INDIANAPOLIS — We spend money on produce with the best of intentions. But sometimes, we spring for the chicken sandwich instead of the spring mix.
That's why it's important to make the produce you purchase last longer.
To help with storage hacks, we brought along The Produce Moms creator Lori Taylor.
First up: fresh herbs.
"We're going to store these fresh-cut herbs the same way we would store fresh-cut flowers," Taylor said.
She said that the water keeps them alive longer.
"You can (also) do a damp paper towel and you can actually wrap the leaves in the paper towel, and that will help store even more, and this goes into your refrigerator," Taylor said.
Next: your salad mix.
Taylor suggests placing a dry paper towel inside of the container.
If it's plastic, place it at the bottom and flip the container upside down.
This will reduce the moisture inside, preventing rot.
As for tomatoes, those should sit on your counter, not in your fridge.
"(A refrigerator is) going to change the texture to the point where that tomato is actually going to get mushy, quicker," Taylor said.
We tested Taylor's hacks at home, and the cilantro in the water stayed fresh for more than a week.
The cilantro batch without the water: just days.
As for the paper towel in the spinach, it did eliminate a good amount of moisture, surviving a week later than its best-by date.
The box without the paper towel also lasted past it's best-by date.
When it came time to cut up the tomatoes, the option stored on the counter didn't ooze like the one that went in the fridge.
If you're not sure where to store something, think of where the grocery store keeps the item.