How should leafy greens be stored?

Greens are among the fastest things to spoil in the refrigerator, and the reason is usually not that their freshness is short-lived but the water left on them. That is why storing them well has less to do with washing than with drying.

Why do greens spoil so fast?

The surface of a leaf is wide and thin; it both takes on moisture quickly and loses it quickly. The water left on them after washing makes the leaves stick together and leaves the lower layers without air.

The opposite creates just as much of a problem. Greens that take on no moisture at all go limp and become unusable in a short time. What you want is a balance: a setting that is not wet but does not dry out completely either.

Once that balance is struck, the same bunch stays usable noticeably longer. What decides the life of greens is most often not the day they were bought but what was done in the first half hour after they came home.

Wash them, or not?

Washing greens as soon as they come home makes them easier to use through the week. Greens washed and standing ready need no extra step while food is being prepared; an unwashed bunch, meanwhile, most often spoils unused.

But the condition for washing is drying. A salad spinner, a clean kitchen cloth, or spreading them out on paper towels to dry is the only way to keep the convenience that washing gives you.

Greens put into a container without being dried spoil faster than unwashed ones. So if there is no time, putting the washing off is a better choice than washing in a hurry and storing them wet.

What container do they sit in?

The arrangement that works best is storing them in a container that lets air in, between paper towels. A paper towel spread on the bottom of the container draws off the excess moisture, and one placed on top holds the steam that builds up under the lid.

It matters not to pack the container full. Crowded leaves press against each other, the air stops circulating and the bottom layer becomes the part that spoils fastest; filling the container halfway usually gives a better result.

If they are going to be kept in a bag, the bag is not closed all the way. A bag left slightly open both holds the moisture and lets the steam building up inside escape, striking the balance between the two extremes on its own.

What changes with rooted and stemmed herbs?

For stemmed herbs such as parsley, dill and mint, a different method works better. Herbs whose stems are trimmed and placed in a glass of water stay noticeably fresher for longer when they are covered loosely with a bag.

This method resembles keeping flowers and works on the same logic. As long as the stem goes on drawing water, the leaves do not wilt; changing the water every few days is enough to keep the arrangement going.

Items such as green onions and celery stalks can be kept the same way. The refrigerator door is usually the most suitable place for these glasses, because it is both easy to reach and not the coldest part of the refrigerator.

What about the ones starting to go?

Leaves that have wilted but have no mold do not have to be thrown out. Greens left briefly in cold water often get part of their crispness back and become good enough for uses other than salad.

The ones that do not come back are put to use by cooking. Greens that go into a soup, a börek filling or an omelet do not have to be fresh; these uses rest on taste more than on texture.

A bunch with mold on it falls outside this scope and is not used by picking through it. Making this distinction from the start both reduces waste and makes clear which item goes where.

What changes in the shopping?

Part of the storage problem is solved at the store. Buying more greens than you can finish in a week produces waste whatever method you use; two small bunches are more useful than one large one.

Buying the greens at the end of the shopping makes a difference too. A bunch crushed at the bottom of the basket is damaged before it gets home; one carried on top is still as it was when it goes into the refrigerator.

Making the greens the first job after you get home is the last link in this chain. That few minutes of work largely decides whether that week's salads get made.