In this guide
Quick answer
To keep dry fruits right through a Mumbai monsoon, store them in airtight glass jars, open small packs rather than one big one, and keep anjeer, dates and walnuts in the fridge from June until the rains end. Kaju, badam and kishmish can stay at room temperature if the jar is truly airtight and kept away from the stove.
A Mumbai kitchen in July is about as hard on dry fruit as anywhere in India. The air off the sea is damp all year and heavy with moisture through the monsoon, the washing dries indoors, and a pressure cooker steams away on most mornings. Our Mumbai orders keep us busy, and this is the season the storage questions come in.
What the monsoon does to each dry fruit
| Dry fruit | What goes wrong in humid air | Where to keep it in the monsoon |
|---|---|---|
| Kaju | Loses its snap, goes chewy, then stale | Airtight glass jar, room temperature, away from steam |
| Kishmish | Clumps together, turns sticky, can smell sour | Airtight jar; fridge if the kitchen stays damp |
| Anjeer | Softens, and is the most likely to grow mould | Airtight box in the fridge |
| Soft dates | Go sticky, then sour or fermented | Airtight box in the fridge |
| Walnuts, pista | Oil goes rancid sooner | Airtight jar in the fridge |
Anjeer and soft dates are the ones to watch. Both hold more moisture and more sugar than nuts, and mould grows well on that when the air is wet. Our guide on how to buy anjeer explains why the softer, better figs need more care.
The jar matters more than the shelf
- Glass with a rubber seal is best. You can see inside, it does not hold smells, and the seal keeps the damp out. Steel with a tight lid is next best.
- Thin plastic tubs and folded-over packets do not keep air out. They are fine for a day, not for a monsoon.
- Fill jars close to the top. The less air inside, the less moisture there is to soak up.
- Dry the jar fully after washing. Leave it upside down in the sun or a warm spot before filling it. A jar that looks dry but is damp inside is a common cause of mould.
Small packs, and a daily jar
Every time a jar is opened in July, some of Mumbai’s damp air gets in. The fix is to open less often. Keep a small jar for the week and leave the rest of the stock sealed. Buy in 250 g packs rather than a kilo, and order again when you run low. Orders reach Mumbai in 2–4 days, so there is no need to stock up for the whole season.
For our shelf, that means packs like 250 g Jumbo Cashew, 250 g Kishmish (Lambi Dakh) and 250 g Jumbo Anjeer. If you prefer soft dates, Kimia Black Dates come in a 500 g box, which you can split into two jars when you open it. Everything is on our dry fruits shelf.
Fridge rules that actually work
- Anjeer, dates, walnuts and pista go in the fridge for the monsoon, in airtight boxes.
- Keep them away from onions, pickles and anything strong. Nuts take on smells easily.
- Let the box warm up before you open it. Open a cold box in a humid kitchen and water forms on the fruit at once, which does more harm than leaving it out.
- Take out a few days’ worth at a time, rather than moving the whole box in and out every day.
- Use a dry spoon, never your fingers straight after cooking.
If kaju or badam has gone slightly soft, dry-roast it on a low flame for three or four minutes and let it cool fully before it goes back in the jar. It will snap again. This works for moisture only, not for nuts that have turned rancid.
Signs of spoilage: sugar bloom or mould
Dates and anjeer often grow a white coating, and it is not always mould.
- Sugar bloom is a dry, powdery or slightly crystalline white layer, spread evenly. It is the fruit’s own sugar coming to the surface and is harmless.
- Mould is fuzzy or furry, in spots, and can be white, green, grey or black. It usually smells musty.
- Fermentation shows as a sour or alcoholic smell and a wet, sticky feel.
- Rancid nuts smell of paint or old oil and taste bitter.
If you see mould, throw out the affected fruit and anything it was touching in the jar. Do not wash it and keep it. Then wash and fully dry the jar before you use it again.
Questions people ask
Should dry fruits be kept in the fridge during the monsoon?
Anjeer, soft dates, walnuts and pista, yes, in airtight boxes. Kaju, badam and kishmish usually keep well at room temperature in a sealed glass jar.
Why does kishmish stick together in the rains?
Raisins are full of sugar, which draws in moisture from damp air and turns sticky. An airtight jar and a dry spoon stop most of it.
Is the white powder on anjeer mould?
An even, dry, powdery coating is usually sugar and is harmless. Fuzzy spots, or a musty smell, mean mould, and those figs should be thrown away.
How much should I buy at a time in Mumbai?
During the monsoon, 250 g packs are the safest. Orders start at ₹1,000 and ship free, so many families combine a few small packs into one order. See today’s dry fruit prices in Mumbai.
We deliver across India See 87 city pages
Written at our counter, where these questions get asked every week.
