I recently learned not to store onions and potatoes together. I also put an apple in with the potatoes to slow down sprouting.

I use a hole puncher to punch holes in a paper bag to store onions.
Storing Veggies

mustangs81 that was very a very helpful link, thanks! Never to old to learn how to store vegies! I used to put potatoes and onions together, until 5 minutes ago!!

I've learned so much from this forum; glad I could pay back a little. I always thought potatoes and onions were perfect to store together.

Tips on how to store potatoes, onions, garlic, winter squash. Do you advocate putting everything in glass jars?

The only thing that should be put into glass jars are DRY grains and beans. The others need to have enough air circulation to prevent moisture buildup.

The problem with storing onions and potatoes together is that they require different storage temperatures. When one is happy, the other is sprouting.

I advocate storing everything in its original container, bcs I'm huge on eliminating "chore clutter."

(the one thing I will "decant" is flour and sugar; I keep a smaller supply in a canister on the countertop; anything else stays in its original container)

If you're worried about bugs in the flour, etc., get extra-big Ziploc bags and stash the bag in there. Or get those plastic containers that are the exact size of the flour bag.

Of course, I don't store huge, huge amounts. But even if I did, I'd just put 'em in a plastic bag and double-twist it closed. I can't be pouring stuff from one container to another. Too much work.

We do home food storage, so as much as possible is stored in canning jars in the pantry. We keep bulk amounts in the basement food storage room.

My pantry is lined with dry goods stored in vacuum-sealed canning jars (some are just screw-top lids - for those items that are used quickly). They rest on their side with the lidded side out. The lids are covered with blackboard paint and I write the contents with chalk pencils or blackboard markers on the lids. This keeps the jars easy to access and one layer deep. The shelves are just far enough apart to hold a canning jar.

I remove nearly everything from it's original bag/box because that's where pantry pests can be transported into your home. That and bringing dry pet food into the house. By using jars, they take up less space. I can down-size from a 1/2-gallon to a quart, to a pint, even a half-pint, and still use the same wide-mouth lid.

-Grainlady

Yep, if you're storing a lot, you'll have different approaches.

In my world, chore clutter is a huge thing, and storage space is small.

ITA Talley_Sue (again :) ) I don't know if it's right or wrong, but I am back to storing most everything in its original packaging. Though it doesn't look quite as nice, it doesn't take up nearly as much space and doesn't leave me with containers that need to be washed regularly.

I realized this not too long ago when I was washing some fancy oil bottles we kept next to the stove. We would refill these with salad oil and olive oil, but even going through the dishwasher between fills, they were getting a lot of goo spots on them that required a lot of extensive scrubbing. Now those are gone, and oil is in their original packaging under the sink... so much easier. Realized that for us, that same scenario had become true with other containers that we use to store pasta, beans, etc. We also have a few exceptions, like flour and sugar, and even some other baking supplies that 'go buggy' like cornstarch and cornmeal, but for cereals and such that we go through fairly quickly, it's original packaging.

There was a thread in the laundry room forum where someone posted a picture of their pantry, with food stored in large old-fashioned looking jars that had bar code-themed lables.... just adorable. It would be so fun to have a bright, custom pantry to showcase food with shelving designed with certain storage containers in mind.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3436505/do-we-all-have-ocd?n=32

I don't have a pantry. However, we have a set of lovely glass canisters where several kinds of rice and oats are stored, plus sugar and an emergency supply of pasta. We bake very little, so we don't have much in the way of flour besides our King Arthur all-purpose 5 lb. bag in the cupboard.

The challenge we face with storing vegetables is the fact that for most of the year, the temperature in Texas doesn't allow storage in a garage and we don't have a basement. We have to buy produce and eat fairly quickly, certainly not a bad thing, I live in a city so shopping is never an issue.

I appreciate this thread because it gives me a lot to think about, I did not realize that certain varieties fare better than others in storage. Thank you!

"If you're worried about bugs in the flour, etc"...

I store mine in screw top glass jars and put a bay leaf on top of the flour or any grains (i.e., rice, barley, oats). If you re-package pastas, this works for them too.

I got this "old wives" tip from an "old wife" 20 years ago and it works. It does not transfer any flavor to the flour/grains.

Cupofkindness, I agree about Errant's storage jars!

I store rice, risotto, and grits in the refrigerator in Zoss water bottles.