By: Wren Fair

Introducing Travis County FCS’s Fresh Tips, providing you with simple tricks to keep your food fresh longer!

 10 Minutes to Longer Lasting Greens

Have you ever brought home a beautifully robust head of lettuce or swiss chard, only to open your fridge two days later and discover the leaves wilted? Well, believe me, this has happened to me more times than I can count. Most of us will not use an entire bunch of greens as soon as we get home from the store, but after they lose their luster, it’s even harder to force yourself to eat them. Not to worry though, because if you can implement this simple 10 minute trick while you unload the rest of your groceries, your greens will stay crunchy and fresh for up to two weeks!

When you get home from the grocery store or farmers market, fill a large mixing bowl with water. Generously add ice cubes. Then, plunge your greens in (leaf side down in the water) and simply wait for 10 minutes! When you pull your greens out, you’ll notice that quite a bit of dirt has accumulated in the bowl, which is an added benefit for you. Dry your greens using a salad spinner or some paper towels. Finally, poke about 20 pin sized holes in a gallon ziplock bag. Place your greens in the ziplock and walah! Trust me, you will be amazed at how long your greens stay fresh. You can continue to reuse the same perforated bags each time you do this.

Now there is nothing holding you back from having a salad with each meal!