutter at Target ➜]( MONDAY MOTIVATION Make Space For Holiday Grief Many of our most treasured holiday traditions are meaningful because of the people we share them with and the memories we make together. For that reason, the holidays can turn into an emotional minefield for those who have lost someone they love. My dad passed away on November 3, 2017 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Thanksgiving and Christmas that year were agony—everything reminded me of him. My grief was so immense that I wondered whether I’d ever be able to get back the joy I once felt during the holiday season. It’s now been 4 years since my dad passed, and while I have gotten some of my holiday spirit back, I’m not sure whether I’ll ever be entirely free of my holiday grief. But I’ve realized something important, which is that it’s okay to have both. It’s perfectly okay to feel festive and forlorn, or happy and heartbroken, or any combination of pleasurable and painful emotions. Grief may be painful and inconvenient at times, but grief is never wrong or shameful. If you are grieving someone too this year, I encourage you to join me in making space for your grief during the coming weeks. Create a new tradition that honors those you’ve lost, or spend some time writing about them (or to them) in a journal. There’s no wrong way to grieve, just like there’s no right way to feel during the holidays. The best thing you can do is allow yourself to feel whatever emotions come up for you, reach out for support when you need it, and remind yourself that feeling your grief is a necessary part of the process of moving forward. A FEW MORE THINGS... Words Of Wisdom: "Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom." - Rumi On This Day: In 1912, [a limestone bust of Nefertiti]( the royal wife of Egyptian pharaoh Ahktenaken, was discovered in Amarna, Egypt by a German archaeological team. The bust was found in the workshop of the Ancient Egyptian sculptor Thutmose, and is believed to have been crafted around 3,370 years ago. The Nefertiti Bust is a highlight of the collection [at the Neues Museum]( in Berlin, Germany. What did you think of today's email? 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