Learn how to store lettuce & leafy green for weeks with this simple hack.

Nothing is worse than opening your fridge to make a fresh salad, only to find your greens wilted and slimy. Even when lettuce is growing abundant in your garden, having freshly washed lettuce ready to go in your fridge saves you in a pinch.

Whether you worked hard to grow your lettuce from seed in your garden, or you are trying to stretch your dollar by reducing food waste, keep reading to learn the steps to make your lettuce last!

How to Make Lettuce & Leafy Green Last Longer in the Fridge

Want to know the secret?! Its simple! A mason jar! Mason jars can be used for more than canning. They work amazing to store foods such as strawberries and dry goods such as flour and sugar.

What You Need

Lettuce or Leafy Green: You lettuce can be from the grocery store or from your garden. Any lettuce or leafy greens such as spinach or arugula will work with this storage method.

Salad Spinner or Clean Kitchen Towels: to dry off the leafy greens as much as possible.

Mason Jars: I like to use older mason jars that aren’t safe for canning anymore.

Paper Towels: to absorb excess water in the mason jar.

Preparing The Lettuce For Storage

In this case I am storing my lettuce and leafy greens from the garden, but you can do this with lettuce purchased from the store.

To be safe, you will want to wash your lettuce no matter where it came from. You can rinse the lettuce with cold water and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Or use a salad spinner. I finally caved and purchased a salad spinner similar to this one and it has been a game changer!

The goal here is to remove as much excess water as possible. However, you don’t want to your lettuce to be completely dry, a little moisture paired with the cold fridge helps keep the greens crisp.

Vacuum Seal Lettuce in Jars

Storing lettuce in mason jars make the lettuce last a lot longer than it normally would in a regular fridge crisper but with one more step you can make your lettuce last even longer!

Vacuum sealing the jar of lettuce will suck the oxygen out of the jar, preserving the lettuce for up to a month, and sometimes longer depending on the type of greens you are storing.

Tips

Recycle Old Mason Jars: Instead of wasting precious canning jars, consider using older canning jars that are not able to be used anymore due to their age.

Clean Thoroughly: Make sure to clean your lettuce before storing.

Use Fresh Lettuce & Greens: For optimal storage length, use lettuce that is at it’s peak freshness. If you are storing lettuce from your own garden be sure to harvest your lettuce in the morning.

Label the Jars: If you have different types of lettuce or other greens, label the jars to keep track of the contents.

How Long Does Lettuce in Mason Jars Last?

Wash the Lettuce: Separate the lettuce leaves and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to remove any dirt or debris.
Dry the Lettuce: Use a salad spinner to remove excess water from the leaves. If you don’t have a salad spinner, pat the leaves dry with paper towels. Ensuring the lettuce is dry is crucial to prevent it from becoming soggy.
Chop or Tear the Lettuce: If you would like, you can chop or tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces, depending on your preference. I like to leave our leafy greens in tact.
Pre-cool the Mason Jars: If you prefer, you can chill the mason jars in the fridge for about 30 minutes before using them. This step is optional but can help keep the lettuce cool.
Add a Paper Towel: Placing a small piece of paper towel at the bottom of the jar before adding the lettuce can help absorb any excess moisture and keep the lettuce fresh longer.
Pack the Lettuce into the Mason Jars: Fill the mason jars with the dry lettuce pieces. Pack them loosely to avoid crushing the leaves.
Seal the Jars: Place the lids on the jars and seal them tightly by hand or by using a jar vacuum sealer.
Store in the Fridge: Place the sealed mason jars in the refrigerator.

More Lettuce Growing & Harvest Tips

Equipment

Mason Jar
Paper Towel
Vacuum Sealer

Ingredients

Fresh Lettuce & Leafy Greens

Instructions

Wash the Lettuce: Separate the lettuce leaves and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to remove any dirt or debris.
Dry the Lettuce: Use a salad spinner to remove excess water from the leaves. If you don’t have a salad spinner, pat the leaves dry with paper towels. Ensuring the lettuce is dry is crucial to prevent it from becoming soggy.
Chop or Tear the Lettuce: If you would like, you can chop or tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces, depending on your preference. I like to leave our leafy greens in tact.
Pre-cool the Mason Jars: If you prefer, you can chill the mason jars in the fridge for about 30 minutes before using them. This step is optional but can help keep the lettuce cool.
Add a Paper Towel: Placing a small piece of paper towel at the bottom of the jar before adding the lettuce can help absorb any excess moisture and keep the lettuce fresh longer.
Pack the Lettuce into the Mason Jars: Fill the mason jars with the dry lettuce pieces. Pack them loosely to avoid crushing the leaves.
Seal the Jars: Place the lids on the jars and seal them tightly by hand or by using a jar vacuum sealer.
Store in the Fridge: Place the sealed mason jars in the refrigerator.