[‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎Sarah‏]

Hi everyone,
I’m cooking just for myself, and one recurring issue I face is with bagged salad mixes. I enjoy having a fresh salad with meals, but I rarely get through a full bag before it starts to wilt or go bad.

I’ve tried a few things—resealing the bag, using airtight containers, even adding a paper towel to absorb moisture—but I still end up tossing part of it too often.

Does anyone have tips or tricks for making a bag of salad last longer when you’re only feeding one person?

Are there certain types of greens that last better than others?

Or do you prefer to skip the bagged mixes altogether and just buy whole heads of lettuce or other vegetables?

Any suggestions for reducing waste and keeping greens fresh would be really appreciated!

[Brenda]

I have a hydroponic salad grower on my counter….pick what you need! 5 kinds of lettuce and grape tomatoes.

Also have 2 herb growers!

[Thea]

Eat more salad. I eat a salad with protein as a lunch main everyday, and half the plate at dinner is veg.

[Darla]

Iceberg lettuce turns quickly.
I starting buying bagged Caesar salads and also bagged spinach.

Both last more than a week.

[Kathy]

I understand buying bags already washed. So much more convenient. You can take out of the bag and dry with a towel and wrap in a paper towel and put in a sealed container.

It will last longer

[Kerr]

I Buy romaine, lettuce, cabbage instead of bagged. Chop it up yourself. Wash well.

I stick it in a big ziplock with a folded paper towel.

It lasts a very long time in the fridge

[Leslie]

Buy a bag with the furthest date out. Mix entire salad up with dressing within 3 days of purchase. Keep toppings separate until just before serving.

Eat a serving with your meal right away. Refrigerate the rest. Add protein and other toppings to a serving the next day for an entree salad.

Put in a tortilla with deli lunch meat to make a sandwich wrap on the third day.

Unless you are getting the family-sized bags, that’s about as long as it lasts anyways, but you can repeat the sandwich wrap again if needed.

[Cindy]

We (just hubby and me) get the bags of baby spring mix when they are BOGO. We eat salad for two days in a row, then braise the rest of it in a little olive oil with garlic.

Now it will keep in fridge another three days to eat as a side dish. Or we freeze it to add to a soup or stew later.

We also love the cooked greens with polenta, and eggs for a hearty weekend breakfast.

[Kathy]

Pre bagged has a preservative that causes issues
Just buy

Whole heads
Last longer and taste better

[Lisa]

Any lettuce that’s still intact with the root end not cut will last much longer.

Others also gave good advice.

[Candice]

I LOVE making salad at home. I have it almost every day. I’ve tried every brand. Bags, hard plastic containers, and loose leaf lettuce (unpackaged).

I’ve found that Bright Farms Sunny Crunch lasts a solid 7-8 days (as long as I buy one with a good date on it).

Stays crisp and fresh. Same for Little Leaf Farms Baby Crispy Green Leaf. Stop n Shop often has them 2 for $6.

Even if they’re not on sale, I still buy them because they last way way longer than any other salad I’ve bought.

[Sheila]

I am solo also- and put make my salads ahead of time in large mason jars, with dice tomatoes, carrots, etc.

keeping it in the jar, it lasts for a while.

You can also vacuum seal with a damp paper towel.

[Zaremba]

You can sautée lettuce… just like spinach or kale … sometimes, I sautée some chopped onions in butter or oil… then add the lettuce, salt and pepper until wilted… a good side veggie…

or I top it with beaten eggs and parmesan…and cook like an omelet…

[Kristie]

I buy the boxes of spring greens. Great for salad, on a sandwich or tossing a handful in a pasta dish leftovers.

Lasts two weeks in my fridge

[Jennie]

Buy a head of Romaine lettuce. Separate and wash it. Dry the leaves. Put them in a ziploc bag with paper towels.

Roll it up to get the air out and then close the bag.

Change out the paper towels every few days.

[Denise]

Single here. Live out of town. I never buy bags of precut mixed salad. It spoils very quickly because it’s been cut and washed.

So, my alternative is buying head of whole lettuce, usually romaine but sometimes iceburg.

Leave it alone don’t wash, put a piece of paper towel partially around it then wrap in tinfoil tightly enough so air can’t get in.

Unwrap and wash and Pat dry pieces as you need them.

I get in habit of prepping my lettuce in morning do it’s nice and dry by supper. I buy radishes which last a month in fridge. Carrots and cabbage last months.

Keep paper towel in carrot bag. Wrap cabbage in tinfoil.

Just buy tomatoes and cukes that I can eat in a few days. Summer I grow lettuce in garden and tomatoes etc but usually only the lettuce is available to eat for a couple months.

Short growing season in Canada. I’ve learned to eat more sides of veggies like roasted from frozen or steamed from fr zen .

[Melanie]

I use paper towels and change them out a couple times a week. There’s only moisture on them so they can be reused for countertops, etc.

[Jennifer]

Our kids are grown and the spouse doesn’t care for salad. I buy romaine and store some of it in a glass jar to use later.

I separate and layer the rest of the (washed) leaves with slightly damp paper towels and store in a glass Pyrex container.

It lasts an over a week.

[Michelle]

I buy it the furthest expiration date out. Place a paper towel in the bag and squish as much air out as possible.

I’ve had it last 2 weeks this way.

You may need to change the paper towel out in-between meals.

[Rachel]

When you can buy whole small heads of leaf lettuce from your local farmer’s market. I pull off individual leaves and keep the rest intact.

I store in mason jars with a paper towel when they get small enough.

A head can keep for a couple of weeks this way as long as an occasional outside leaf that goes bad is pulled.

[Kirsten]

Anyone remember the ziploc veggie bags? They were the best and I hate they got rid of them. I do have good luck taking a ziploc and either poking it repeatedly with a skewer or cutting a bunch of slits in it.

Recently chopped up iceberg and cabbage, soaked it in ice water, ran it through my salad spinner and then put in the prepared bag and it lasted two weeks in my fridge.

It was just starting to turn color at the end of the two weeks, still very edible

[Author]

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