Best Way To Keep Greens Fresh? The Bath Towel Method
Some friends of ours are salad eaters of the sort we can only aspire to be. Every week, they prepare their own mixes of arugula, red oak leaf, boston bibb, romaine, and even chard – a massive production taking up all their kitchen counters. When it comes to keeping those greens fresh, they’ve developed an unusual technique.
After methodically trying everything from vented plastic containers to layers of paper towels, our friends finally landed on a method that uses large bath towels. Of all things.
They prepare their greens by cutting them into bite-sized pieces, washing them en masse, and shaking off the excess water in a salad spinner. Then they spread the greens out on clean bath towels to air dry for a few hours.
When they’re ready to store the greens (or they need their counters back), our friends simply roll the towels up with the greens inside. The rolls are secured with rubber bands and stored in the bottom shelf of their fridge. Each night, they unroll just enough greens for their salads the next day and then bundle them up again.
The absorbent towels do a great job of keeping the greens moist but not damp so they stay fresh and crispy all week long. Our friends have been following this method for years now and swear by its effectiveness. Since they’ve also been eating salads every day for years, we trust their opinion!
What’s your preferred way to store salad greens?
(Images: Emma Christensen)