Storage tips:

Tomatoes
Keep tomatoes at room temperature, on a plate. Never store them in a plastic bag. If you want to speed the ripening process, put them in a pierced paper bag with an apple, which emits ethylene gas, a ripening agent. Once ripe, tomatoes will last 2-3 days. Keep cut tomatoes fresh in the fridge by storing unwrapped, with cut-side down, in a small bowl or plate. Freeze tomatoes whole. Skins slip off before they are fully defrosted (about 10 mins) Enjoy cooked in sauces, pastas, chili ans stews.

Eggplant
Refrigerate eggplants in a plastic bag in the veggie drawer. Eggplants will last four to five days. After that, they become bitter.

Bell peppers
Refrigerate peppers, unwashed in the veggie drawer. Keep them dry, as moisture will cause them to rot. Red and yellow peppers will last 4-5 days; green, about a week.

Peaches
Ripen at room temperature, stem end down. A sweet flowery smell means they are ripe and should be refrigerated unwashed. They will last in the fridge 3-5 days generally. White peaches ripen more quickly. Eat within a day.

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Two little tips to share .. Last year I froze my tomatoes by just popping them in a freezer bag. When I got ready to use them for cooking soups, stews and sauces, I took as many as I needed out of the freezer. Before they defrost completely (and this is only about 10 minutes) the skins just slip right off you can cut off the core and they are ready to use. Also did you know that you can cube and roast butternut squash without peeling it? Wash the outside and the skin is actually edible... we have been enjoying it roasted with a bit of olive oil, and any combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, powdered ginger and allspice... Yum

Debbie O, in Raleigh
Great ideas, Debbie! Thanks! :)