Keeping veggies fresh...help!

couponfun
couponfun Posts: 714 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi folks :flowerforyou: so I'm trying to do better with my eating. I love salads but my problem is that in a family of 4 I'm pretty much the only one that eats them. Using the salad bar is about 8$ a pound, so it's cheaper to buy everything and mix your own. My problem? My lettuce heads, for example, freeze up and start going bad quickly in my fridge. I've tried the Rubbermaid food saver containers but those seemed to work well only on my tomatoes.

Does anyone have any good suggestions? I don't want to pay top dollar for the individually wrapped stuff or the salad bar.

Thanks in advance :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • Hssh1988
    Hssh1988 Posts: 48 Member
    Check out superscrimpers website http://www.channel4.com/programmes/superscrimpers/articles; saw something last night about keeping herbs fresh in the fridge using kitchen roll, would probably work with lettuce.
  • JenniferNoll
    JenniferNoll Posts: 367 Member
    I use Green Bags. I used to see them on those TV ads, but now I buy them at Big Lots. It's about $5 for a box of 25 and they are reusable. They keep my produce fresh much longer, and I buy my produce when it's being clearanced out because it must be sold before it goes bad.

    Oh, don't put tomatoes in the fridge. They'll keep a long time just on the counter, and refridgeration makes them mealy and mushy. You'll find they taste much better if they never go in the fridge.
  • Anastasia0511
    Anastasia0511 Posts: 372 Member
    My family own a restaurant and swear by these plastic bags called Debbie Myers Green Bags. A while ago I was doing a 21 day detox program and I kid you not, I was able to keep all my lettuces, kale, squash, apples, basil, mixed greens and many more things in these bags for up to two weeks with no sign of rot anywhere. Some of the stuff lasted the entire 21 days. The bags can be washed and reused over and over, they are amazing and a must for anyone who uses a lot of different types of lettuces.
  • sadiegirl32
    sadiegirl32 Posts: 181 Member
    Check out superscrimpers website http://www.channel4.com/programmes/superscrimpers/articles; saw something last night about keeping herbs fresh in the fridge using kitchen roll, would probably work with lettuce.

    This!! I remove my lettuce and spinach from the packaging, wrap in paper towel and store in a ziploc bag. If you see the paper towel getting extremely wet, change it out with fresh.
  • wilkyway
    wilkyway Posts: 151
    I once read of following tip: Keep a large (glass) bowl with fresh water in the fridge, where u just plonk chopped carrots, chopped raw brokkoli, celery, cucumber etc. in there. Unlike fruit, they won't go mushy, and you can always grad a handful when needed :-)

    Yeah, keep the tomatoes outside :-)
  • manda_rae_k
    manda_rae_k Posts: 17
    Green bags work amazingly! Saved me so much time and money :)
  • Howbouto
    Howbouto Posts: 2,121 Member
    Green bags work wonders but there are certain things I do not like them for like bananas and peaches are an example.

    Wrap celery in tin foil and it will last a really long time.

    To keep produce the longest do not wash it until you are ready to use it, However, for some people if they don't wash, and prepare it ahead of time they won't eat it, so do what is best for you.
  • jcm9999
    jcm9999 Posts: 11 Member
    I think this product helped me keep veggies and fruit fresh... you drop it in your crisper drawer.

    http://thebluapple.com/
  • rand486
    rand486 Posts: 270 Member
    my problem is that in a family of 4 I'm pretty much the only one that eats them.

    I don't know your role in the family (parent or child), but if your family doesn't eat vegetables, there's a bigger problem here.
    My problem? My lettuce heads, for example, freeze up and start going bad quickly in my fridge. I've tried the Rubbermaid food saver containers but those seemed to work well only on my tomatoes.

    You have good advice about lettuce so I'll leave that be. Perhaps the best thing I read a while back was to pay attention to how grocery stores display the food. We refrigerate a lot of foods we don't have to, and vice versa. Some stuff will actually last longer out on the counter, and other things will actually get denatured/damaged in the fridge.

    Another point: You don't have to eat salads to get your veggies. Try mashed sweet potato with some garlic boiled with it, steamed veggies with garlic and mustard on them, or any variety of stuff. Getting your greens doesn't have to be boring.
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
    Are you putting your lettuce too far at the back of the fridge?
    The back of the fridge is usually way colder than the rest of the fridge.

    Also here is a list of where you should keep stuff (might come in handy):

    Veggies:

    Fridge:
    Endive
    Brocolli
    Asparagus, wrapped in a wet towel
    Celery
    Cauliflower
    Mushrooms
    Cabbage
    Leeks
    Sprouts
    Lettuce
    Spinach
    Fresh herbs (cut)

    Room temperature:
    Aubergines
    Beans and peas
    Courgette / Zucchini
    Cucumber
    Peppers
    Fresh herbs (as a plant)
    Tomatoes (separate from other fruit and veg)
    Onions
    Carrots


    Fruit:

    Fridge:
    Strawberries, berries, grapes, other small fruit
    Apples (separate from other fruit and veg)
    Pears (separate from other fruit and veg)

    Room temperature:
    Bananas
    Citrus fruits
    Kiwis
    Tropical fruits
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    Check out superscrimpers website http://www.channel4.com/programmes/superscrimpers/articles; saw something last night about keeping herbs fresh in the fridge using kitchen roll, would probably work with lettuce.

    This!! I remove my lettuce and spinach from the packaging, wrap in paper towel and store in a ziploc bag. If you see the paper towel getting extremely wet, change it out with fresh.

    Paper towel. Cheap and easy. I wrap everything in paper towel. I also do not put bananas, tomatoes, potatoes or onions in the fridge. If you like mushrooms put them in a paper bag inside a zip lock left slightly open and they will last for weeks. Don't store anything in plastic bags - unless they are wrapped in paper towel first.
  • couponfun
    couponfun Posts: 714 Member
    Thanks everyone for the awesome feedback!! I'll have to try the Green Bags. Always leery of trying stuff being "as seen on TV".

    As for the family of 4 comment - my 3 yo eats some carrot sticks & will eat green beans, etc, but only at school, husband is a *$T(#*$%@ and won't eat salads or stir frys, etc, and my daughter eats tons of fruit and only occasionally eats salads, but will eat veggies at school with her lunch. Well, also will eat broccoli & cheese. At home is the problem and I don't know why. Maybe it's peer pressure - of the good kind in this case - and I've tried different preparations. I love salads, which is why I said salads, and because my biggest problem is the lettuce.

    And I totally didn't know about keeping tomatoes out of the fridge!!! I thought they would go bad FASTER in the hot kitchen :laugh:

    But I will go give those Green Bags a try. I'll try the paper towel trick while I get the bags, though. Thanks again!!!
  • unsuspectingfish
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
    Are you putting your lettuce too far at the back of the fridge?
    The back of the fridge is usually way colder than the rest of the fridge.

    Also here is a list of where you should keep stuff (might come in handy):

    Veggies:

    Fridge:
    Endive
    Brocolli
    Asparagus, wrapped in a wet towel
    Celery
    Cauliflower
    Mushrooms
    Cabbage
    Leeks
    Sprouts
    Lettuce
    Spinach
    Fresh herbs (cut)

    Room temperature:
    Aubergines
    Beans and peas
    Courgette / Zucchini
    Cucumber
    Peppers
    Fresh herbs (as a plant)
    Tomatoes (separate from other fruit and veg)
    Onions
    Carrots


    Fruit:

    Fridge:
    Strawberries, berries, grapes, other small fruit
    Apples (separate from other fruit and veg)
    Pears (separate from other fruit and veg)

    Room temperature:
    Bananas
    Citrus fruits
    Kiwis
    Tropical fruits

    You don't have to refrigerate apples. Also, with apples, pears, and citrus, store them in mesh or paper bags. Plastic will only make them go bad faster.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I used to live on my own and found that a whole lettuce would always go off before I could eat it.
    My solution was to buy mixed salad leaves - either in a bag which seems to keep OK, or loose - in which case I buy just enough for a few meals.
    It is more expensive per/kg to buy it this way, but it means that I'm not throwing it out so it's a saving in the end.
  • gogojodee
    gogojodee Posts: 1,243 Member
    Bump.
  • mylifeisbeautiful
    mylifeisbeautiful Posts: 292 Member
    Once a week I make veggie soup and toss in anything that is wilting :)
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
    Are you putting your lettuce too far at the back of the fridge?
    The back of the fridge is usually way colder than the rest of the fridge.

    Also here is a list of where you should keep stuff (might come in handy):

    Veggies:

    Fridge:
    Endive
    Brocolli
    Asparagus, wrapped in a wet towel
    Celery
    Cauliflower
    Mushrooms
    Cabbage
    Leeks
    Sprouts
    Lettuce
    Spinach
    Fresh herbs (cut)

    Room temperature:
    Aubergines
    Beans and peas
    Courgette / Zucchini
    Cucumber
    Peppers
    Fresh herbs (as a plant)
    Tomatoes (separate from other fruit and veg)
    Onions
    Carrots


    Fruit:

    Fridge:
    Strawberries, berries, grapes, other small fruit
    Apples (separate from other fruit and veg)
    Pears (separate from other fruit and veg)

    Room temperature:
    Bananas
    Citrus fruits
    Kiwis
    Tropical fruits

    You don't have to refrigerate apples. Also, with apples, pears, and citrus, store them in mesh or paper bags. Plastic will only make them go bad faster.

    I copied the list off the Food Authoritie's website. I don't actually know.
    I do know that apples taste better cold, so I am keeping them in the fridge anyways.
  • shanonew
    shanonew Posts: 1
    Wow, there's some great advice on this post. I love the list of where to store your fruits & veggies.:happy:

    I'm the primary veggie eater in my house so it is always a challenge to use all my fresh produce before it rots in my fridge's veggie drawer. We have some great farmers' markets in my area with beautiful fresh fruit & veggies which makes it even more heart breaking when I can't get them eaten fast enough.

    Recently I started using a produce bag I found on the web that has worked great! My spinach & romaine last so much longer and the bananas & blueberries I use on my yogurt stay fresh for more than a week. The bags are called Clearly Fresh...here's the web address in case you want to check them out...http://www.clearlyfreshbags.com/

    Wishing you luck with keepin your veggies fresh!

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