Do you have space for a rolling cart with mesh baskets? That looks like a healthy kitchen you have there.

I'll be following this thread with interest. I do know enough to keep potatoes and onions separate , though, no other storage solution ideas to offer.

I have a California (or stack) cooler currently. It is a cupboard that vents to the outdoors at the top and bottom. Air circulates through it to keep items like potatoes and onions cool.

We may not be able to keep it after the remodel. It doesn't make sense to improve insulation and windows if you are going to leave permanent openings to the outdoors. I like something like this as a substitute

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I keep two slatted wooden boxes (similar to the ones clementines come in) in the fridge - one for apples and the other for citrus. They last a lot longer refrigerated. I keep onions, garlic and potatoes in separate baskets in a pull out shelf in a lower cabinet. Tomatoes and bananas are allowed to stay on the counter, and have designated spots not in the way. Sometimes I use a low ceramic dish to corral the tomatoes, depending on what we have.

For onions and potatoes & garlic, I have two wicker baskets in a slide out in one of my cabinets- it's great! In one of the baskets I also keep the vinegar/olive oil bottles as well- easy access, and off the countertop (marble) for staining, etching free drips.

Fruit I keep in a white enameled colander on the countertop!

I'm probably not the norm, but I think the wire hanging baskets are adorable and functional. We will have one in our kitchen and I've seen them in a lot of farmhouse kitchens lately.

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/three-tier-hanging-wire-basket.do?camp=ppc%3AGooglePLA%3Anone%3A63000991512c_conditionvnew&adpos=1o3&creative=62747531219&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKEAjwkK6wBRCcoK_tiOT-zFASJAC7RArigeGeuWhs0xpSDRmQM0rcILvivTlgCo45XOpS4VG5PxoCk5Dw_wcB

I also love the hanging baskets!

oh, those look great! if i had a spot id totally do that!

I keep onions, garlic, potatoes, lemons and bananas out all the time on the counter...and most of the time there are several other veggies or fruits out as well, currently apples and the last of the tomatoes from our garden....I love how it looks and I have plenty of space to have them out. The potatoes, onions and garlic are in matching ceramic, perforated canisters. The other things I just use a bunch of different bowls that I have collected and love and some that my brother made for me out of wood. It looks warm and homey and that suits me perfectly.

Can you move your baskets onto a shelf below your upper cabinets? Everything would be in sight and ventilated, but off the counter and out of the way.

Neonweb, no uppers except in pantry. Shelves I've built so far are full, but there is wall space to hang some more. Trick is then finding the right baskets to go on the shelves...

If I rearranged some things, I might be able to carve out space in a drawer for potatoes/squash/garlic/onions. (Just had a book from the library on home root cellars and it claimed that despite what everyone seems to think, onions and potatoes could be mixed in storage! Wonder what is right...)

If I had more space, I'd do a wood version of this:

Oh, and I may try a ceiling fruit basket and see how it goes. It works in this kitchen:

There are some very cute ideas here! When (if) my base cabinets in my pantry get built, I plan on having baskets that slide out from the lower shelves for all my veggies. Fruits normally stay on the counter in the fruit bowl.

I have a wire hanging basket thingy somewhere. I wish I'd find it...

Something like this stacked on the counter or in a nook...?

The real issues are needing separate storage areas so that you don't accidentally accelerate the ripening of the one thing or another and some are best left in the dark (think root cellars). On the herbs, some should be air dried and they are usually tied into small bundles and hung up so that air gets them from all sides. Some also dry better in a dehydrator. Don't you love being so much more involved with your food? I too loved the "California" drawer, they really work but being open to both the area below the floor and into the attic it functions like a chimney in the case of fire and are probably not permitted by code anymore.

Apples will last TEN times longer if stored in the fridge.

I like that one, Rebecca. Where did you find that?

I'm in the Midwest, and don't have fruit fly problems, but the gnats drive me crazy. They just appear out of no where. When there's no fruit out, they're not around. Do they smell it with their microscopic noses or what?!!

I have a wire basket I use. Sometimes add in white porcelain bowls or platters depending on how much produce I have. I have been looking for nesting wire baskets/bins that I can use together but I can take apart and use separatlry when needed. This isn't exactly my style, but I think these wire house baskets would be adorable filled with produce! I'm looking for something that isn't too rustic, country or modern.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Wald-Imports-8-inch-Metal-Wire-House-Set-of-3/9304859/product.html?refccid=DA46M5WKA75J5V2LRAWAOP2IVE&searchidx=55