Fridge Food Storage: How To Keep Vegetables, Herbs, And More From Going Soggy | Jane de Graaff for Today Extra

With the cost of fruits, vegetables, and groceries still skyrocketing right now, we’re all looking for ways to stretch our food budget further.

When we’re already budgeting in stores, another way to make the most of our groceries is to make sure we store things better once we get them home so they last longer in the fridge. There is nothing worse than discovering that your vegetables have become soggy two days after making the purchase.

talk with additional today on my favorite tips and tricks to make sure you don’t lose that product once you’ve paid for it, because just a little tweaking here and there can go a long way.

vegetable storage

Lettuce, herbs, and soft greens are notorious for not keeping long once you put them in the fridge. Usually it’s the buildup of moisture that makes them slimy too quickly.

Take them out of any plastic that collects moisture, dry them, and then wrap them in a damp cloth that has been completely wrung out. This will keep them moist and perky, but will prevent direct drops of water from getting them dirty, and still protect them from drying out.

Use a paper towel if you want to keep them in their plastic bag. Open it up and place a piece of folded paper towel with them. It will absorb moisture. Replacing it every few days will help your soft sheets last much longer as the towel absorbs moisture.

Another great way to keep herbs fresh is to stand them up in a glass of water or vase, place a plastic bag loosely over the top and secure with a rubber band, and put everything in the fridge. As long as the plastic doesn’t touch the leaves too closely, it will act like a little greenhouse, keeping the herbs fresh without them wilting or getting muddy.

Vegetables

Celery, carrots, and kale often go mushy and wilt once the dry air in the refrigerator has stripped them of moisture. Storing them wrapped in a damp cloth will help them last longer.

You can also revive them in a sink or container filled with water with a few ice cubes. The cold and additional water will harden the cells again and leave them as good as the day you bought them.

Keep vegetables you need to use in a box. Move old vegetables to a ‘use it now’ box in the refrigerator at the front so you don’t lose vegetables and fruits to the back of drawers and shelves.

Turn all the leftover odds and ends into a stock or soup. You can easily freeze this to use later and it will save you from wasting vegetables.

PRESCRIPTION: Jane’s Pantry Party Soup

Be sure to check your refrigerator settings. There are adjustments in the drawers and in the fridge. If you make sure the crisper is set for vegetables and the fruit drawer is set for fruit etc, the airflow will be adjusted to keep things from wilting, drying out or getting too wet and it all helps the production is preserved a little longer.

Use paper towels in drawers. Placing a paper towel at the bottom of crisper drawers in the refrigerator will also help reduce moisture buildup and prevent produce from becoming mushy.

Pickle anything you’re not is going to arrive If you are not going to use your vegetables and you want them to last longer, you can always cut them into small pieces and pickle them. Jars of pickles will last for weeks in the fridge and you can add them to salads, soups, roasts, cheese boards… anything you fancy, really.

PRESCRIPTIONS: How to make the best fridge pickles

meat and minced meat

Take it out of its plastic container and put it in a ziplock bag. Press it and expel all the air.

You can even place the bag in a container of water (keeping all the water out) to help expel any air. This helps reduce discoloration of the meat and allows you to freeze it flat (for faster thawing) with less ice crystal formation.

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