Spinach will stay fresh for more than a week by storing it with 1 item – no freezing (Image: Getty)
Leafy greens are great to have on hand as they can be used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Spinach and other aren’t as enticing when they’ve gone off, but it can seem impossible to prevent this.
However, one food expert has suggested a simple remedy that skips one step, which many people think is essential for long-lasting spinach.
Despite the common suggestion to remove spinach from its original packaging and wash the leaves before them, Taesha, author of The Natural Nurturer, warns against it.
She said: “I personally don’t wash my spinach until right before I use it so that I don’t introduce any extra moisture to the leaves.”
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Washing spinach before storing it can contribute to its decline (Image: Getty)
And that’s not all. The food blogger goes further by warding off moisture with an extra item you likely already have at home.
She said: “Veggies by nature have a high water content, so when it comes to how to store spinach so that it stays fresh, we are working on keeping the moisture in the container you are storing the spinach in as minimal as possible.”
Doing so is easy with paper towels—but you need more than one, warns Taesha. She said that at least two to three layers on top of one another are the most effective.
A large container with a lid is also essential for this method. The food blogger says, “almost always keeps my spinach fresh in the fridge for five to seven days, and sometimes longer.”
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Avoid washing spinach before storing it, or use a salad spinner to dry it thoroughly if you must (Image: Getty)
First, layer a paper towel on the base of a container, followed by the spinach. The paper towel absorbs the moisture naturally released from the spinach and slows the rotting process. Still, you must not wash the spinach before transferring it from the plastic packaging to the container.
If the leafy greens are wet, the towel will become full of water and cannot absorb extra moisture. Taesha urged, “make sure your spinach is as dry as possible before putting it into the container”.
When using an extra large container, put half of the dry leaves on top of the base layer of paper towels, then add a second layer of two to three kitchen roll sheets on top of one another. Finally, add the remaining spinach on top.
Before leaving the spinach to sit in the fridge, plucking out any unwanted leaves is imperative.
The Natural Nurturer blog author said: “You want to avoid putting any leaves of spinach that might already be starting to rot in your container. These will let the rot process start in the container and will cause the rest of your spinach to go bad much faster.”
Place the prepared container full of spinach in the fridge as soon as possible. It should be kept there for the week.
Check the paper towel in your spinach container regularly and change it out for a fresh one if it is quite wet. This will extend the longevity of your spinach even longer without having to freeze it.