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Save your Fruits and Veggies with the Paper Towel Trick

Save your Fruits and Veggies with the Paper Towel Trick

How many of you have come back from the store with arms full of fresh produce and you get home, pack it all in the fridge, and you’re like, “Dang! Look how healthy I am”! You have one or two “healthy meals” and then the bounteous drawer of vitamin filled leafy greens and crunchy munchies start to droop, and become very sad. You suddenly don’t have the same resolve to eat the once crisp lettuce or celery sticks because they now resemble the texture of the plastic bag they came home in. I’m guessing most of you have. Do you know why this happens? Moisture. Moisture is a killer and the nemesis to fruits and vegetables everywhere.  I was given these tips a few years ago to help combat moisture and help keep me and my veggies to stay happier longer.

Fruits

Try not to wash your fruit until just before you are going to eat it. (Especially delicate fruits like berries) They do better staying dryer, longer. Waiting to wash helps make sure that the only moisture breaking down your food will be the moisture in you stomach. 😉

Veggies

Veggies are typically a little heartier, so you can wash them in advance, but if you do, you need to dry them. Sounds like a lot of work? Well, It is unless you use the paper towel trick. Whaa?

the paper towel trick

1. Thoroughly wash the veggies and shake them off the best you can in the sink.

2. Place the washed veggies in a gallon ziplock bag.

3. Put a couple of clean, dry paper towels in the bag with the veggies.

Voila! Your veggies have been saved! The paper towel does all the work. The only effort you make is to just check on it every few days and if the paper towel is soaked, switch it out with a dry one.

Try these tips with the fruits and veggies you already have in your fridge. Tell me how long you can keep them crunchy!

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28 thoughts on “Save your Fruits and Veggies with the Paper Towel Trick”

  1. I just love your blog. I have read so many great recipes and even more great tips and tricks on here.
    My friend Ena and I recently started our own blog, wellthatwasgood.com If any of you ever have time and want to check it out that would be really great 🙂 I look forward to reading more of your great posts!

    1. Hi Olivia! Thanks for getting in touch with us! We love meeting bloggers! There are some great recipes I would love to try on your site! Pina Colada cupcakes, are you kidding me!?! Thanks for reading, and maybe we’ll run into each other at a blog conference sometime!

      Marie

  2. I soak my veggies in a solution of approx. 90% water and 10% white vinegar for 10-20 min.. After that I rinse them off and strain them. Then I refrigerate them in a strainer covered with a paper towel or clean cotton dish rag. The vinegar kills any bacteria or molds that cause the berries to go bad and they last much longer. There is no vinegar taste either. It works like a charm. I also keep vinegar in a spray bottle and clean my fruits and veggies with this and then rinse.

  3. i also put a paper towel around sliced deli meats. It keeps it from getting that wet, almost slimey feel. I also throw it away and replace it when it feels damp.

    1. Cool! I never thought to do it with meat! I just brought some home today so I’ll try it out. Thanks reading, and come back soon!

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  5. Duh…a paper towel…why didn’t I think of that?! Too bad I didn’t read this before I had to throw away the limp green onions yesterday. 🙂 Have a great weekend!
    Amy @ Home Sweet Thrifty Home

  6. When sending dill pickles in lunches, I fold and put a half paper towel in the plastic zip bag or container with a sealing lid. It keeps the juices from leaking and the odor from getting into other foods. Paper towels peel away cleanly, but paper napkins might not. They’d do in a pinch.

    1. That’s a great idea! You’re going to be my son’s new best friend. He LOVES pickles, but I never send them with him to lunch because of of the danger of a smelly pickle bathed mess. This might just change his world! 🙂

  7. Nancy Warkentin

    Hi there! WOW. I just found your blog and LOVE IT! When I buy my fruits and veggies they are already VERY we from the store. They have little sprinklers that wet it all down. So, when I get home, I fill my sink with vinegar and water, place everything in there and let it soak for about 10-min or so and then rinse, place it all on towels to dry before re-bagging in new bags and placing in frig. I have found that it all lasts a lot longer.

  8. I wash strawberries, remove the hulls and leaves (tip: a plastic drinking straw works really well for hulling strawberries), then place them upside down in a single layer on top of a layer of paper toweling in a large Rubbermaid bowl, then I add a top layer of paper toweling before sealing it with the lid. That top layer catches the refrigerator “sweat” that forms, so I change it out every day to avoid leaving the berries with a wet blanket on them for too long. Works like a charm and the berries last several days this way. They’re also more likely to be eaten because they’re all ready to go, and my guys will eat anything as long as they don’t have to cook or prepare it. For raspberries and blackberries, I do avoid rinsing them before adding the toweling – they’re just too delicate. Loving your blog – lots of great tips and recipes!

  9. I put a paper towel in with hard boiled eggs after they are peeled.. They keep longer and don’t get that soupy, slimy feel. I change the paper towel if it gets too moist.

  10. I learned at a Tupperware party years ago to clean and chop celery into sticks and then store them in water (in a sealed Tupperware container, of course!) in the refrigerator. The water should cover all sticks. They are the only veg I have heard of that stays crisp when stored in water.

  11. I do a “green” version of this idea…I use a tea towel, instead of the paper towels-the towel doesn’t have to be switched out as often (if at all), and it’s friendlier for the environment-and your wallet! 🙂

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