Lettuce has always been one of the vegetables you have to consume quickly after buying because it can go off really quickly.
An estimated seven to 10 days is all you have before a head of lettuce loses its crunch, but luckily the food blog Taste Great Food has a solution to this problem.
The owner of the blog, Florida based Lama, took to Instagram to show lettuce lovers how they can store the vegetable for up to four weeks without compromising its crisp texture.
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The food blogger, who regularly shares her tips and tricks online, placed the lettuce into a jar, before completely submerging the leaf in water and tightening the lid.
Four weeks later, she posted the results of the clever hack, explaining: “It’s been way over a month and this is the lettuce I showed you, it’s still fresh and crispy.”
In the first video, Lama is seen squashing the leaf down into the jar before filling the jar with water. She then goes on to screw a lid onto the top of the jar.
Lama explained, ‘This is a great way to keep your lettuce nice and fresh. Submerge in water and it can last in the refrigerator for up to one month.”
In the update video, she explained that she had changed the water in the jar every one to two days, and ensured the container was tight each time.
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After opening the jar she took the lettuce leaf and squeezed it with her hand to prove that it was still crispy.
‘Now nobody wants to store lettuce for a month, but it’s a great idea if you’re going for a vacation or if you’re leaving for two weeks. You can still come back to fresh lettuce,’ she said.
This hack left many wondering how the lettuce stayed fresh for so long.
Dr Heather Woolery-Lloyd took to the video-sharing app TikTok to explain that osmosis was the reason the lettuce stayed crispy within the water.
She said, “Osmosis allowed the water to enter the cells of the lettuce and caused the lettuce leaves to stay firm and crispy.”
Lama’s videos have quickly gone viral, with over 222k views online and thousands thanking her for the tip.
One person commented: ‘Thank you! This is great to prevent food waste for people who live alone.’
Another wrote: ‘I guess I can stop throwing away my salad mix every week now.’
Head to Lama’s blog for more hacks.
Email me your thoughts at nosipho.nyide@inl.co.za.
