It feels like the universe wants to eat them before I can, sometimes…
Fruit: dehydrate, freeze, or alcoholic fermentantion. Some fruit have special methods, like sulphured apples or bletted medlars.
Vegetables: easiest thing is to pack in brine of 3Tbl per Qt, leave at room temperature or a little cooler for a week before eating. I alway throw in some onion and garlic because I like it that way. Lasts like 6 months at room temperature. Most vegetables have additional special traditional preservation methods, but that fermented pickle in brine works for pretty much all of them.
If you want to be more specific with which foods you need to preserve, I can provide more options.
I’m writing a book on food preservation, ama.
I always go for garlic, chili, corriander seed & onion seed in the brine, that makes even the blandest veggies tasty as
Prolly not exactly what you’re looking for but an option nonetheless: make jam. The sugar helps preserve, plus put it in jars and put the jar in the fridge, lasts a long time
How are you storing your veggies? Some fruits and vegetables emit ethylene gas which promotes ripening in many fruits and veggies. Things like storing bananas with apples will cause both to turn rotten faster. Also storing fruits in bags that don’t allow the ethylene to escape will cause your veggies to rot faster.
Planning. I buy what I know I will eat within the week. And if it goes bad before that/i end up not eating it, it goes into my compost pile.
