How to Save Money When Buying lettuce purple
How To Keep Romaine Lettuce Fresh: Easier To Eat Salad Daily
Sneak Peek: Learn how to keep romaine lettuce fresh by vacuum-sealing it into jars 7-10 days in advance. If you&#;ve ever wondered if you could cut up lettuce ahead of time but somehow keep the edges from turning brown and going bad, the answer is &#;YES.&#; This easy technique transformed me into a DAILY salad eater.
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Do you wish you were eating more lettuce salads? I used to feel the same way. Now I&#;m a DAILY salad eater, and you can be, too!
With this unique trick, you can enjoy a daily salad as fast as you can take the lid off. I call it healthy fast food. It&#;s nearly as easy as opening a bag of chips.
Seven Benefits of Vacuum-Sealing Lettuce To Keep It Fresh
1. Prepare 7-10 jars of ready-to-eat romaine lettuce in 30-45 minutes.
These numbers may vary depending on the freshness of your lettuce and how fast you work. Of course, it may take longer in the beginning. Doesn&#;t every new recipe or skill take longer at first?
2. Keep chopped lettuce from turning brown.
The vacuum-sealing process removes all the oxygen from inside the jar. So even though the leaves are chopped with a knife, the cut leaves are prevented from oxidizing.
3. You don&#;t have to get out your chopping board and salad spinner daily to make a salad.
Call me lazy, but when I&#;m famished, I don&#;t like to take the time to clean, dry, and cut or tear lettuce. So, having prepared jars of lettuce salad in the fridge has saved me from eating a lot of junk food.
4. On the run? Grab a jar and take it with you.
You can eat your salad straight out of the jar. But it&#;s easier to pour it into a bowl. My lunch bag is big enough to fit a salad bowl if I&#;m taking my lunch with me.
5. Save money&#;especially when you buy romaine lettuce in bulk.
Bulk warehouses like Costco or Sam&#;s are the cheapest place to buy romaine. You can purchase the heads in packages of six.
I&#;m fond of the artisan romaine sold at Costco. They are slightly more expensive but worth it.
6. This habit encourages healthier eating habits.
No guarantees on this one. If you eat a healthy salad daily, it could be the start of a new lifestyle. I eat about 7-8 cups of lettuce salad almost every day. Works for me.
7. Customize your salad according to what&#;s in the fridge and your current mood.
Add your dressing and any veggies, nuts, or other extras after you open the jar and pour it into a bowl. Try adding fruits like sliced apples, orange sections, and pomegranate seeds, to name a few. Leftover meat, canned salmon or tuna, nuts, seeds, fresh veggies, or avocado are just a few of the ingredients I keep around to make a salad of the day in less than 3 minutes.
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Happy Cooks Speak Up
&#;I love your recipes and continue the habit of sealing lettuce every week-we are on our 2nd sealer now. LOL Makes my life so easy for salads daily for my work lunch and our dinners too. My husband and I talk about how we would be so tempted to skip salads and make not-so-healthy choices if those jars weren&#;t in our fridge ready to go.&#; &#;ELLEN E.
&#;I am a Happy camper!!!!! I put up 6 mason jars of lettuce and I added a bit of red cabbage. The best salad EVER!!!!!! The romaine was so crispy. Thanks for the idea. It is a breeze to just dump the jar of prewashed salad on a plate ,,,,,,, add a tomato and an egg. Quick meal.&#;&#;MICHAELLE K.
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How Do You Make Romaine Lettuce Last Longer in the Refrigerator?
This &#;salad in a jar&#; is not the traditional layered salad everybody else makes. It&#;s also not &#;canned lettuce,&#; although it may look like it. The lettuce is not heat-processed.
Instead, this fresh, cleaned, and chopped lettuce has been vacuum-sealed into a Mason jar and stored in the fridge so it won&#;t wilt. The process is not complicated or expensive!!
Can You Vacuum-Seal Lettuce?
Yes. When vacuum-sealed into a glass Mason jar, chopped romaine lettuce will stay crisp and fresh for 7-10 days. Store lettuce in the refrigerator.
To be clear: We&#;re assuming the lettuce is fresh. So don&#;t pack lettuce that has been hanging around in some warehouse or your fridge for too long.
Old and wilted lettuce will shorten the freshness window for a vacuum-sealed jar of salad.
Are There Other Ways To Save Lettuce in Jars?
1. Can I freeze these jars of lettuce?
No. The lettuce will wilt and spoil when you remove it from the freezer.
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2. Are these jars heat-packed or pressure-cooked?
No. Lettuce is much too delicate for that kind of treatment.
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How To Prepare Romaine Lettuce for Vacuum-Sealing
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Gather your equipment.Pin
Leave the lettuce leaves intact. Open the head and wash the inner leaves well under running water.Pin
Use a large knife to slice the lettuce lengthwise at least 4-5 times.Pin
Slice crosswise to create 1/2 inch or smaller pieces. Place chopped lettuce into a lettuce spinner basket.Pin
Optional: give chopped lettuce in the basket an additional shower before spinning.Pin
Put cleaned and chopped lettuce into the salad spinner to remove excess water.Pin
Put the lid on and spin away until no more excess moisture is evident.How Do You Vacuum-Seal Lettuce into Mason Jars?
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Empty the contents of your salad spinner basket into a large bowl.Pin
This particular bowl holds nine+ chopped hearts of romaine lettuce.Pin
Stuff jars full of lettuce. I pack mine tightly. I recommend you pack only as much as you will eat in one sitting. You can reseal the jar, but the lettuce will not be as good the next time.Pin
Be sure no pieces of lettuce are hanging over the top edge.Pin
Place a flat lid on top of the jar.Pin
Cover the jar with the wide-mouth adapter.Pin
Use a handheld vacuum-pack device to seal jars. Cover the adapter&#;s hole with the vacuum device&#;s suction cup. If you have trouble, see this post about sealing questions and answers.Pin
Alternatively, use a full-size vacuum-pack machine and a hose to connect to the wide-mouth adapter.Addendum 6/12/: Here&#;s my favorite portable vacuum pack machine(paid link) to date.
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No batteries or lid adaptors are needed. The unit is rechargeable and does the best job of sealing jars of any unit I&#;ve ever tried.Pin
Seal the jar and remove the wide-mouth adapter. Screw a metal collar on top of the flat lid. The collar will help preserve the seal.Pin
The jars of lettuce must be stored in the refrigerator.How Do I Open a Vacuum-Sealed Jar of Lettuce?
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Pry off the lid with a can opener (as pictured above), or use your fingers. Empty your jar of lettuce into a bowl or onto a plate. Add whatever extras you want.
NOTE: I often add other lettuce varieties, such as ready-to-eat spinach, arugula, or spring mix, when I&#;m ready to eat my salad. Since this lettuce is ready-to-eat straight from the store, it doesn&#;t add any time. But unfortunately, these types of lettuce are unpredictable when vacuum-packed.
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FAQ About Vacuum-Sealing Lettuce in Jars:
Can you vacuum-seal lettuce?Yes. But it needs to be sturdy lettuce like romaine or radicchio. Iceberg would be my third choice. Napa cabbage is another fave that stores well.
Can I vacuum-pack leafy greens, spinach, or spring mix?I&#;ve experimented with all these, but none lasted more than 3-4 days. They&#;re too fragile for vacuum-packing. Although some say it works for them, I can&#;t recommend it. When it comes to vacuum sealing, I&#;m a hearts-of-Romaine girl.
Even though I love romaine, the dark green outer leaves will not last as long as the crispier inner leaves. If I have a lot of dark leaves, I try to eat those jars first.
You can, but I don&#;t recommend it. The results are unpredictable and will most likely shorten the time the lettuce will stay fresh. In my experience, sliced carrots and cabbage will vacuum seal pretty well. Avoid adding cucumbers and tomatoes. Beyond that, I suggest you experiment.
One of my readers, Rick, did an experiment adding various veggies to his jars of lettuce. I wrote a post about it if you&#;re curious.
7-10 days on average. The freshness of the lettuce when packing can make a difference. As noted earlier, if your romaine includes lots of outer dark green leaves, those leaves are more delicate and tend to go south first.
What do I need to get started?1. Hearts of romaine lettuce (Romaine lettuce works best because the leaves are sturdy. Spinach and spring mix don&#;t like to be vacuum-packed.)
2. Sharp butcher knife (My favorite is a Wusthoff Santoku(paid link) knife.)
3. Large chopping board&#;wood or plastic (paid link)
4. Salad spinner (paid link) (the plastic ones work, but the stainless spinner from OXO is better if you are a heavy user)
5. Large mixing bowl (paid link)
6. Wide-mouth jar attachment(paid link)
7. Quart-size Mason glass jars with 2-part metal lids (paid link)
8. Full-size vacuum-pack machine (paid link)or a portable (paid link) vacuum device (much cheaper and easier to store)
Note: Everything but the lettuce is reusable!
The actual time to prepare 6-8 jars is 30-45 minutes after you&#;ve had some practice. Expect to spend a couple of hours the first time or two. Once you get your system down, making the jars goes fast.
Do I really need a vacuum-pack device? I&#;ve heard rinsing the lettuce in lemon juice or vinegar will help it stay fresh longer.After a reader suggested this, I did a side-by-side experiment. I rinsed the lettuce with diluted lemon juice and compared it to vacuum-packed lettuce. The lemon juice-rinsed and cut lettuce began to turn brown after three days. No comparison!
Any suggestions for other ways to use a vacuum-pack machine?Use your quart jars to vacuum-pack rice, flour, oatmeal, granola, and other dry pantry items. Store vacuum-packed stir-fry sauce, barbecue sauce, or salad dressing in the fridge.
Use plastic vacuum-seal bags for cheese, leftovers, and meat. Food stays in the freezer much longer without freezer burn when vacuum-sealed.
Vacuum-packing removes the oxygen that causes the lettuce to brown when there are cut edges&#;torn or otherwise. I use a sharp knife to chop it quickly and in small pieces. Hands and plastic knives are way too slow for me.
Can I vacuum-pack lettuce into small-mouth Mason jars?Yes, but the wide-mouth jars are much easier to fill, empty, seal, and wash. Therefore, I highly recommend the wide-mouth over the small-mouth jars.
Do I need a jar attachment for each jar?No. You only need one jar attachment. The attachment fits over the opening with a flat lid between the top of the jar and the attachment. Pull the attachment off after sealing. See the video.
Large-mouth jar attachments are available online. I&#;ve never seen them in a brick-and-mortar store, but readers have reported sightings.
Be sure you buy the large-mouth jar attachment if you have large-mouth jars. Otherwise, buy the small-mouth attachment.
Yes. You can reuse both. The lids should only be used once when using heat, such as pressure canning. However, vacuum sealing involves no heat. Unfortunately, the lids and collars are prone to rust if not completely dried after washing. But they are easy and inexpensive to replace when necessary.
Why can&#;t I get the lid to seal on my jar of lettuce:Check to see if a stray piece of lettuce on the top of the jar is preventing a seal.
Try using two stacked lids instead of one.
Apply some pressure to the adapter holding the lids.
Read this post about 10 tips for getting lids to seal on a Mason jar.
A plastic bag is an excellent way to store washed lettuce if you leave the lettuce whole and un-chopped or un-torn. It will definitely last longer than buying a bag of salad mix from the store. However, the romaine must be cut or torn into smaller pieces before eating.
For me, that&#;s too much trouble when I walk in the door hungry. I like to have everything ready to grab and go, with leaves already in small pieces and prepared to pour into a bowl and eat. If you&#;re not as impatient as I am, a plastic bag and some paper towels may be sufficient.
Stuffing a jar with chopped lettuce and screwing the lid on is convenient. However, it won&#;t keep your lettuce fresh any longer than dumping it in a plastic bag like it&#;s sold at the grocery store. The oxygen must be removed to keep the chopped edges from wilting and browning.
Can I vacuum-seal lettuce in a plastic bag instead of glass jars?You can only use a plastic bag if your vacuum-pack machine has a pulse feature that lets you leave some air in the bag. Another option is to stop short of vacuuming all the air out before the lettuce is crushed.
The lettuce won&#;t stay fresh as long as it does in a jar where all the air can be sucked out without smashing the lettuce.
My preference is a portable device that runs on batteries. They are less noisy, take less storage space, and cost less. Or buy one that is rechargeable (paid link).
If you want a countertop device, look for a machine with a port for the attachment. You don&#;t need all the bells and whistles for this project, but cheap machines may not have a port. So, beware.
Check Ross, eBay, warehouse stores, Walmart, Target, and online. Or ask around. Many people have a vacuum-sealing machine sitting in their cabinets. Some quit using them after they run out of the bags that come with the device.
Portable units are much cheaper, and they work great.
Some of the leaves may become translucent and limp. If the lettuce doesn&#;t smell right, throw it out.
Enjoy the virtuous feeling that comes with eating healthy vegetables!
An Important Safety Reminder
Wash your lettuce thoroughly and keep it refrigerated at all times for safety&#;s sake.
Closing Thoughts: As of December , I&#;ve been vacuum-sealing jars of chopped lettuce weekly for 17 years. It&#;s about as much fun as folding clothes and putting them away. However, just as clean clothes neatly stashed in a drawer make life better, so does a refrigerator full of sealed jars of lettuce. I hope this cool trick works for you, too.
Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I&#;m happy to troubleshoot via (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.
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How to Save Money on Groceries in 9 Easy Ways
Food prices have reached record highs, and going grocery shopping can be all types of stressful. Your favorite product that used to be affordable? Skyrocketed in price before your eyes! Though some grocery items are normalizing in price, it can feel like stocking up a shopping cart with the essentials is equivalent to a luxury purchase. Opting for cheap grocery items can certainly be helpful, and there are plenty more easy tactics to help keep that grocery bill down and save money without missing out on stocking up. Here are a few supermarket strategies to start implementing if you want to save money on groceries:
Make a List
It&#;s the number one rule of grocery shopping and yes, often the most ignored, but professional chefs recommend it. Even if you re-stock the same items week after week, a list can help you stay within your limits, avoid impulse purchases, and plan ahead to save yourself time on future trips. If you hate list making, consider a digital list that you can reuse week after week (and won&#;t forget at home).
Take Stock of What You Have at Home First
A quick survey of your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer can help you make your list and prevent overpurchasing or purchasing items you already have at home. If it helps, you can even snap picks of the contents of each on your for when you find yourself in the produce aisle debating if you have enough lemons at home (there are six waiting in the produce drawer).
Buy Staples in Bulk
Go through gallons of chicken stock each week? Constantly buying new tubs of Greek yogurt? Eat pasta by the pound? If you find yourself restocking the same items week after week, or more frequently, it may be time to consider buying these items in bulk. If you don&#;t have a membership to a warehouse club, consider ordering from Costco via Instacart, just don&#;t let impulses take over&#;it&#;s only a good deal if you use what you buy in a reasonable time period.
Check For Deals and Coupons
Coupon clipping may have gone the way of print media, but coupons are still very real. Many stores offer in-store sales and deals with free loyalty programs, and brands can also offer coupons and discounts via online listservs and more. Apps like DOSH and Rakuten can automatically link to your credit card for potential cash back savings, and Fetch is a popular app to scan receipts and earn points.
Reduce Food Waste
Employing kitchen techniques to utilize every part of every ingredient you buy can certainly help save money at the store. If you typically toss carrot tops or radish greens, consider chopping the leaves into a pesto or gremolata. Keep veggie peels, shavings, scraps and even meat bones in a bag in the freezer to cook into stock. Get into pickling and preservation to save produce on the brink of expiration and create an additional way to add flavor to your cooking. Re-consider every potentially edible ingredient you&#;d typically toss and you&#;ll be surprised how much food you actually have in the fridge.
Opt For the In-House Brand
While it may not be as prettily packaged or name recognizable, the store&#;s brand of standard ingredients may be the same, or better, than the branded version, and it&#;s typically cheaper. For processed food, compare ingredient lists and nutrition to see if an in-house knockoff and the original compare.
Know When to Splurge on Organic
Yes, organic food is better for our planet, farmers, and farmland, but if your grocery bill is pushing your budget, you may need to scale back. Spend on organic food where it matters, like produce that doesn&#;t have a protective shell and is directly sprayed with pesticides&#;greens, berries, etc.&#;and skip the organic bananas, avocados, and lemons.
Stick to Groceries at the Supermarket
You&#;re at the supermarket for food, not cleaning supplies, kitchenware, or a new bottle of shampoo. Items that don&#;t strictly fit in the grocery category typically have the highest markup at supermarkets (thanks to the convenience) and are better purchased at big box stores or local shops. If you&#;re short on time, a big box store with fresh groceries, like Target, may help curb spending and finding everything at the lowest price.
Check the Volume and Weight of Packaged Food
Dollar stores often appear to offer great deals on prepared food, but look at the actual quantity you&#;re purchasing before going for the $1 frozen mac and cheese - is it enough for a meal? A snack? Would a pricier option go further? Packaging can be deceptive&#;we&#;ve all opened a cereal box that&#;s less than half full, or lifted the lid on a tub of ice cream that&#;s already quite low. Knowing how much edible food is in a package before you buy it gives you an advantage over marketing and an ability to make more informed purchases.
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