How do you keep you salad fresh?

LizzieBee17

Hello everybody! I am having an issue with my limp vegetables. I love salad and would eat it everyday but it seems like my produce is not lasting more than a couple of days. I normally buy the salad in a bag and add to it. Do you have any tricks to keep different vegetables fresh for longer periods of time?

luv2ash

Yea, it stinks. This is why I am at the grocery store every other day. I suppose you could look into those green bags????

dls06

I had the same problem with bagged salads. Now I buy lettuce, cut it up and put it in a plastic bag myself. It last all week.

chuluotababe

I keep all veggies separated in different dishes until I need to make my salad. It's not perfect but pre-mixed salads usually end up in the trash at my house.

STARSHINE1975

I buy the bag of 3 romaine lettuce heads. That can last me about a week and a half. Just cut what I need and re-bag.

kbcara

I either buy rocket from the 'naked' range in UK - they last longer in the cardboard box than in the plastic bag, and I also buy spinach fresh from a store that ties it with an elastic band i.e. needs dirt washing off it, but again as it was/is dry (not damp in bag) it lasts SO much longer. I would say get it out of the bag ASAP. And yes, certainly don't mix until needed.

razorspells

In my case, I only buy what I can eat. maybe a day or two, otherwise it will easily spoil.

Gettinfit2

Yeah, I have the same problem. The lettuce in the bags don't last as long after being opened. I buy unbagged lettuce, wash it and dry in a salad spinner. Be mindful that once lettuce is washed it won't last as long. Romaine is stronger than most lettuce and will last, unwashed, over a week. I have a cloth bag I purchased from Bed, Bath and Beyond and it really works. The green bags did not work for me.

Pangea250

I buy the bag of 3 romaine lettuce heads. That can last me about a week and a half. Just cut what I need and re-bag.

Yep, this is what I do too.

If I'm in the mood for something different, I'll buy a small salad bag of a different type of lettuce. But never more than 2 days worth at a time if it's a pre-packaged salad.

daydream58

I also get the 3 romaine hearts in the bag. Romaine is extremely good at staying fresh for me and the bag lasts me between 3-5 days because I go thru salads like nobody's business.

I made two at a time - big huge plate fulls. The second one gets covered and is perfectly fine the next day for me. I do not remember this ever being the case in the past but it may be the romaine is just better at keeping, I'm not sure.

I've also discovered the trick to no more wasted avocados. Once it's ready to eat I put it in the fridge, that mostly stops it getting any riper. Then I can let it sit there for days or until my next workout day and voila - it's still perfect. I cut it in half and put half on my salad and the other half I spray with olive oil spray to seal it and then wrap it up and it's perfect the next day too - ready to go on my mostly finished salad from making two the day before.

Then I top it off with a few more fresh things for that day and another gorgeous salad is at hand.

much2gain

cut as needed, use a plastic knife on lettuce when possible (they make special sharp plastic), keep cut veggies seperate, and always buy fresh lettuce. That bagged stuff is nasty. Washed in chemicals and no value. Use spinach if you can. If you use iceberg, wet a piece of paper towel and get a bit of water out of it and then drape over your cut piece of lettuce for storage in a bag. Just remember.. the fresher and less processed.. the better it is for you. And they are veggies, they aren't meant to last long.

idivadi

I make salads for myself and my husband a week in advance. I make 10 single salads in lidded plastic containers. I start with romaine lettuce or spinach which lasts longer than iceberg. I cut up all my other vegs and add them. I scoop out the seeds of my cucumber, I use whole cherry or grape tomatos. When I have whatever vegs I want in my containers I cover the vegs with a paper towel and place the lid on. When I open the salad to use it, the paper towel will be damp or wet but my vegs are still nice and fresh! Any meat or cheese product I add the night before I use the salad.

To keep vegetable fresh longer in fridge ( my fridge is older and vegetables lose their freshness quickly). I place the vegetable in a plastic bag with a paper towel and change the paper towel every 5 days. It amazes me. My cauliflower will get black spots within a few days but when I use the plastic bag and paper towel it lasts for weeks. I use the green bags cause I can see through them, they are inexpensive, and reuseable. I have used other bags with success. Hope this works for you as well as it does for me.:flowerforyou:

LizzieBee17

Thanks everybody. You could lose a few pounds just by all the trekking to the grocery store you have to do. :happy:

As always ya'll rock!! :smokin:

charlibets

I just looked into this myself, regarding lettuce. You separate all the leaves off the head, whether romaine or iceberg, wash in plain water, then dry (salad spinner is best)...then wrap the leaves in a paper towel or two and slip the whole thing into a gallon zip lock back so that the opening of the paper towel is at the top and you can just pull leaves out as you need them from within the paper towel. This supposed to allow the lettuce to last 1-2 weeks. I've just tried it this week so I don't know about the timeline yet.

http://pinchmysalt.com/2007/10/01/a-recipe-for-keeping-lettuce-fresh-and-crisp/

http://startcooking.com/blog/39/Washing-Lettuce

cdstadt

I had the same problem with bagged salads. Now I buy lettuce, cut it up and put it in a plastic bag myself. It last all week.

This.

Bagged salad is crap.

charlibets

I use the green bags cause I can see through them, they are inexpensive, and reuseable. I have used other bags with success..:flowerforyou:

What are these green bags several people have mentioned?

tiedye

I buy bagged lettuce, and toss a dry paper towel in the bag, clip it with a binder clip, and it lasts much longer.

nkswans

I find the bagged lettuce does wilt quickly. I usually will just buy a head of romaine lettuce. I'll cut it up, wash and dry it then put it in a storage bag but I won't close it because I think it goes bad when you zip it up. It lasts longer than the bagged lettuce and is usually cheaper.

servilia

Don't pre-mix the veggies. Keep them separate. I avoid the purple lettuce, I find this goes bad the fastest.

A GREAT TIP! What ruins lettuce is usually the condensation in the container/bag. Stick a couple of sheets of paper towel in the container after opening and this should help your lettuce last a much longer time. It will absorb the extra moisture.

Valechka

Better to buy small and fresh. Salad is notorious for losing vitamints while sitting in the fridge. I know, it is hard to go shopping and buy only one thing. We walk with my son to grocery store and get only what I can carry. Salad, tomatoes etc

SpongeBetty

The green bags work good, I have used them. Then I got the fridgesmart containser from tupperware. They are fantastic. I buy roman at Costco in the 6 pack and it will last up to two weeks in there. Worth the investment to save on the waste.