14 Common Foods You Should NOT Refrigerate

Although it won’t harm your health to store these 15 foods in the fridge, it is best to keep them at room temperature. Storing these common food items in the fridge can ruin their flavor, change their texture, or make them go moldy very fast.

1.  Basil

If you keep fresh basil in the fridge it will wither faster and absorb the smells of other foods in your fridge. Better keep it out the fridge in a glass of fresh water. Or freeze them for later use.

2.  Onions

In the fridge, onions will turn soft and moldy. They are best kept in a dark, cool area that is well ventilated. Separated them from your potatoes to avoid onions to rot faster.

3.  Garlic

Just as onions, garlic is best kept in a dark, cool place. When stored in the fridge they lose their flavor, go moldy, or sprout.

4.  Potatoes

Potatoes are best kept in a paper bag in your pantry or root cellar to avoid them to rot fast. In the fridge the starch in your potatoes will turn to sugars more quickly.

5.  Winter Squash

If you leave your winter squashes – like butternut, spaghetti, or acorn squash – in your pantry they will last longer and taste better.

6.  Tomatoes

Tomatoes lose their flavor when stored in the fridge. They stop ripening and the cold temperature even change their texture. So best leave your tomatoes out of the fridge in a paper bag or basket.

7.  Bananas

Green bananas should be kept at room temperature for proper ripening. When dark spot start to appear you can store them in the fridge to preserve them longer. The skin will turn brown, but the banana inside will not turn mushy.

8.  Melon

For the best flavor, keep melons on the counter at room temperature. Once cut store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

9.  Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits – like lemons, limes, and organs – are best kept in a cool dark place at room temperature to increase their flavor. They will keep for about a week, after that best place them in your fridge to preserve them for longer periods.

10.  Apples

If you store apples in the fridge it will ruin their flavor and texture. Store on the counter for up to 2 weeks. If you want to preserve them longer, store in your fridge.

11.  Unripe fruits

Unripe fruits such as peaches, nectarines, apricots, avocados, or berries are best kept outside the fridge to ripen and increase their flavor. When ripe, eat them or store in the fridge to increase their longevity.

12.  Honey

Keeping honey in the fridge causes crystallization and hardening. Actually there is no need to keep your honey in the fridge. When properly sealed it will keep for ages at room temperature.

13.  Coffee

When you store coffee in the fridge or freezer it will lose most flavor and take over the odors from the foods in your fridge. Store in a dark, cool place to preserve its aroma and freshness.

14.  Bread

Don’t store bread in your fridge, it doesn't always keep longer, and will dry out. Keep at your countertop in a paper bag or freeze for later use.

~Thanks to Samantha Hemmingway 

18 Brands Owned By Giant Corporations

1. Mrs. Meyers Clean Day

Owned by: SC Johnson

2. Kashi

The fact that Kellogg’s owns Kashi isn’t the only reason to stop buying it.  Don’t jump the gun though! Until a product bears the official Non-GMO logo, it’s most likely still chock-full of genetically modified ingredients. And keep in mind that they’re still owned by Kellogg’s who supports the GMO industry big-time.]

Owned by: Kellogg’s (officially known as The Kellogg Company)

3. Stacys Pita Chips

Owned by: Frito-Lay

4. Naked Juice

Owned by: PepsiCo. See the sugar content, more than coke.

5. Odwalla

Owned by: Coca-Cola, see sugar content - don't fool yourself into thinking these are healthy!

6. Stonyfield Farms yogurt

Owned by: Groupe Danone, a.k.a. Dannon (80% ownership)

7. See’s Candies

Owned by: Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffett’s company)

8. Burt’s Bees

Owned by: Clorox

9. Altoids

Owned by: Wrigley, which was bought by Mars, Inc. and Berkshire Hathaway.

10. Goose Island beer

Anheuser-Busch, makers of Budweiser, have been steadily weaseling their way into the craft brew scene by initially buying a small chunk of many fine breweries before eventually taking over the entire business. Supporting your local independent breweries is a wise option based on health alone. 

Owned by: Anheuser-Busch InBev

11. Toblerone

Owned by: Mondelēz, which is made up of the cookie/candy/gum division of Kraft and Cadbury after they merged.

12. Tom’s of Maine

You don’t have to support Colgate-Palmolive if you’re looking for fluoride-free toothpaste. Visit your local health-food store and look for brands such as Jason and Desert Essence. Alternatively you can make your own at home. It’s easy! 

Owned by: Colgate-Palmolive

13. Pepperidge Farm

Owned by: Campbell Soup Company

14. Marmite

Owned by: Unilever

15. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream

Yes it’s true and we’re crying a little also. What you can do instead of paying Unilever is visit eatlocalgrown.comand search for a farm near you! You wouldn’t believe how many farmers make great natural ice cream. There’s likely one in your area that makes all the delicious flavors you could hope for.
Alternatively you can make your own natural varieties with little effort. Click here for DIY non-toxic ice cream instructions.

Owned by: Unilever

16. The Art of Shaving

Owned by: Proctor and Gamble

17. Bear Naked granola

Owned by: The Kellogg Company

18. Orangina

Hopefully you’re not drinking this stuff due to the genetically modified and mercury contaminated high-fructose corn syrup it’s loaded with, but if you are, here’s another reason to choose something else. 

Owned by: Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which was previously part of Cadbury Schweppes, which sold to Kraft, then Kraft split off the beverage division so Dr Pepper Snapple was separate again (and still owns Orangina). Phew!

10 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Your Garden

Gardening is hardly a straightforward practice — it takes planning, dedication, and more than a little luck to grow flowers and veggies. But while certain facts about gardens are perplexing (like the delicate nature of herb garden growing), some are just plain fun, silly, or even mind-boggling. And because we love all things gardening, we couldn't help but share this random assortment:

1. A sunflower is not just one flower.Both the fuzzy brown center and the classic yellow petals are actually 1,000 – 2,000 individual flowers, held together on a single stalk.

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2. There are more microorganisms in one teaspoon of soil than there are people on earth.It's aliiiiive! OK, in all seriousness, that fact might make you itchy, but microbes are important for keeping your soil full of nutrients.

3. Plants really do respond to sound.Talking to plants to help them grow is a well-known old wives' tale, but studies have shown vibration (like music, or perhaps even the sweet sound of your voice) can affect plant growth. Plus, the Myth Busters (in an admittedly not-so-scientific study), compared a silent greenhouse to one where they piped in a voice soundtrack, and found that plants in the latter grew more.

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4. Butterflies might be more attracted to your weeds than your flowers.Colorful blooms aren't the chief reason these insects love your garden – it's more about the fragrance and nectar. According to the Smithsonian Institute, new cultivars of popular flowers have been bred for enhanced color and size, but have often lost their fragrance in the process. So everyday weeds, like dandelions and clovers, might actually be the most appealing things in your yard to butterflies (they hate pesticides, too). Taking care to choose heirloom flower seeds can get them to also fly your way.

5. A little baking soda can help you grow sweeter tomatoes.A regular sprinkling of this kitchen staple into your plant's soil can help reduce acidity, which sweetens up your crop.

6. Some of your favorite fruits are actually in the rose family.Apples, pears, peaches, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and more are rosaceae, making them cousins to the long-stemmed Valentine's Day variety.

7. The right orchid combination can smell like your favorite dessert.Did you know that the vanilla bean comes from a orchid varietal? And it's not the only sweet-smelling kind: "An oncidum hyrbrid called Sharry Baby smells like chocolate," says George Hatfield, president of the Santa Barbara Orchid Show. "It's 'baking cookie' aroma has made it a winner." And that's not all: The cymbidium Golden Elf smells lemony, and the phalaenopsis violacea has a cinnamon scent. "Just like you'd combine Jelly Belly beans to create new flavors, you can combine orchids to create a garden that smells like a dessert buffet," says Hatfield.

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8. You can change a hydrangea's color by altering the pH level of the soil.A more alkaline soil will result in pinker blooms, while more acidity will produce blue blooms. To coax your plant to the blue side, add more organic matter to your soil, like egg shells and coffee grounds (though the acidity in used coffee grounds can vary greatly, so you might try a high-acid fertilizer, too). The change won't happen overnight, but eventually you should succeed in manipulating your soil's pH level.

9. Deer can jump eight feet high.They might require a running start to reach such heights, but a tiny fence often isn't enough to keep these garden nibblers away. Try a taller one, plant thorny or pungent plants as a natural barrier, or scare them off with lights or wind chimes.

10. You don't need to be a dedicated composter to reap similar benefits.Call it cheating, but applying used coffee grounds, eggshells, chopped-up banana peels, and other organic matter directly to your soil (no composting required) can offer plants nutrients as they decompose. For already-growing beds, scatter and bury the items within the first few inches of soil.

~Thanks to Good Housekeeping