How do you keep your greens fresh?

[BlueMorpho]

Paying through the nose for collard, mustard, and dandelion greens, which, in my area are only available at the hoity-toity organic market...they are sold by the bunch, and regardless of whether I only chop half of the mix up ahead of time or pre-cut it all, by the end of the week I'm left with $5+ worth of veggies rotting in my fridge.
How can I save my greens (and my wallet)?

 

[Goodtruant]

You could buy a small planter box and plant some of your own, you can even use some hoity-toity organic soil. last year we planted arugula, cilantro and basil, our beardie likes thing with alot of flavor. We mix it with regular greens.

We spray them off, pat them dry with towels, wrap them in paper towels and put them in a tuperware container. Don't shred them until you serve them. I just tear it up with my hands.

 

[SkeptiBee]

Yes, definitely wrap the leaves in paper towel. Make sure you check it during the end of the week too to see if there is any moisture in the Tupperware. If there is, take out the leaves, dry them, them rewrap. It's a bit of a pain and you end up spending more on paper towels a bit, but its worth it when you don't have to toss food into a trash can.

 

[BlueMorpho]

I'm a maid, so I always have lots of paper towels around, and they're definitely cheaper than the greens!
Thanks!!

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from General to Feeding]

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Keeping the greens wrapped up in paper towels is definitely the way to keep them from rotting before their time.
Be sure the greens aren't wet to begin with though.

 

[lauraj1055]

I always cut mine up, then rinse them. I have a big tupperware bowl that I line with papertowels, then put greens on top of the papertowels, and put another paper towel on top, cover them and put them in the veggie drawer in my fridge. They stay for 10+ days like this.

 

[Brieana]

OP, do you have a Walmart or a super target near you? They both carry collards and my Walmart has mustard and collard greens year round.

 

[XiDiS]

I cant seem to find any of the normal greens in my area. Or they are very seasonal. So i have been using mainly squash, spaghetti, butternut, things like that. Squash stays pretty fresh in the fridge. try using less greens and more squash.

 

[Menolly07]

I never keep them whole. I wash, pat each leaf completely dry then I TEAR them off the centre spine. A little realized fact about knife to veggie interaction, the metal starts a faster oxidation process on the veg. If you tear they last longer. I found that out completely by accident because I'd been chopping then I sat down because I was chattin and couldn't chop (sitting on the couch) so I tore. Those greens lasted way longer. I put them in a paper towels lined Ziploc storage container and top with another paper towel. This goes in the coldest part of my fridge (not the freezer spot for those of us that has that super frigid zone that freezes stuff and we don't know why ). I hand through them every couple days to pull out any miscoloured leaves and check for damp spots. I also toss them to keep them circulating, but they last me way longer than whole leaves did or knife cut leaves too. They also stay crispy, which Madame simply requires.

 

[ihdolphin]

One more thing to do is put the green dish on the oppisite side of the heat light. Works well. We had the same problem.

 

[BlueMorpho]

Thak you for all the suggestions, I definitely notice my greens are lasting longer!
I've been considering getting one of those Tupperware bins with the 'breathing holes'... Does anyone use those? My sister has them for her fruits and whole veggies, would they work for pre-torn greens, or just dry them out?

 

[Menolly07]

I'm not sure honestly? I toss the paper towels in with mine because it stops them from getting wet from condensation. I'd think the holes would let the water vapor out.... But I don't know if it would let too much out? I just don't know, lol. I've never tried.

 

[bumblebee]

Do you mean the Tupperware Fridgesmart containers? They work really well for me! I really love that they come in different sizes, too. I wash the greens, let them dry, and then tear them into pieces and put them in the container with both vents open, and they last a really long time (like 2 weeks, maybe?). If they start to look dry, I just drip a little bit of water in with the greens and mix them around. It does depend on how fresh the greens are when you get them, too.

I've also heard of people having success with this lettuce keeper: http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-International-LKS-06-Lettuce-Keeper/dp/B000OUY2QO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365098090&sr=8-1&keywords=salad+crisper

 

[Menolly07]

Where do you get them? I'd like to give them a go.

 

[bumblebee]

The Tupperware containers? I know a Tupperware consultant (you can find a consultant on Tupperware's website, I think), but you can also find the containers on Amazon and eBay.