Last month my local fruit market had a great deal on fresh oranges. I ended up purchasing 3 baskets of them for my family to enjoy. With that said, oranges only keep at room temperature for about a week. I needed them to last a lot longer. So, here’s what I did.
After you get home from the market take them out of the netted bag, plastic bag or basket. Inspect them for any damage and discard those. Those that are overly-ripe, set aside for immediate eating. Next, don’t wash them! Water on the outside skin can cause them to ripen quicker and leave mold.
Gently place them into a large gallon size zipper closure freezer bag or produce refrigerator container. Purge out the air if you’re using a storage bag and zip shut. If you’re using a container, place a tight lid on top. Place in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. They should keep for 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.
The ones that are overly-ripe you want to enjoy within the next 2 days. Every few days I inspect the oranges in my refrigerator to make sure that none are starting to go bad. If so, remove them as they will speed up the ripening process of the ones around them.
If you find that you’re not eating them up fast enough you can indeed freeze them!
How to Freeze Oranges
Wash and peel them. Slice into wedges. Place a non-stick silicone baking mat onto a baking sheet. Lay the wedges out onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Try to keep them from touching one another. Place the entire sheet into the freezer and freeze for 2-3 hours. Remove. Place the frozen orange wedges into Freezer Storage Bags. Purge out the air and zip shut. They can keep in the freezer for up to 1 year.
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I noticed that oranges are on sale as I was making my shopping list, so this is very helpful for me. I can freeze the ones I don’t anticipate using.