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when my celery or carrots (or peppers, even) start going bad i cut them up into snackable pieces and throw them into a storate container with a few ice cubes and enough water to barely cover them. throw them back in the fridge and they'll perk right up.

Four words: Debbie Meyer's Green Bags.

I've had some luck using those green bags...that is when I remember to actually use them :)

I second/third the Green Bags! Honest to God, I've kept cilantro (well, spiraled up in paper towels) in them for weeks. WEEKS, I say! And without getting slimy like cilantro tends to do. I keep almost everything in them now. I can't estimate how much produce (and $$$) they have saved me over the year or so I have used them. They are re-usable too.

I either store my produce in the bags from the store with a paper towel in them to suck up excess moisture, or take everything out of bags entirely, give them a rinse, and store them straight in the crisper. My fruits and veggies tend to last (and stay crisp) for at least a week this way, and herbs last at least 2 or 3 weeks, if not longer. I assume the moisture that collects in the bags draws more moisture out of the produce or that just sitting in that much moisture is what sogs them out.

4 on the Green Bags... and I've trimmed off ends and stuck veggies in water, that works a little while too.

With all the great tips I've learned here from both AT AND all it's visitors I've been doing REALLY well and being able to use up most everything with very little waste.

THANK YOU ALL! :)

the only thing I know that will keep celery fresh for weeks is foil. Just wrap the entire stalks in aluminum foil.It keeps for weeks!

That picture is hilARious. Emo celery...

Tip on Scott Common Sense: Wrap your lettuce pieces (romaine, butterleaf, etc.) in SCOTT Towels and store them in a plastic zipper-top bag. They will stay fresh up to two weeks stored this way.

I do a damp (ie wring it out) paper towel foil wrap for celery and herbs when I really want to keep them.

I always buy so much produce that my crispers would invariably get too full so I had all these other bags littering the shelves of my fridge. So for Christmas my MIL got me some really cool tupperware containers for Christmas this past year. I think they are called "fridge sense" or something similar and are designed to store fresh produce. They fit nicely on the bottom shelf of my refrigerator right above the crispers so it looks nice and organized. They have two vents that can be open/closed and a ridged bottom to promote air circulation. They most definitely work. Given that various produce should be stored at various levels, they have a cheat sheet on on them as well so you know how much venting to use. I love them!

I also found that buying good carrots to start with makes them last much much longer. I buy the thin and young ones that come with their top leaves instead of the old crackly ones at the supermarket and they last for at least two weeks and stay crispy!

When my celery stalk starts looking a little limp, I just take it out of the bag and rinse it well, shake off the excess water and put it back in the bag it came in. perks it right up. celery is like 99% water this never makes it slimy.
prolly works for carrots too. either way, you need to keep the moisture IN. a very slightly damp paper towel inside the bag works great for things like lettuce and herbs (wash first, so you've got that bit of water on the stuff)

Standing celery in water will not only keep it fresh, but will also make it even crispier than it was when purchased. If you like to munch on celery, it's the way to go.

Foil does keep celery really crisp for weeks.

Also, cutting up carrots and celery and keeping them (refrigerated) in a bowl of water keeps them really crisp and is handy.

i always cut celery into sticks within a few days of purchase, then keep them in a ziploc bag in the fridge. they stay crisp for weeks!

I wrap all fresh herbs... lettuce... celery in a damp (wrung out) paper towel... then into a zip lock bag... press all the air out and store in crisper drawer or on lower shelf of fridge.

Just don't forget to label the bag so you can find what you need... and I just wash out the bag when I'm done and save it for the next batch. Don't need to toss the bag and you don't even need to dry the bag out. Cheaper and way more "green" than the Debbie Meyer things.

Make sure to check the humidity controls near your crisper drawers, too.

I add another happy endorsement for the DM Green Bags. I have had nothing but good luck with them.

They are a little more expensive, but we really have saved uncountable dollars in produce.

The only "trick" I've come across is the limit on reusings you can have, I put a little tick mark on in every time it's washed, and when it's reached time, in the recycling bin it goes!

Check the temperature on your fridge too. I had a terrible problem with my celery dying within a few days, until I realized my fridge was messed up and the celery was actually getting *frozen.* And of course, as soon as celery is frozen, it turns dead limp.

Turning the temp higher and rearranging stuff to let there be a little better airflow made my celery last much longer.

Get rabbits! My rabbit eats celery and carrots faster than I do. The best thing is, buns prefer the leafy bits on celery while I prefer the stalk bits. Win Win!

I second the foil- works wonders. I have also been super into the Healthy Harvest Freshness Extenders- http://www.blueribbongeneralstore.net/1894-p-Kitchen.html. They've made a huge difference in the longevity of my produce, not necessarily the crispness, but definitely extends the life!

If you find limp carrots or celery in your fridge, all you have to do is take them out an hour or so before needed and let them sit in a bowl of water. Osmosis does the rest and pretty soon your veggies will be crisp again.

Electropositive, that's a great idea re: keeping track of when to throw out the DMGB. I've just tossed them when the produce in them goes bad and that's when I know they are done.

I got these little ethylene gas guardian eggs in my stocking at Xmas, and they actually really work. I was shocked. My produce has been staying fresh for weeks and weeks at a time.