Food-saving Tips from StopWaste

It’s Summer Salad Season

Keep Your Lettuce Crisp and Delicious

What’s better on a warm summer day than a big bowl of crunchy, fresh salad? This time of year, Bay Area farmers’ markets are brimming with many varieties of lettuce, much of it grown in nearby Salinas Valley, dubbed “America’s Salad Bowl” for obvious reasons.

With such abundance to choose from, it’s easy to buy more than you can use right away. Lettuce will stay fresh and crisp in the fridge if you remove excess moisture by wrapping the head of lettuce in a dry paper or cloth towel, then store it in a sealed bag or container in the refrigerator. For loose lettuce like baby greens, line the plastic bag or container with a towel, then add the lettuce leaves and seal.

If your lettuce has wilted, refresh it with a cold bath! Fill a bowl with water and ice cubes, then soak the limp lettuce leaves for up to 30 minutes. Drain and shake off water or use a lettuce spinner. Prepare and serve the revived lettuce as soon as possible. For more tips visit StopFoodWaste.org.

 Compost Your Food Scraps to Feed the Soil

Proper storage and using up what’s in your fridge go a long way towards preventing wasted food. But sometimes, even with the best effort, food goes bad. The good news is that most East Bay cities have food scrap collection as part of their curbside composting and recycling program. Food scraps, yard trimmings, and food-soiled paper are turned into nutrient-rich compost at commercial facilities. The finished compost is valued by home gardeners, community gardens, and farms who use compost to nourish the soil and grow more of the food we love.

Keep Food Fresher Longer: Throughout the summer season, Edible East Bay’s e-newsletter will feature a series of video tips from Stop Waste to help you prevent wasted food. Sign up for the newsletter  or search the website blog for the series.

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