It's such a great time of year. Farmer's markets are overflowing with picture-perfect strawberries, cherries, peaches, chard, basil, and tomatoes.

Here's what normally happens on my trips to the farmer's market: I stroll around, oohing and ahhing over the pristine produce. I decide that the five-a-day servings of fruits and vegetables aren't nearly enough in the face of such bounty. And then I load up, usually toting home far more super-fresh fruits and veggies than I can eat.

The problem is that all my amazing produce doesn't stay super-fresh for super long. After a few days, it goes from amazing to sad-looking to downright unappetizing. Then I end up—guiltily—tossing my once-fantastic fruits and veggies into the trash.

Seems that I'm not the only one. (Whew!) According to the Vegetarian Times, letting produce spoil in the fridge is common for many American families. They estimated that American families toss out an average of 470 pounds of food per year, which costs us about $600 per year.

I came by this information while poking around Epicurious.com for a recipe for a bunch of incredible chanterelle mushrooms. Instead of a recipe, I found a possible solution. The editor singled out the Healthy Harvest Freshness Extender at New York's Fancy Foods Show.

The egg-shaped gadget is billed as a safe, organic, and completely recyclable product that can extend the shelf-life of produce by two to three times. It absorbs ethylene, which slows produce ripening and spoilage.

I've seen similar items—or at least items that claim to extend freshness—near the produce departments at grocery stores, but I've never investigated them. One Lime writer likes Evert-Fresh produce bags and if you can recommend a product, please do.

Meanwhile, I picked up a few pointers as I read the article. For instance, peaches, plums, pears shouldn't be refrigerated. Apples, apricots, and melons should be stored in the fridge. I usually do just the opposite, and keep apples in a bowl and melons on the counter. Veggies generally shouldn't be stored with fruits, because it hastens the ripening process.

The article also features a helpful chart (scroll down to the bottom of the page) on which types of produce keep the longest. For instance, plums and tomatoes will stay fresher than broccoli, mushrooms, or cherries. In fact, I think I'll print up their list and tack to my fridge.

And how about strawberries? It won't surprise you to learn that the best way to savor them is to eat them right away.