Ever wondered what’s supposed to go in your fridge’s humidity drawers? Did you know you even had them? I didn’t (whoopsie). But now that I dooo, I did some research to figure out why they’re even there in the first place, and what’s supposed to go in each one. Humidity drawers have High and Low control settings, and it actually matters how you set them, and what you put ’em for two reasons: longevity + taste. That sold me!  I hate wasting stuff. So, here’s the short-ish and fresh scoop….

How Do Humidity Drawers Work?

Most humidity drawers are adjustable, with a few setting-notches between high and low. I learned that these settings simply open or close a window in the drawer. For the low-humidity setting, the window is wide open, and for the high-humidity setting, it’s completely closed. Fair enough. But what does that mean? I’ll tell ya – keep reading (yeah, I’m bossy like that).

What Goes Where & Why?

LOW HUMIDITY DRAWER:

Basically, you want your ethylene gas producers in your LHD (Low Humidity Drawer). What’s ethylene gas, you might say? I had no idea either, so I looked it up. It’s “a gas associated with the ripening process. Ethylene can cause premature ripening in certain foods, while in others it can actually cause damage. To reduce spoilage, do not store ethylene-producing fruits and vegetables with those that are ethylene sensitive” (subzero.com). A good rule of thumb is to put things that tend to rot in a Low-Humidity Drawer, which, again, would be your fuming fruits and veggies that emit ethylene gas (think apples and pears, but I have a good list for you, below). Leaving the window open, via the low humidity setting, gives those gases a chance to escape from the drawer, which helps keep the fruits and veggies from rotting prematurely.

HIGH HUMIDITY DRAWER:

Your ethylene-sensitive produce, as well as things that tend to wilt, will go in the HHD (High-Humidity Drawer – I like unnecessary acronyms). Think leafy greens (like arugula, spinach, and herbs). With the window closed, via the high-humidity setting, water vapor is held captive in the drawer, and the added moisture helps keep the greens crisper and fresher for a longer period of time. Still with me? You are so hard core. Let’s finish this.

Here are some handy, alphabetical lists of some common fruits and veggies that should be kept in each drawer. Don’t thank me! Some other people that must be dying for some real fun in this world put these together. I merely compiled them because I, even after all this research, still had no idea which freaking fruits/veggies were gassy, or which ones were just completely repulsed by produce flatulence. (If I were produce, I would totally be the latter. Just sayin’.)

What to Store in High-Humidity Drawers

HIGH-HUMIDITY drawer dwellers should be:

Sensitive to moisture loss + ethylene gas.

Hello there!

It was. An absolutely. Gorrrrrrgeous weekend for outdoor weddings this past weekend!! So very fortunate for us that we actually got to attend one! My husband and I haven’t been to a wedding in…. hmm, many, many moons (because we’re, like, almost 92), so we were super excited to go to this one. We had a babysitter all lined up, and were ready to cele and dance the night away! Except the sitter cancelled. However, the bride was beyond gracious, and told us we were more than welcome to bring our kiddies – they had a kid-friendly food bar, and everything (how brilliant is that, by the way?)! And can I just say how uh-mazing it is that brides+grooms-to-be have their own wedding websites/pages now??! It makes everything so eeeeasy, and personable, and fun!! Back in the dark ages when we got married, the internet was only – and barely – used for a new way of communication, called email. You had to trek to a store, and hunt down the frazzled, bridal registry manager that had to help you print out pages and pages of confusing lists and lists of stuff, and then you had to go search and search the store for that perfect something, squinting to make sure it was the right item number, the right color, etc…. And then at checkout, it was another long, confusing process for the cashier to figure out how to check you out through the bridal registry. And then you had to wrap it, find the bride’s address to mail it, or heave it to the wedding. Lost the boring invite with the time and address, and forgot to write it down on your calendar (there were no Siris back then!)? Guess you’re not going.

Anyway. Back to this modern, easy-breezy, gorgeous wedding. We had the most fun. Our kids were… being kids, of course, but they were quiet during the crucial parts  – despite our youngest falling off the chair and hitting his head pretty hard on another one, jussst as they started walking the parents down the aisle…. But he cried silently, poor, obedient thing! I had given them all a very simple, but strict wedding briefing just a few minutes prior, so I was grateful he actually listened! My heart melted into a puddle. He really can be such a good, sweet boy. Sometimes.

Here we are. My wedding troupe.

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Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!