In order to visit grocery stores less often people have been stocking up on canned and frozen foods because they last longer. The struggle is real when it comes to eating fresh foods at the right time between not ripe enough and too ripe. I battle this all the time since I love fruit and vegetables so much and I can't stand it when I have to throw them away. It seems there are some simple things we can be doing to help keep foods fresh longer though. Take bananas for example, to prevent them from over-ripening just place plastic wrap around the stem that holds the bunch of bananas together. According to chef and TV host Elena Besser, who is a pro when it comes to stretching the shelf life of foods, there is a gas that is released as bananas ripen and when you cover the stem the gas cannot release as quickly keeping the bananas fresh longer. Potatoes are the other thing I like to keep on hand but I never seem to use the whole bag in time. Storing them in a cool, dark place in your kitchen but giving them a little breathing room (aka don't put them in a bag) should help as well. From the Today article posted at msn.com, I learned that storing potatoes, onions and garlic in the fridge is not good. Who knew! Find out why and learn other tricks to keeping your foods fresh longer here.