One of our favorite things about summer is all of the seasonal fruit that it brings, but it can definitely be a challenge to be patient as we wait for the fruit we purchase to ripen. Most grocery stores sell fruit picked prematurely so that it has a longer shelf life, and while we understand the reasoning behind this, we don’t love having to wait days for it to become sweet and soft enough to eat. There’s no magic button that will help any fruit ripen instantly, but there are a few ways to speed up the process. Here are some of our go-to’s.
Use a Paper Bag
Placing fruit in a paper bag is one of the most popular methods for helping it ripen faster and for good reason—it works really well. As fruit ripens, it releases ethylene gas. Trapping the gas inside of a paper bag will help speed up this process.
Place Near Ripe Fruit
As with the paper bag method, keeping unripe fruit near a source of ethylene gas will help it to become ripe more quickly. Place a ripe banana or apple next to your unripe fruit and the gas they give off will cause it to be ready to eat in half the time it would otherwise—just be sure to keep an eye on it.
Sunlight
Leaving unripe fruit in front of a sunny window will cause it to ripen very quickly. It’s probably the most effective method, but it’s also one that requires checking in frequently to keep your fruit from going off.
