How to Keep Salad Greens Longer - Tips & Tricks | Club Foody

 

I love salads and can easily eat them almost every day. When I was a single woman, I didn’t stop buying 🛒 heads or hearts of lettuce. Unless I wanted to eat back-to-back salads for a few days, I had to find a way to store them so they can last longer.
 
After years of experimentation, and throwing many heads and hearts of lettuce straight in the garbage 🧺, here are the methods that I find work the best. In this tutorial, I’m sharing with you How to Keep Salad Greens Longer!
 
Before getting into it, it’s important to wash 🧼 the salad greens properly. The best way is to use a Veggie Wash. It helps to remove pesticides, and harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Also, it helps to get rid of dirt as well as insects or other debris.
 
Another plus that makes so much sense when you take a moment to think about it is how many hands touched the produce before it got to your kitchen? Just for that alone, Veggie Wash is essential to reduce any potential germs. Yes, it costs more money 💰 but I’m sure your health is worth the extra expense.
 
Another way that is more budget friendly is to use white vinegar. It helps to reduce bacteria and remove pesticides as well as dirt. The ratio for diluted solution is 3:1 which is 3-parts water 💦 to 1-part white vinegar.
 
Now let’s see the pros and cons between these two…
Veggie Wash
Pros: It’s very effective to remove pesticides, harmful bacteria, waxes, dirt and pests 🐛.
Cons: It’s more expensive than using white vinegar. Also, it can leave some residues on the lettuce if it’s not rinsed 🚿 thoroughly.

White Vinegar
Pros: It’s eco-friendly and cheaper than Veggie Wash. It reduces bacteria as well as pesticides on produce plus removes dirt.
Cons: It doesn’t fully remove bacteria and pesticides. It can leave a residue if not rinsed properly, giving a noticeable “vinegary” taste 😖.
 
My preference is using an “eco-friendly” produce soap bought at a natural market instead of white vinegar. One thing I really make sure is to rinse my fruits 🍓 and vegetables thoroughly so there’s no residue on them.
 
Back to How to Keep Salad Greens Longer…
The first method is from one of my late girlfriends. After the salad has been well-rinsed 💧 and ran through the salad spinner, paper towels are placed in a glass bowl followed by the lettuce and then more paper towels are laid on top. The bowl is covered with a lid and transferred to the fridge.
 
As much as it sounds efficient, absorbing moisture from the lettuce, my problem is with the paper towels. Every day, they need to be changed otherwise the lettuce sitting at the bottom will get slimy. By doing that, it will last for a week but I don’t know about you, that’s a lot of paper towels to use to keep greens longer 🤨.
 
Here’s the one I prefer. After the salad is run through the salad spinner, I wash the bowl and then place the basket with the lettuce in it back into the bowl. I put the lid on and transfer to the fridge. This method keeps the lettuce for up to 7 days 📆.
 
Now, there’s a slight issue. Unless you own a smaller version, a salad spinner takes a lot of real estate in the refrigerator but again, it will keep the lettuce for a full week. Every day though, I just give a quick spin, if there’s water 🌊 in the bowl, I discard it, and put the spinner back in the fridge.
 
There’s another method but it keeps the salad 🥗 for only up to 3 days and it’s the salad sac! After the lettuce has run through the spinner, I transfer it to the bag (salad sac), tighten it up with the string and store it in my crisper drawer.
 
Now, just a quick tip…
If I want my lettuce to be crispier for dinner, after washing, rinsing and running through the salad spinner, I place the bag with the lettuce in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes ⏳ and then transfer to the fridge until needed. This is ONLY when I want to use it the same day…
 
You now have a few methods on How to Keep Salad Greens Longer. Each are quick and easy steps 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳. It’s up to you to decide which one you prefer…
Bon Appétit! 🍽
 
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