How to Help Produce Last Way Longer

Cha-ching!!! I know you have probably noticed how expensive groceries are these days 😖, so I’m putting decor on the back burner so I can share my favorite tips on “How to Help Produce Last Way Longer”. I’ve been cooking a long time now guys, and I know what works when trying to save those veggies in the fridge. My dad has also taught me a few things and he is almost 87. If you have any tips to add at the end of this post, please do for all of us!

How to Help Lettuce Last 3 Times Longer

This lettuce tip will change your life and save so much $$$. I now have lettuce in our fridge almost 100% of the time for quick sandwiches or burgers, where before I kept it in a zippy bag, and it never lasted. This idea works with Romaine, Iceberg, and any lettuce with an inner core.

HOW TO: When you get your fresh lettuce home from the store/garden, do the following within 24 hours… Don’t wash the lettuce. Discard exterior wrapping, and any old exterior leaves. Place lettuce on a big piece of tinfoil, and wrap tightly so all parts of lettuce are covered. Double wrapping is fine. Store in crisper, and take it out as you need it remembering to wash/dry it before consuming. That’s it! You will be shocked at how much longer your lettuce leaves last.

PS: Another favorite idea with lettuce that has been cleaned and dried, is to store it in an air tight container like a bowl with lid, or a big zippy bag ——> BUT, at the end of zipping/closing it shut, blow your own air into it and then seal. Your carbon dioxide will help to keep your leaves healthy. This really works.

How I Help Celery Last For Months: Help Produce Last Way Longer

There is nothing worse than going to your crisper to get celery for tuna salad, and it’s brown and gooey 😖. I was absolutely shocked when I tried doing the tin foil lettuce trick with celery. It totally worked! In fact, it works so well I am buying celery every couple months where before it seemed like every couple weeks (I use celery in so many dishes like my tuna salad).

HOW TO: When you get your beautiful green celery home from the store/garden, do the following within 24 hours… Don’t wash the celery. Discard exterior wrapping, and any old exterior leaves/stalks. Place celery (with core in tact) on a big piece of tinfoil, and wrap tightly so all parts of celery are covered. Double wrapping is fine. Store in crisper, and take it out as you need it remembering to wash it before consuming. If the celery is still fresh, but “limp”, cut off an inch or so from the bottom of the stalk, and soak in ice water before use.

How I Make Onions Last Way Longer: Help Produce Last Way Longer

Don’t be crying, now…I know you are supposed to keep onions out of the fridge, and in a cool, dark space, right? Well…we have some seriously humid days – even in Michigan, and I couldn’t find a cool enough “dark space” to store my onions without worrying about bugs. Yah…I worry about bugs. So, if you love onions like me, and use them in dishes like THIS, then you need to try this trick asap.

HOW TO: Once you get your onions home, wrap each one individually in wax paper. Plop each wrapped onion into 1 small lunch bag (4-5 onions per bag is good). After the onions are all nestled in the lunch bag, roll it shut, and place the bag in your crisper drawer. I actually keep ours in our extra “garage” fridge and I store as many as Costco will give me in one order. It’s so nice not to worry about buying onions for months.

My Dad’s Simple Trick to Save Your Zucchini: Help Produce Last Way Longer

A few years ago my Dad told me that the wax paper from the dollar store is the best. Why do we talk about wax paper? Because we use it to save our produce!!!

HOW TO: With that being said, try wrapping your delicate skinned zucchini in wax paper and allow the ends to “breathe” like the photo above (my dad does this with almost all of his produce) Then stuff them gently like a present in a gift bag into the safest part of the crisper where they will be happy for a while. Your zucchini will last way longer than naked, or in a plastic bag – and then you can make my “Zucchini Bites” with your gorgeous fresh zucchini 😉!

Best Mushroom Preserving Trick Ever!

Everyone knows this mushroom lunch bag trick, right? Well, if you’re a young cook, or maybe even someone who doesn’t cook very often, you may not know this very basic tip about storing mushrooms.

HOW TO: First, do not wash your mushrooms when you get them home, or delivered, or however you get them. Keep them in the package if they look like they are happy in there and until you need them. After you use a few mushrooms, follow my advice about not washing them, and then throw them in a paper lunch bag and roll it shut. Mushrooms will stay happy in there for about a week.

How to Help Produce Last Way Longer

No matter what your vegetable crisper drawer looks like (organized or not-so-organized), I bet you haven’t tried this clever idea with a puppy pad. Not only does the puppy pad provide a nice absorbent pad for any veggies that are wet, but it helps protect them from the elements while also keeping the humidity level down. BONUS: No need to dig into the corners of the crisper to dig out the old onion skins. To clean your veggie drawer, just swap out a new puppy pad. Ruff Ruff!

Tomatoes will Ruin if You Do THIS…

I couldn’t let this post end without talking about my most favorite fruit on the planet…tomatoes. My best tip on storing tomatoes doesn’t involve much. Tomatoes belong on your counter (they are gorgeous after all 🍅 ). Never, never put your tomatoes in the refrigerator because they will lose their flavor, and the texture will also suffer. The only time you should put your tomatoes in the refrigerator is if they are very over ripe, and you need them to last a few more days (or if they are sliced).

PS: Keep your tomatoes away from anything you don’t want to ripen too fast. Tomatoes (bananas and avocados too) give off ethylene gas which promotes ripening. Keep tomatoes in a bowl by themselves 😊

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