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People who love to consume leafy vegetables are bound to want them as fresh as possible. Some would simply buy them in the right quantities for immediate consumption while others may stock up for a certain period of time to make sure they can eat them when they wish.

Of the two, the second one on stocking is better of course since it saves you time. But by doing so, retaining the freshness they have is put into question. Can it be done? Of course it can but it will take some added effort to retain that freshness and nutritional value that healthy living folks follow.

Leafy vegetables are one of the more tedious ones that need proper attention. They are the ones which carry high nutritional value but best practices could be needed to store that freshness.

1. When leafy veggies are bought, expect to find some poor leaves included in the mix. It may be something that people overlook at the market or for some other reason but that shouldn’t spoil your expectations.

Rather, you can simply take out the scrupulous looking parts in an effort to separate them from a gas known as Ethelyne. These are gases known to trigger to ripen fruits and vegetables. By taking them out, the ripening process can be delayed by a couple of days.

2. Stalks are normally included when you buy some vegetables and best practices call for you to trim them especially if you don’t intend to cook or use them.

3. After buying vegetables from the market, it is also best to immediately rinse and clean them immediately to rid them of dirt or grime. You can do this though a clean sink to allow the grime to fall and the greens to float. Do not rush the process. Toss in the greens one at a time for better results.

4. After cleaning or rinsing, dry them properly with a towel. Lay down a towel and place the greens one by one. If a second towel layer is needed due to the volume, you can do so. After that, you can roll up the towel tightly and secure it with a rubber band. This allows you to wick away the moisture particularly when you stock them in the refrigerator.

5. Before stocking them in the refrigerator, there is a curios recommendation to stock them in a green bag. It turns out that such allows the Ethylene to escape, extending the life of the leaves in the process.

Other bags will not work (i.e. Ziploc) since it traps Ethylene and thus fast-forwards the ripeness of the vegetables.