92xj Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 School me on creating a way to keep lettuce longing in the fridge. I have been eating home made salads for the past couple of months for lunch everyday. So, on the weekends I will buy a big bag or sometimes the plastic box things with all kinds of lettuce mixed in them. The dates on the packages will read sell by at least 1 week and a half away. That tells me I should be able to eat the lettuce in that amount of time before it goes bad. Well, I am wrong in that assumption. The lettuce will be perfect for 2-3 days, then after that the smell comes and the lettuce is bad. I have the opened lettuce stored in the fridge in a ziplock bag. What the heck can I do to make it last longer than 3 days and it not turn bad on me. I hate having to go to the store mid week to pick up more lettuce. I get all my foods on Sunday night for the week and everything last but the stupid lettuce. What gives? How can I solve this problem and make it last the whole week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Stella knows http://www.stellaskitchen.com/howtokeeplettucefresh.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I can tell you how to double the life of a head of lettuce but not the bag stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I can tell you how to double the life of a head of lettuce but not the bag stuff. shoot. I may start buying heads if they will last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 My wife taught me this trick and it really works. When you first get home with you head of lettuce take it out of the bag. Next you set it on a the (clean) counter with heal down. Now palm the top of the head of lettuce with both hands. Push down about an inch or two. You will hear a pop or a crushing noise. Doing this free's up the heal. Turn the head over and pluck the heal out with your hand. All done! Removing that heal will add a week or more to your lettuce. Be sure to put the lettuce back the bag and put it in the crisper drawer in the fridge. Believe it or not that drawer does help. Most people just toss their veggies in the fridge and they go bad faster. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 shoot. I may start buying heads if they will last longer. go back to stella. iceburg heads have no nutritional value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 My wife taught me this trick and it really works. When you first get home with you head of lettuce take it out of the bag. Next you set it on a the (clean) counter with heal down. Now palm the top of the head of lettuce with both hands. Push down about an inch or two. You will hear a pop or a crushing noise. Doing this free's up the heal. Turn the head over and pluck the heal out with your hand. All done! Removing that heal will add a week or more to your lettuce. Be sure to put the lettuce back the bag and put it in the crisper drawer in the fridge. Believe it or not that drawer does help. Most people just toss their veggies in the fridge and they go bad faster. Good luck. Yep. That's for iceburg. We normally eat Romaine, which is a little better for you. Romaine seems to keep longer in the fridge too. We can easily get at least a week on that stuff.....if it lasts that long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhunter39 Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 use the vac. sealer you just bought and see what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I like the leafy lettuce. Grew some beautiful plants last year, even though our growing season is short, you should be able to grow your own up there Ben. Not the answer you were looking for, but if you have a bed, plant some. :eat: I really don't like iceberg, too bitter to me once you get past the first few layers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Stella knows http://www.stellaskitchen.com/howtokeeplettucefresh.html Stella's crazy! Thanks Mike. My wife taught me this trick and it really works. When you first get home with you head of lettuce take it out of the bag. Next you set it on a the (clean) counter with heal down. Now palm the top of the head of lettuce with both hands. Push down about an inch or two. You will hear a pop or a crushing noise. Doing this free's up the heal. Turn the head over and pluck the heal out with your hand. All done! Removing that heal will add a week or more to your lettuce. Be sure to put the lettuce back the bag and put it in the crisper drawer in the fridge. Believe it or not that drawer does help. Most people just toss their veggies in the fridge and they go bad faster. Good luck. I will be sure and try this the next time I purchase a head. Thanks! go back to stella. iceburg heads have no nutritional value. Hmmm...Sounds like a good diet plan! Yep. That's for iceburg. We normally eat Romaine, which is a little better for you. Romaine seems to keep longer in the fridge too. We can easily get at least a week on that stuff.....if it lasts that long. Anything that last longer, I am willing to try. I shall find some this weekend and try it next week. use the vac. sealer you just bought and see what happens This could work, but I would hate to waste the vacuum bags for a day to 7 days for some lettuce. Could get expensive. But good idea, that I might just try. I like the leafy lettuce. Grew some beautiful plants last year, even though our growing season is short, you should be able to grow your own up there Ben. Not the answer you were looking for, but if you have a bed, plant some. :eat: I really don't like iceberg, too bitter to me once you get past the first few layers. They plant and grow everything other thing in the world out here, I am sure there is lettuce out here somewhere and it was to grow. I thought farming was huge in the South and Mid west. I haven't seen anything back there that compares to the farming out here. I guess "the big flood" enriched this soil like crazy. I might just try and grow some to see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhunter39 Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 i thought those vac. bags were reusable , on TV they showed them being reused , a lady at bass pro resealed a used vac. bag during a demonstration . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckrich Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 This could work, but I would hate to waste the vacuum bags for a day to 7 days for some lettuce. Could get expensive. But good idea, that I might just try. Repackage the lettuce into a vac bag as soon as you get home. Leave the bag a little long. This way you can just zip off the seal, take out what you want for the day, and then reseal it right way. You can keep using the same bag until the lettuce is gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 i thought those vac. bags were reusable , on TV they showed them being reused , a lady at bass pro resealed a used vac. bag during a demonstration . Repackage the lettuce into a vac bag as soon as you get home. Leave the bag a little long. This way you can just zip off the seal, take out what you want for the day, and then reseal it right way. You can keep using the same bag until the lettuce is gone. Hmm...You learn something new everyday. Now, Stella tells me to keep lettuce in a bag where it can breathe. In a vacuum bag, there will be no breathing going on. Which one would be the better option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Blender..... Freezer...... on-demand salad smoothies.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HUNTINGMAN Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Have you seen those commercials on tv that have those green bags that are made especially for keeping veggies longer. I can't remember what they are called but I know a few people that have used them and they say they realy work. I always leave the bags open some so the lettuce can breathe when placing it in plastic bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Switch to Baby Spinach in the plastic boxes. Better for you than Iceberg and lasts much longer. Iceberg lettuce stays fresher longer if it is kept in head form. You decrease the surface area exposed to air that way. I go through alot of baby spinach here but have kept Iceburg lettuce a long time by adding 4-5 drops of lemon juice concentrate into a bowl, de-heeling the head, and inverting it in the bowl covering it with water. With a tight sealing lid to keep the head submerged it almost completely eliminates the contact with air and eliminates ethylene gas given off by other vegetables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HUNTINGMAN Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 www.bright-star-promotions.com. There you go,check these out,they may be what you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 www.bright-star-promotions.com. There you go,check these out,they may be what you need. How is a teddy bear going to help me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HUNTINGMAN Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 My bad man,I copied the wrong link,I'll see if I can find it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HUNTINGMAN Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 http://www.bright-star-promotions.com/greenbags/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 http://www.bright-star-promotions.com/greenbags/index.html Ah...yes, that would help. It sure would help a lot more than a teddy bear. :clown: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 With lettuce heads, we use a crisper bowl. Has a little insert you put in the head after busting out the core. Bagged lettuce, can buy stuff that is set to expire in 10 days and have it starting to turn within a day of opening it up. Never tried food saver bags for lettuce, but suppose you could, will probably squish it quite a bit though. You can re use the bags Ben, gets rather expensive when you don't recycle them. We re use bags for everything except for raw meats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 I like to dig deeeep in the bagged lettuce piles and find the coldest stuff with the longest exp date. +1 on the baby spinach... :eat: good stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 The baby spinach is a good thought, but I have been eating that for months now and got burned out on it, thats why I am with lettuce. But, I believe this next week I am going to go back to the spinach and deal with being tired of it. The lettuce this week lasted 3 whole days in its container inside a ziplock bag, lame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Some fruits emit ethylene, an odorless, colorless gas that speeds ripening and can lead to the premature decay of nearby ethylene-sensitive vegetables. Put spinach or kale in the same bin as peaches or apples, and the greens will turn yellow and limp in just a couple of days. So the first trick is to separate produce that emits ethylene from produce that's sensitive to it. This list below may help everyone: REFRIGERATE THESE GAS RELEASERS Apples Apricots Cantaloupe Figs Honeydew DON'T REFRIGERATE THESE GAS RELEASERS Avocados Bananas, unripe Nectarines Peaches Pears Plums Tomatoes KEEP THESE AWAY FROM ALL GAS RELEASERS Bananas, ripe Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Cucumbers Eggplant Lettuce and other leafy greens Parsley Peas Peppers Squash Sweet potatoes Watermelon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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