Last summer, a gardening friend shared his tip for how he stores his garden arugula to keep it fresh. This also includes leaf lettuce and baby spinach. I’ve been storing my lettuces this way ever since, and it really does work. Scroll down to learn how to store lettuces to keep them fresh for weeks (if you don’t already know).
Once I’ve picked a bowl of fresh greens, I give them a good soak in tap water for about 5 minutes. This helps to loosen any dirt or debris that may be on the leaves and also rehydrates the leaves.
Next, I place the greens into a colander and rinse under running tap water to make sure they are clean.
Then, I spread an even layer of leaves onto a paper towel. The leaves will still be damp.
I gently roll up the paper towel to secure the leaves inside.
Once I have them all rolled up, I place them in a gallon Ziploc bag and store them in the produce drawer of the refrigerator. They last at least two weeks this way and taste as fresh as the day they were picked. When it’s time to make a salad, I unroll the arugula and toss with dressing.
I really needed this because I just threw out some lettuce that went bad quickly. Thank you!!
Shelley
Happy to help, Shelley!
Does this method work for store bought lettuce?
Hi Carol. It’s hard to say because we don’t know how old store bought lettuce is. I have only tried it with home grown.
I’ve been doing this for years. Works on all leafy greens – home grown or store bought.
Great to know, Holly. Thank you!