The Trick To Making Your Leafy Greens Last 10 Times Longer

Say goodbye to a crisper full of wilted lettuce.

With the existence of turducken donuts and grilled cheese fries in the world, eating healthy can sometimes feel like a real struggle. That challenge is only intensified by the fact that every time we want to make a salad the head of lettuce we just bought two days ago is already past its prime. It's annoying. It's wasteful. And it makes us never want to buy greens again (and to subsist on potato chips and frozen pizza forever more).

Lucky for us, and our waistlines, there is a way to keep leafy greens fresh longer. It does require a little bit of work, but it's not strenuous or really time consuming. And, getting into the habit of storing your greens right can make them stay fresh in your crisper for up to two weeks. It's like magic, only it's just paper towels (or dish cloths).

Here's what you need to do. First, wash your greens and get rid of any wilted leaves.

Second, lay them out in a single layer on a paper towel or clean dish cloth like so:

Next, roll them up so that there's a layer of towel between the greens.

At this point you can either put them directly in your fridge, or take an extra precaution by putting them in a plastic bag too. Storing them with a paper towel or dish cloth helps keep them fresher longer because it absorbs the excess moisture that could encourage the greens to wilt. You can do this with sturdy greens like kale and Swiss chard -- and those will stay good for two weeks in the fridge -- as well as any delicate lettuces and herbs.

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