Post #369653 by The Gnomon on Thu, Mar 27, 2008 2:07 PM

If you don't already have a bunch of these things. Sprint down to BB&B and snatch yourself up a box right away.

These green bags in two sizes do more to preserve fresh produce than anything else I have found, including refrigeration to some extent. For $10 you'll find lots of uses they're better on some things than on others.

Their main claim to fame is that they absorb ethylene gas, which is a major factor in the deterioration of produce. Some produce is very sensitive to ethylene gas (such as limes). Some vegetables produce a lot of ethylene gas, so you don't want to store limes and other sensitive vegetation along with those items.

These bags are also reusable for a while. When they need to be cleaned, you can wash them out, dry them, and use them again. They retain their ethylene absorbing powers for several washings. I forget how many, but it says someplace on the box.

Back in December I bought a few lemons, which I don't use very much in the winter. I stored them in one of these bags at room temperature. Sometime in February I found a use for two of them and wondered if they were still any good. They looked OK through the bag. After more than two months, they were not only still good, but they had ripened to perfection (for an early picked fruit).

Here is a shot of the last lemon in that bunch. It is now going on four months and it seems like it's probably still good. I don't think I'll wait until it rots in the bag, even though I'm curious as to how long it can go.

Everything I have used these bags with have demonstrated extended shelf life. Some stuff, like bunches of dill do still begin to go faster than most other things, but it takes a bit longer in the green bags than in any other bags. Certain herbs do not preserve well when the refrigeration is too cold.

I've been trying the herbs more under cool room temperature. It is important that there is no excessive moisture inside the bag, so for stuff I keep in the fridge I keep a dry paper towel in the bag with it. You wash the produce after to take it out of the bag, not before.

Anyway. If you are tired of buying produce that goes bad before you get a chance to use much of it, you'll love these things.

[ Edited by: The Gnomon 2008-03-28 10:35 ]