How to Keep Your Salads and Greens Fresh for Longer

Soggy vegetables and lettuce does not make a nice salad. With proper storage, you can keep them extra crisp fresher. Along with altered texture and flavor, food spoilage may also cause food poisoning. So, it is important to store the salads individually in order to keep them fresh for a longer period. With proper salad containers, you can also enhance the overall life of salads and bagged salad with storage methods and proper packaging.

Storing Mixed Salads

• Add an extra layer of paper towel on salad containers. The paper towels can absorb extra moisture on salad mix or salad. Make sure to have a lid which fit tightly on the container. It must be large enough to store salads without crushing them.
• Have mixed salad on the bowl and add another layer to cover it with paper towels. Check to see that you have covered the lettuce properly.
• Pack starchy greens in unlined, individual containers which have lids that can fit snugly. When you store nuts, seeds and croutons mixed with the salad, they can get soggy when not stored correctly
• Place salad on your fridge in the correct container. You don’t have to refrigerate seeds, nuts and croutons. If salad mix gets soggy, replace the paper towels. Store salad for up to 7 to 10 days in the refrigerator. 

Storing Unmixed Salads

• Fill separate plastic salad containers or storage bags with each part of the salad to about 1” below the rim of the container. Store your salad ingredients in individual containers to prevent mixing flavors or getting them soggy. For instance, wet salad ingredients such as tomatoes can spoil peppers, lettuce and other dry ingredients faster. Grated carrots and other mild ingredients can absorb the taste of onion and other ingredients that have a strong flavor.
• In the container lined with a paper towel, pack up leafy greens and cover them with another layer of paper towel before you close the lid.
• Place the lids on your storage containers and close them firmly. Before you seal, squeeze the air from the bags if you are using storage bags.
• Place these containers at around 40 degrees F or below in the refrigerator. Dry veggies such as carrots and peppers can stay fresh for at least one week or so. On the flip side, wet salad ingredients, such as tomatoes, are likely to stay fresh for 4 days. Add dressing just before you serve and mix your salad.