I have a problem where my lettuce and tomatoes rot the day after I buy them. I live in a pretty humid climate here on the coast and I don't know if that's it or if I'm storing them wrong in the fridge.
Ufff yeah, coastal humidity is a real enemy 😅 What I'd do is store the lettuce in a paper bag or a container with paper towels inside to absorb the moisture, and never put tomatoes in the fridge if you just bought them - leave them at room temperature for a couple of days and only put them in the fridge once they're really ripe. Also make sure you don't wash them before storing them because that speeds up the rot, wash them when you're about to use them. With the coastal thing it's tricky but that should make them last longer than those awful two days 😤
The problem is definitely the humidity combined with how you're storing them. Lettuce and tomatoes are super sensitive to that. Normally lettuce lasts a week or even ten days if you store it right, and tomatoes last about 3-5 days depending on how ripe they are when you buy them. But on the coast with all that humidity, obviously they rot faster.
First thing is do NOT put tomatoes in the fridge right after buying them. Leave them at room temperature for a couple of days, especially if they're red and fresh. When you do put them in the fridge, put them in the least cold part (some models have a specific drawer) and don't put them in a sealed bag because it traps moisture. For lettuce, this is where it gets important: dry it really well after you wash it, and store it wrapped in absorbent paper towels inside a perforated plastic bag or a container with holes. The paper towels help a ton with absorbing extra moisture. And put it in the veggie drawer of the fridge, which is usually where it's least cold.
Another thing, check if your fridge isn't set too cold or if it has condensation problems. Sometimes those things rot everything in two days. Try to keep it around 4-5 degrees. And when you buy, pick vegetables that aren't already soft or have spots, obviously. In humid weather like yours you gotta be more picky because they're already at a disadvantage from the moment you buy them.
Look, we work a lot with cultures in the lab and we're constantly monitoring humidity, so I totally get how you feel! The thing is with that coastal climate you gotta be more aggressive with drying - I'd dry the lettuce with paper towels when you put it in the fridge and store it in a container with more paper inside, changing it every two days because moisture builds up fast. Tomatoes you're better off not putting in the fridge if you're gonna eat them soon, keep them in a paper bag in a cool place outside the fridge, that way they last longer and don't get mushy. Seriously, that coastal humidity is brutal on vegetables!
In my case I live in a pretty humid place too and I'm telling you that paper towels are your best friend. I keep the lettuce wrapped in paper inside a container or sealed bag, and I leave the tomatoes outside the fridge in a cool place because with that coastal climate they end up rotting faster in the fridge. But yeah, try not to wash them before storing them, that speeds everything up. With that they last pretty well for me, aside from some days when it seems like they're conspiring against you.
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