Preserve Salad Plates

Salad can be kept fresher longer with a few handy ingredients

The ingredients of a salad can go bad quickly--lettuce leaves start to droop, tomatoes go soft, and herbs and avocados turn brown. Prepacked salads tend to remain fresh longer because they contain added chemicals to preserve the ingredients. Luckily, there are a few simple tips that can extend a salad's freshness for several extra days.

Lemon Juice

The acidity content of lemon juice makes it a natural preservative. By squeezing some lemon juice onto lettuce, it will remain fresh for longer. If lettuce has just started to droop, lemon juice can crisp up the leaves again. If you've added apples or avocados to your salad, the juice will stop them from turning brown.

Vinegar

Vinegar is also a natural preservative. Drizzling some over the salad ingredients will help them remain fresher for longer.

Storage

Always store salad in the refrigerator, preferably in a container with a lid, or cover a plate with cling film. In hot weather, refrigerate immediately after serving.

Tags: fresh longer, fresher longer, lemon juice, natural preservative, remain fresh, remain fresh longer